Work/Hardship Licenses for DWI in New Jersey

Arrested for DUI, Can I get a Temporary License in New Jersey

If you have been charged with a DWI offense in New Jersey, a conviction will result in the mandatory suspension of your New Jersey driver’s license. If your license originates elsewhere, it is up to the state where you are licensed to decide whether or not to require you to surrender it. Regardless of the situation, you cannot drive a motor vehicle in the state of New Jersey during the period of license suspension after being convicted on charges for DWI, DUI, or refusal to submit to a breathalyzer test (also known as DWI refusal charges).

As experienced New Jersey DWI lawyers, we are often asked by clients if there is a temporary license that you can get just to drive to work if convicted of DUI. First and foremost, you should always get help from an attorney who can work to have your charges dismissed. That way, the problems arising from license suspension are never a factor that you have to deal with. With that being said, it is valuable to examine the concept of hardship applications and work licenses for DWI in New Jersey to have the most clear information about what you’re facing.

“This video will shed some light on the permanence of driver’s license suspension after a DWI conviction in New Jersey.”

Can I get a Temporary License if I’m Convicted of DWI in NJ?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Once you have lost your license in the state of New Jersey, it’s gone. While the courts don’t want you to lose your job, they do want you to feel the inconvenience of not having your driving privileges any longer. This is a huge punishment; people commonly take the ability to drive for granted, and it becomes a bit of a culture shock when they can no longer do so. Unfortunately, that’s just the way it is, and it’s a great reason to fight your DWI charges as hard as you can before you suffer the conviction.

If you are convicted and sentenced on a DWI offense in NJ, you will lose your driver’s license that day. The judge can’t wait and sentence you in a week or a month. In some courts, they will issue a temporary license to drive home from court but that’s it. You should confirm with your lawyer if that specific court will grant you a temporary license, otherwise you’ll need a ride home from a friend or will have to take an uber or lyft.

Update as of December 1, 2019: The law changed in New Jersey with regards to DWI penalties. Although we still do not have work licenses or hardship licenses, we do have conditional licenses where you must install an interlock device on your vehicle and then you’ll be able to drive. This is typically for first offenses.

Arrested for DUI in New Jersey? Contact the Tormey Law Firm for Help

Being charged with drunk driving or driving under the influence of drugs in New Jersey can and should be scary. If you are convicted for DWI, you will need to become a master of mass-transit and public transportation.  It helps to have friends and family who care about you enough to get you where you need to go.  From what my clients tell me, once you get used to it, you get into a rhythm and your license suspension time moves quickly.  Again, your chance to avoid these penalties is before your conviction.  Hire a good New Jersey DWI attorney and all of this can potentially be avoided. For additional information and a free case evaluation with a lawyer who can help, call 201-556-1570 today.

You can also check out some strategies that we use to fight against your DWI charges below:

Challenge the Initial Motor Vehicle Stoppage
Challenge the Field Sobriety Tests
Challenge the 20 Minute Observation Period
Challenge the Alcotest 7110 machine itself