If you are from out of state and receive a South Carolina DUI you may face additional complications pertaining to your driver's license. Although a South Carolina DUI can only suspend a South Carolina license, all convictions will be reported to your home state. This means that you will face the same penalties against your license as you would have if you had been charged back home.
Another major complication is for those whose license is suspended by refusing an alcohol test or providing a high sample. In this circumstance your privilege to operate a vehicle in South Carolina will be suspended, but your home state's license will remain intact (at least initially). And because you don't have a South Carolina license you aren't eligible to receive a Temporary Alchol License ("TAL"). You can however receive a non-resident certification after requesting a contested case hearing through the Office of Motor Vehicle Hearings and going in-person to the South Carolina DMV branch in either Blythewood or Shop Road (Columbia).
The best thing that anyone can do to help their out of state license is to avoid being convicted of DUI in South Carolina. This is accomplished by having the case dismissed, reducing to a non-DUI plea bargain, or being found not-guilty. Certain states will still penalize their residents who accept a DUI plea bargain, so you will want to be aware of any consequences before accepting any reductions. For more information regarding South Carolina DUI topics please request our free report written by attorney James R. Snell, Jr.