To run a Florida license status check, use the DHSMV’s free Driver License Check tool on the MyDMV Portal. Enter your driver license number, complete the CAPTCHA, and the system returns one of four results: valid, suspended, revoked, or canceled.1Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Driver License Check No date of birth or account is required for the basic check.
If anything other than “Valid” comes back, keep reading. The reason behind the status determines what you have to do to fix it, and driving in the meantime can turn a fixable civil matter into a criminal one.
Ways to Check Your Status
The online tool at the MyDMV Portal is the fastest option and works around the clock.2Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Driver Licenses and ID Cards For more than a basic status readout, create a MyDMV Portal account. That gives you your full driving record, including point totals and detailed suspension history.3Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. General Information
You can also check by phone. The DHSMV’s automated line at 850-617-3000 runs 24 hours and pulls your status if you have your license number and Social Security number ready. A live representative is available at 850-617-2000, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern.4Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Contact Us
What Your Result Means
Florida uses four status categories:
- Valid. You are legally allowed to drive.
- Suspended. Your driving privilege is temporarily removed until you meet a specific condition, such as paying a fine, completing a course, or waiting out a set period. This is the most common negative status and is usually correctable.
- Revoked. Your privilege has been withdrawn for a longer or even permanent period, typically because of a serious offense like DUI. Reinstatement is harder and sometimes requires a court order or a formal hearing.
- Canceled. Your license has been voided entirely, often because of a fraudulent application or an administrative error rather than a driving offense.
A suspension has a built-in path back. A revocation, especially for repeat DUI, can keep you off the road for years or permanently.
Why Your License Might Be Suspended
The most common reason Florida drivers get suspended is the D-6, which is triggered when you fail to deal with a traffic ticket. Ignore a citation, miss a court date, pay late, or skip court-ordered driving school, and the clerk notifies the DHSMV. Your license stays suspended indefinitely until you resolve the matter with the court.5Tax Collector. Florida Traffic Citation Suspension (D6) Many drivers only find out about a D-6 after being pulled over for something unrelated.
Accumulating too many points from moving violations also triggers suspension, on this schedule set by Florida Statute 322.27:6Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Points and Point Suspensions7The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 322.27
- 12 points within 12 months: 30-day suspension
- 18 points within 18 months: 3-month suspension
- 24 points within 36 months: 1-year suspension
Failure to maintain required auto insurance can suspend both your license and your vehicle registration.8Florida Senate. Florida Code 316.646 Unpaid child support does the same. Both remain in effect until you prove compliance.
DUI and Habitual Offender Revocations
A DUI conviction triggers mandatory revocation, and the period escalates sharply with repeat offenses:9Florida Senate. Florida Code 322.28
- First conviction: at least 180 days and up to 1 year.
- Second conviction within 5 years of the first: at least 5 years.
- Third conviction within 10 years of a prior: at least 10 years.
- Fourth conviction: permanent revocation, regardless of timing between offenses.
- DUI manslaughter: permanent revocation.
These are minimums. A court can impose a longer revocation, and the clock does not start running until any jail sentence is served.
Separately, Florida designates certain drivers as habitual traffic offenders, which carries a mandatory five-year revocation. You qualify if, within any five-year window, your record shows three or more serious convictions from separate incidents (including DUI, vehicular manslaughter, any felony involving a motor vehicle, driving on a suspended or revoked license, or leaving the scene of a crash with injuries), or fifteen moving traffic convictions for point-carrying offenses.10The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 322.264 Out-of-state convictions for equivalent offenses count.
What Happens if You Drive on a Bad License
This is why the status check matters. Florida grades the offense based on whether you knew about the suspension and how many priors you have:11Florida Senate. Florida Code 322.34
- Without knowledge of the suspension: a moving traffic violation, no jail.
- Knowingly, first offense: second-degree misdemeanor, up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.
- Second or subsequent offense: first-degree misdemeanor, up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. A third or subsequent conviction carries a mandatory minimum of 10 days in jail.
- Third or subsequent offense tied to DUI, refusal of a breath test, a crash causing death or serious injury, or fleeing law enforcement: third-degree felony, up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
- Driving as a designated habitual traffic offender: third-degree felony, even on a first offense.
“Without knowledge” is a narrow defense. If the DHSMV mailed notice to your address on file, Florida generally presumes you received it. Drivers who moved without updating their address often learn about a suspension only at a traffic stop.
How to Reinstate
Reinstatement is a two-step process. First resolve the underlying cause, then pay the DHSMV reinstatement fee. The department will not process the fee until the trigger is cleared.
Depending on the reason, clearing the cause might mean paying an overdue ticket at the county clerk’s office, providing proof of insurance, completing a court-ordered Advanced Driver Improvement course, or satisfying a child support obligation.12Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Driver Improvement Schools For point-based suspensions, the ADI course must be completed before the suspension is lifted.
Reinstatement Fees
Once the cause is cleared, pay the fee that applies to your situation:13Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Fees
- Standard suspension: $45
- D-6 suspension (unpaid ticket or failure to appear): $60
- Court-ordered child support suspension: $60
- Department of Revenue child support suspension: $45
- Revocation, non-alcohol-related: $75
- Alcohol- or drug-related offense: $130 administrative fee, plus $45 for a suspension or $75 for a revocation
These go to the DHSMV, not the court, and are separate from fines, court costs, and course fees.
FR-44 Insurance After a DUI
If the revocation was for DUI or another alcohol-related offense, the fee alone will not get your license back. You must file an FR-44 certificate of financial responsibility, which proves you carry liability coverage well above Florida’s normal minimums:14Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Bulletin 12-19-07
- $100,000 bodily injury liability per person
- $300,000 bodily injury liability per accident
- $50,000 property damage liability per accident
Your insurer files the FR-44 with the DHSMV directly. You must keep the higher coverage for three years. If the policy lapses at any point in that window, the insurer notifies the DHSMV and your license is suspended again. Premiums are typically much higher during this period.
Driving for Work During a Suspension
If your license is suspended or revoked and you need to drive for a living, Florida allows you to petition for a restricted privilege in one of two forms:15Florida Senate. Florida Code 322.271
- Business purposes only: driving to and from work, on-the-job driving, plus trips for school, church, and medical appointments.
- Employment purposes only: strictly commuting and driving required by your job.
To get either, you request a hearing with the DHSMV and show that losing your license causes serious hardship and prevents you from supporting yourself or your family. Proof that you have completed or enrolled in the applicable driver training course is typically required. Letters of recommendation from employers, law enforcement, or judges may also be needed.
Not everyone qualifies. If your revocation was for DUI and you have two or more DUI convictions or two or more breath-test refusals, you are generally ineligible. Drivers permanently revoked for DUI manslaughter can petition five years after the revocation date or five years after release from incarceration, whichever is later, and approval is not guaranteed.
A Florida Suspension Follows You Out of State
Florida reports suspensions and revocations to the National Driver Register, a federal database run by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through the Problem Driver Pointer System.16National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. National Driver Register (NDR) If you move and apply for a license elsewhere, the new state will check the NDR and find any unresolved Florida issue. Most states refuse to issue a license until the Florida matter is cleared. Moving does not erase a suspension; it just adds steps.