625 ILCS 5/ Illinois Vehicle Code.

(625 ILCS 5/7-602) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 7-602)

Sec. 7-602. Insurance card. Every operator of a motor vehicle subject to Section 7-601 of this Code shall carry within the vehicle evidence of insurance. The evidence shall be legible and sufficient to demonstrate that the motor vehicle currently is covered by a liability insurance policy as required under Section 7-601 of this Code and may include, but is not limited to, the following:

(a) an insurance card provided by the insurer under this Section;

(b) the combination of proof of purchase of the motor vehicle within the previous 60 days and a current insurance card issued for the motor vehicle replaced by such purchase;

(c) the current declarations page of a liability insurance policy;

(d) a liability insurance binder, certificate of liability insurance or receipt for payment to an insurer or its authorized representative for a liability insurance premium, provided such document contains all information the Secretary of State by rule and regulation may require;

(e) a current rental agreement;

(f) registration plates or digital registration plates, registration sticker or digital registration sticker, or other evidence of registration issued by the Secretary only upon submission of proof of liability insurance pursuant to this Code;

(g) a certificate, decal, or other document or device issued by a governmental agency for a motor vehicle indicating the vehicle is insured for liability pursuant to law;

(h) the display of electronic images on a cellular phone or other type of portable electronic device. The use of a cellular phone or other type of portable electronic device to display proof of insurance does not constitute consent for a law enforcement officer, court, or other officer of the court to access other contents of the electronic device. Any law enforcement officer, court, or officer of the court presented with the device shall be immune from any liability resulting from damage to the mobile electronic device.

An insurance card shall be provided for each motor vehicle insured by the insurer issuing the liability insurance policy and may be issued in either paper or electronic format. Acceptable electronic formats shall permit display on a cellular phone or other portable electronic device and satisfy all other requirements of law and rule, including this Section, regarding form and content.

The form, contents and manner of issuance of the insurance card shall be prescribed by rules and regulations of the Secretary of State. The Secretary shall adopt rules requiring that reasonable measures be taken to prevent the fraudulent production of insurance cards. The insurance card shall display an effective date and an expiration date covering a period of time not to exceed 12 months. The insurance card shall contain the following disclaimer: "Examine policy exclusions carefully. This form does not constitute any part of your insurance policy." If the insurance policy represented by the insurance card does not cover any driver operating the motor vehicle with the owner's permission, or the owner when operating a motor vehicle other than the vehicle for which the policy is issued, the insurance card shall contain a warning of such limitations in the coverage provided by the policy.

No insurer shall issue a card, similar in appearance, form and content to the insurance card required under this Section, in connection with an insurance policy that does not provide the liability insurance coverage required under Section 7-601 of this Code.

The evidence of insurance shall be displayed upon request made by any law enforcement officer wearing a uniform or displaying a badge or other sign of authority. Any person who fails or refuses to comply with such request is in violation of Section 3-707 of this Code. Any person who displays evidence of insurance, knowing there is no valid liability insurance in effect on the motor vehicle as required under Section 7-601 of this Code or knowing the evidence of insurance is illegally altered, counterfeit or otherwise invalid, is in violation of Section 3-710 of this Code.

"Display" means the manual surrender of the evidence of insurance into the hands of the law enforcement officer, court, or officer of the court making the request for the officer's, court's, or officer of the court's inspection thereof.

(Source: P.A. 101-395, eff. 8-16-19.)

(625 ILCS 5/7-603) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 7-603)

Sec. 7-603. Illegal insurance cards - penalty. No person shall alter an invalid insurance card to make it appear valid. No person knowingly shall make, sell or otherwise make available an invalid or counterfeit insurance card.

Any person convicted of a violation of this Section is guilty of a Class 4 felony.

(Source: P.A. 85-1201.)

(625 ILCS 5/7-603.5)

Sec. 7-603.5. Electronic verification of a liability insurance policy.

(a) The Secretary may implement a program of electronic motor vehicle liability insurance policy verification for motor vehicles subject to Section 7-601 of this Code for the purpose of verifying whether or not the motor vehicle is insured. The development and implementation of the program shall be consistent with the standards and procedures of a nationwide organization whose primary membership consists of individual insurance companies and insurance trade associations. The program shall include, but is not limited to:

(1) a requirement that an insurance company authorized to sell motor vehicle liability insurance in this State shall make available, in a format designated by the Secretary that is consistent with a nationwide organization whose primary membership consists of individual insurance companies and insurance trade organizations, to the Secretary for each motor vehicle liability insurance policy issued by the company the following information:

(A) the name of the policy holder;

(B) the make, model, year, and vehicle identification number of the covered motor vehicle;

(C) the policy number;

(D) the policy effective date;

(E) the insurance company's National Association of Insurance Commissioner's number; and

(F) any other information the Secretary deems necessary to match an eligible vehicle with an insurance policy;

(2) a method for searching motor vehicle liability insurance policies issued and in effect in this State by using the information under paragraph (1) of this subsection (a);

(3) a requirement that at least twice per calendar year, the Secretary shall verify the existence of a liability insurance policy for every registered motor vehicle subject to Section 7-601 of this Code; and if the Secretary is unable to verify the existence of a liability insurance policy, the Secretary shall, by U.S. mail or electronic mail, send the vehicle owner a written notice allowing the vehicle owner 30 calendar days to provide proof of insurance on the date of attempted verification, or to provide proof that the vehicle is no longer operable;

(4) a requirement that a vehicle owner who does not provide proof of insurance or proof of an inoperable vehicle under paragraph (3) of this subsection (a) shall be in violation of Section 7-601 of this Code and the Secretary shall suspend the vehicle's registration and the owner shall pay any applicable reinstatement fees and shall provide proof of insurance before the Secretary may reinstate the vehicle's registration under Section 7-606 of this Code;

(5) a requirement that if a vehicle owner provides proof of insurance on the date of the attempted verification under paragraph (3) of this subsection (1), the Secretary may verify the vehicle owner's response by furnishing necessary information to the insurance company. Within 7 calendar days of receiving the information, the insurance company shall confirm and notify the Secretary the dates of the motor vehicle's insurance coverage. If the insurance company does not confirm coverage for the date of attempted verification, the Secretary shall suspend the vehicle's registration and the owner of the vehicle shall pay any applicable reinstatement fees and shall provide proof of insurance before the Secretary may reinstate the vehicle's registration under Section 7-606 of this Code;

(6) a requirement that the Secretary may consult with members of the insurance industry during the implementation of the program, including, but not limited to, during the drafting process for adopting any rules that may be necessary to implement or manage an electronic motor vehicle liability insurance policy verification program;

(7) a requirement that commercial lines of automobile insurance are excluded from the program, but may voluntarily report insurance coverage to the State.

(b) In addition to the semi-annual verification of liability insurance under subsection (a) of this Section, the Secretary may select monthly verification for a motor vehicle owned or registered by a person:

(1) whose motor vehicle registration during the preceding 4 years has been suspended under Section 7-606 or 7-607 of this Code;

(2) who, during the preceding 4 years, has been convicted of violating Section 3-707, 3-708, or 3-710 of this Code while operating a vehicle owned by another person;

(3) whose driving privileges have been suspended during the preceding 4 years;

(4) who, during the preceding 4 years, acquired ownership of a motor vehicle while the registration of the vehicle under the previous owner was suspended under Section 7-606 or 7-607 of this Code; or

(5) who, during the preceding 4 years, has received a disposition of court supervision under subsection (c) of Section 5-6-1 of the Unified Code of Corrections for a violation of Section 3-707, 3-708, or 3-710 of this Code.

(c) Nothing in this Section provides the Secretary with regulatory authority over insurance companies.

(d) The Secretary may contract with a private contractor to carry out the Secretary's duties under this Section.

(e) Any information collected, stored, maintained, or referred to under this Section shall be used solely for the purpose of verifying whether a registered motor vehicle meets the requirements of Section 7-601 of this Code and shall be exempt from a records request or from inspection and copying under the Freedom of Information Act. A request for release of verification of liability insurance policy information from the Secretary shall require a court order, subpoena, or the motor vehicle owner's approval.

(f) An insurer identified by an electronic motor vehicle liability insurance policy program as insuring less than 1,000 vehicles per year shall be exempt from the reporting requirements under subsection (a) of this Section.

(g) The Secretary may adopt any rules necessary to implement this Section.

(Source: P.A. 100-373, eff. 1-1-18.)