Moving to, or around, Florida? What the law says you need to do about your driver’s license
.jpeg "A Florida DMV drivers license agency inside the Midway Crossings mall in Miami-Dade County draws a line of motorists applying for or renewing licenses on May 30, 2024.")
Thousands of newcomers come to Florida to make a home here and most of them drive. Some are snowbirds. Some just want to live here.
From July 2023 to July 2024, Florida’s population grew by 467,347 people to 23.37 million, according to December estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, second only to Texas, whose population rose by 562,941.
This may have you wondering: What does Florida law say about obtaining a state driver’s license if you move here from elsewhere? What if you just move from county to county or down the block? How long do you have before you have to get your license? Will you have to take a test to prove you know how to follow Florida’s rules of the road?
Here’s what Florida law has to say about all of this:
Do you need a Florida driver’s license if you move here from another state?
If you move to Florida and intend to live here for more than six consecutive months and intend to drive, you need to obtain a Florida driver’s license. You must apply in person at any office offering driver license services, according to the Department of Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
How long do you have to comply? You have 30 days after establishing residency as a new Florida resident to obtain a valid Florida driver’s license. In addition, you must obtain car insurance from an insurance agent who is licensed to sell insurance in Florida in order to title and register your vehicle. For that, you have within 10 days of establishing residency.
Do you need to take any tests?
There is one test. You will be given a vision test. But, in general, you won’t have to take a written or road test if you have a valid out-of-town license.
What is the cost? The fee is $48 for a Class E driver’s license plus service fee. For a list of required documentation, visit the flhsmv.gov website and click on Driver’s Licenses and New Resident.
Do you need to update your license if you move within the state?
Changing your address? Florida law requires you to update your address within 10 days of moving. This applies whether you move from one apartment to another in the same building or from one county to another.
You can update your address online at the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles website. Click on Driver’s License and Change Address and that will take you to MyDMVPortal. You can also visit a local DMV office in person.
You’ll need a check or money order for $25, payable to the Division of Driver’s Licenses. You also have to provide your Social Security number and driver’s license number and new mailing and residential address.
Don’t forget to update your vehicle registration, too. You have 30 days to do that if you move.
Following the rules
Some Floridians think the laws do not go far enough. For instance, newcomers don’t have to take a written or road test.
“My biggest complaint is states do not have the same driving rules. So, if you come to Florida, never take a driving rules test, no driver is showing proficiency or knowledge of how to drive [under] Florida’s rules,” reader Brett Pollock wrote in an email to the Miami Herald.
“This can be seen every day when drivers drive in the left-hand lane. Another is not knowing where to move to when an emergency vehicle is approaching from behind you. I’m sure there are many such rules that can be identified, but our streets are not safe from drivers who do not know the rules. Hell, drivers don’t even know what to do at a 4-way STOP anymore,” Pollock wrote.
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This story was originally published December 31, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
