Common Questions and Their Answers

How am I billed for my usage?

At the close of each month your invoice will be emailed to you. From there, simply pass it on to your accounts payable department.

Do I have to sign a contract or use the service for a minimum amount of time?

No. DataFax does not require you to sign a contract and there is no minimum term that you must be a DataFax subscriber.

How many MVR requests can I enter at once?

You may enter as many as you would like. There is no limit to the number of MVRs that can be requested.

What hours of the day and what days of the week can we request MVRs?

You can request MVRs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

It has been nearly 15 minutes since I requested my MVR. Where is it? What should I do?

Do not request the report again. Typical processing time is 5-15 minutes. However, from time to time, MVRs may be delayed for a variety of reasons. If the BMV's system is very busy, our response to you is delayed. Please phone us if you suspect something is wrong.

I requested an MVR on a person who I know has a driver's license and DataFax said there was No Driver Information Available. What should I do?

  • Do not immediately request the MVR again.
  • Please remember that DataFax only has access to records for the state of Ohio.
  • The most common error is entering the driver's license or Social Security number with a transposed digit. If so, please request the MVR again.
  • If the SS# is correct, and have verified the number with the Ohio Driver, please call us. We can try to get an MVR for you, but we must contact the BMV and do a manual search. If this is the case, please have the driver's full name and drivers license number available when you call. All reports that are retrieved from the state, even ones stating no record available, are billable transactions for which the state charges.

I requested an MVR but entered the wrong social security number. Do I have to pay for the MVR that was a mistake?

Unfortunately, yes. Due to the fact that charges are incurred with the BMV, even for incorrect inquiries, we must charge for every MVR.

I have received MVR's for drivers that have 0 points, but the last lines of the MVR reports were different. One said, "The entries above cover the last 36 months," and the other said "There are no driver records on file" - Why are they different?

The difference between the two is:

  • "No driver records on file" means the driver has no violations on record with the BMV.
  • "Entries above cover the last 36 months" indicates that the driver has no points currently and has not had any violations in within the last 36 months, but at some point in time beyond 36 months there are violations in the BMV's database. Also, unfortunately, we are not allowed to receive any information older than 36 months regarding the driver.

I received an MVR that shows the drivers license was suspended and says the person is currently valid to drive, however, I can't see on the MVR when his license was reinstated. Is there any way to tell?

The reason this happens is based on the information that the BMV stores in their computer. For drivers who had suspensions or revocations prior to Fall of 1989, the reinstatement information will not appear. However, occurrences after that date should show the date that the driver's license was reinstated or reissued.

What is the DataFax referral program?

For every company that lists you as a referral source when they set up a DataFax account, we will waive your subscription fee for one month! Please let us know if you were referred to us by another client, as they are eligible for a referral bonus!