Florida

Traveling to Florida? These out-of-state licenses may no longer be valid in the state

Five state’s licenses are no longer valid in Florida after new law enacted.
Five state’s licenses are no longer valid in Florida after new law enacted. Miami Herald File

Are you planning to take a road trip to Florida this summer? Take note of your driver’s license.

A law enacted by Gov. Ron DeSantis July 1 declared certain driver’s licenses and learner’s permits from five states invalid in Florida. The restriction primarily affects undocumented immigrants and is part of a larger immigration law that critics argue is among the harshest in the country.

The law also cracks down on undocumented immigration by making it illegal to transport an undocumented person into the state and penalizing anyone who uses fake documentation to find work.

Not every license from the five states on the list is considered invalid in Florida — just those labeled with certain conditions, which are listed below.

If drivers present one of the invalid driver’s licenses when pulled over, they could be issued a citation for driving without a valid permit. Residents of the five states who don’t have the designated conditions on their licenses shouldn’t face citations if pulled over.

These are the five invalid licenses and learner’s permits with the conditions:

Connecticut, “Not for Federal Identification”

Delaware, “Driving Privilege Only” or “Not Valid for Identification”

Hawaii, “Limited Purpose Driver’s License,” “Limited Purpose Provisional Driver’s License” or “ Not Valid for use for official Federal purposes”

Rhode Island, “Not for Federal Identification,” “Driver Privilege Card” or “Driver Privilege Permit”

Vermont, “Not for REAL ID Purposes Driver’s Privilege Card”

This story was originally published July 6, 2023 at 5:26 PM.

Grethel Aguila
Miami Herald
Grethel covers courts and the criminal justice system for the Miami Herald. She graduated from the University of Florida (Go Gators!), speaks Spanish and Arabic and loves animals, traveling, basketball and good storytelling. Grethel also attends law school part time.
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