To get a Florida driver’s license, you must meet the state’s age and residency rules, complete a required traffic safety course, bring original identity and residency documents to a Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) office, and pass a knowledge exam, vision screening, and road test. The standard Class E license costs $48, is valid for eight years, and requires you to carry Florida’s minimum auto insurance the entire time you hold it. The full Florida driver’s license requirements are below, starting with who can apply.
Age and Who Can Apply
You can apply for a learner’s permit at 15 and a full Class E license at 16.1Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Licensing Requirements for Teens, Graduated Driver License Laws and Driving Curfews A permit holder must always have a licensed driver aged 21 or older in the front passenger seat, and anyone under 18 needs a parent or legal guardian to sign a notarized consent form. Step-parents can’t sign unless they’ve legally adopted the applicant.
Before moving from a permit to a full license, applicants under 18 must log 50 hours of supervised driving practice, including at least 10 hours at night. There’s no official log form, but a parent or guardian has to certify the hours.2Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Traffic Laws for Florida Teens Teens who get licensed at 16 or 17 also face nighttime driving curfews that lift at 18.
The Required Education Course
Florida changed its pre-license education requirement on August 1, 2025, and the course you take now depends on your age.3Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Driver Education Traffic Safety (DETS)
Applicants under 18 must complete the 6-hour Driver Education Traffic Safety (DETS) course. This replaced the older 4-hour Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) course for minors. If you finished TLSAE before August 1, 2025, the certificate is still good for one year from the completion date. Some counties offer an equivalent course through the Driver Education Licensing Assistance Program (DELAP).
Applicants 18 and older who’ve never held a license anywhere must complete the 4-hour TLSAE course.4Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. What is Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) and How Do I Find the Approved Listing of TLSAE Course Providers If you’re transferring a valid license from another state, TLSAE doesn’t apply. Bring the completion certificate to your FLHSMV appointment; without it, the office won’t process the application.
Documents You Need to Bring
For a REAL ID-compliant license, FLHSMV requires originals from three categories.5Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. U.S. Citizen
- Primary identification: a certified U.S. birth certificate, valid U.S. passport, or U.S. passport card.
- Proof of Social Security number: your Social Security card, a W-2, a pay stub, an SSA-1099, or another 1099 (not handwritten). The name on file with the Social Security Administration must match the name on your license.
- Two proofs of Florida residency showing your address: for example, a utility bill dated within the last 60 days, a lease, deed, mortgage statement, or Florida vehicle registration. Your current driver’s license doesn’t count.
Once you’ve established identity under REAL ID, you generally won’t need to present these again at renewal unless your name or address changes.
If You’re Not a U.S. Citizen
Non-citizens present immigration-related primary identification instead of a birth certificate. Acceptable documents include a valid permanent resident card, an I-551 stamp in your passport, or USCIS documentation showing approved refugee or asylum status with your A-number.6Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Immigrant Social Security and residency requirements are the same as for citizens, and FLHSMV verifies immigration status through the federal SAVE program before issuing the license.
The Three Tests You’ll Take
Knowledge Exam
The Class E knowledge exam has 50 multiple-choice questions on Florida traffic laws, safe driving practices, and traffic signs. You need at least 40 correct — 80% — to pass, and you can retake it if you fail.7Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Class E Knowledge Exam and Driving Skills Test The FLHSMV driver license handbook, free online, covers everything on the test.
Vision Screening
You must test at 20/70 or better in either eye or both eyes together, with or without corrective lenses. If one eye is blind or tests at 20/200 or worse, the other must be 20/40 or better.8Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Vision Standards Applicants who need glasses or contacts to hit those numbers get a corrective lens restriction on the license, and those who can’t meet them may be referred for medical review.
Driving Skills Test
The road test checks parking, turning, stopping, lane changes, and how you respond to signals and signs. You supply the vehicle, and it has to be registered and insured. Before the test starts, the examiner will confirm that turn signals, brake lights, tires, mirrors, and doors all work.
Insurance You Have to Carry
Before registering a vehicle in Florida, you need proof of auto insurance meeting the state minimums. Florida is a no-fault state, so every registered vehicle with four or more wheels must carry at least $10,000 in Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and $10,000 in Property Damage Liability (PDL).9Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Florida Insurance Requirements
PIP covers 80% of necessary medical expenses up to $10,000 after a crash, no matter who caused it. PDL covers damage you cause to someone else’s property. Florida doesn’t require bodily injury liability at the minimum, though carrying only the state floor leaves you exposed if you injure someone seriously. FLHSMV monitors compliance electronically, and if your coverage lapses, both your license and registration can be suspended until you file proof of new insurance and pay reinstatement fees.
What It Costs
FLHSMV’s fee schedule for a standard license looks like this:10Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Fees
- Original Class E license (includes learner’s permit): $48
- Renewal: $48
- Late renewal fee: $15 added to the $48 renewal
- Replacement card (name change, lost or stolen, address update requiring a new card): $25
- Reinstatement after suspension: $45 for standard suspensions, $60 for court-ordered child support suspensions, $75 for disqualifications
REAL ID and the Gold Star
Since May 7, 2025, a Florida license only works as ID for domestic flights or entry to certain federal facilities if it’s REAL ID-compliant, which shows as a gold star in the upper right corner.11Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID Without the star, you’ll need something else like a U.S. passport at the TSA checkpoint.
If your current license was issued before Florida rolled out REAL ID credentials, you’ll have to visit an office in person with the full identity document set to upgrade. You can do it at your next renewal or request a replacement any time for $25.5Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. U.S. Citizen
Renewing Your License
Florida licenses are valid for eight years.12Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 322.18 – Original Applications, Licenses, and Renewals; Expiration of Licenses; Delinquent Licenses You can renew up to 18 months early through one of three channels:13Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Renew or Replace Your Florida Driver License or ID Card
- Online through the MyDMV Portal, available every other renewal cycle. If you renewed online last time, you’ll have to go in person this time.
- By mail, using the notice FLHSMV sends at least 30 days before your birthday.
- In person, required if you need a new photo, aren’t REAL ID compliant, hold a commercial license, or used online convenience service last cycle.
Drivers aged 80 and older must pass a vision test at every renewal. You can still use the convenience service if a physician or optometrist submits your vision results electronically to FLHSMV in advance; otherwise, you’ll take the test at a driver license office.
If your license has already expired, you can renew within 12 months by paying the $15 late fee on top of the $48. You may also have to retake the written exam. After 12 months, FLHSMV can refuse renewal and require you to reapply as a new applicant.
Keeping the License: Points, Suspensions, and Revocations
Florida assigns points to moving violations, and they stay on your record for at least five years. Accumulating too many triggers automatic suspension:14Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Points and Point Suspensions
- 12 points in 12 months: up to 30-day suspension
- 18 points in 18 months: up to 3-month suspension
- 24 points in 36 months: up to 1-year suspension
Unpaid traffic fines, letting your insurance lapse, and child support delinquency can also cause a suspension. Suspensions are temporary. Once you clear the cause and pay the reinstatement fee, you get your license back. Point-based suspensions also require completing an Advanced Driver Improvement (ADI) course, and during the suspension period you can apply for a hardship license limited to work driving.
Revocations are more serious. A third DUI within 10 years triggers a minimum 10-year revocation, a fourth results in permanent revocation, and vehicular homicide or DUI causing serious bodily injury carries a minimum 3-year revocation.15Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 322.28 – Period of Suspension or Revocation DUI manslaughter or murder by motor vehicle brings permanent revocation, with reinstatement possible only under narrow conditions after five years for a first-time DUI manslaughter conviction with no prior DUI-related offenses. Petitioning for a restricted hardship license after revocation requires a formal administrative hearing, documented completion of required courses, proof you’ve been drug-free for at least 12 months, and ongoing supervision by a licensed DUI program.16Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 322.271 – Authority of Department to Reinstate
Florida is a member of the Driver License Compact, so most traffic violations you pick up in other states come back and get treated as if they happened here. Parking tickets and equipment violations are excluded.
Updating Your Name or Address
You must update your license within 30 days of any name or address change, and the same deadline applies to your vehicle title and registration.17Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Name and Address Changes18The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 322.19 – Change of Address, Name, or Citizenship Status Address changes can be done online through the MyDMV Portal or in person. Name changes must be handled in person with legal documentation like a marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order. Update your name with the Social Security Administration first, because the SSA record must match your license. Either update costs $25 for the replacement card.
If You’re Getting a Commercial License
Standard Class E rules don’t cover large trucks, buses, or vehicles hauling hazardous materials. Those require a Commercial Driver License, which has its own eligibility rules: applicants must be at least 18, already hold a Class E license, and be a Florida resident, with interstate commercial driving reserved for those 21 and older.19Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Commercial Driver License20Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. What Is the Age Requirement for Operating a CMV in Interstate Commerce CDL applicants also have to show six consecutive months of Florida residency and pass separate knowledge and skills tests, with additional endorsement tests for passenger transport, tank vehicles, double or triple trailers, hazardous materials, and school buses.