Florida Driver’s License Requirements: Documents, Tests, and Fees

To get a Florida driver’s license, you need to walk into a tax collector’s office or FLHSMV service center with proof of identity, your Social Security number, and two documents showing your Florida address, then pass a vision and hearing screening, a 50-question written exam, and a road test. The standard Class E license costs $48.¹ If you have never held a license anywhere before, Florida driver’s license requirements add one more step: a four-hour Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education course you complete before testing.

Every document you bring has to be an original or a certified copy. Photocopies and phone screenshots will send you home.

Documents To Bring

Florida law sorts the paperwork into three buckets: identity, Social Security number, and residential address.² Showing up missing one of them is the single most common reason people leave without a license.

Proof of Identity

One original or certified document from this list:

Certified U.S. birth certificate (not a hospital souvenir)
Valid, unexpired U.S. passport or passport card
Naturalization certificate from the Department of Homeland Security
Valid green card (alien registration receipt card)
Consular Report of Birth Abroad from the U.S. Department of State
Unexpired employment authorization card from DHS

If the name you use today is different from the name on your identity document, you have to prove every link in the chain. Marriage certificates, divorce decrees, and court orders, all originals or certified copies, in sequence from the name on your birth certificate to the name you want on your license.²

Proof of Social Security Number

Bring something that shows all nine digits: your original Social Security card, a W-2, a 1099, or a pay stub printed with the full number. The counter will not accept photocopies or digital images.

Two Proofs of Florida Address

You need two separate documents showing your current Florida home address. Qualifying items include a deed, mortgage statement, or signed residential lease; a utility bill for water, gas, electric, phone, or cable dated within the last 60 days; a Florida voter registration card; a bank or credit card statement dated within 60 days; or a vehicle or vessel registration.³

If you live with someone and nothing in your name shows the address, use FLHSMV Form 71120 (Certification of Address). The person you live with signs a sworn statement about your living arrangement and provides two qualifying address documents in their own name.³

Vision and Hearing Screening

Every applicant takes a vision and hearing test at the service center, including people transferring a license from another state.⁴ A department examiner can run it, or you can bring results from a licensed ophthalmologist, optometrist, or physician.

The vision standard is not a single pass/fail line. 20/40 or better in each eye passes clean. 20/50 or worse in either eye sends you to a specialist to see whether correction is possible. If your vision cannot be corrected past 20/70 in one or both eyes, you can still be licensed. If one eye is blind or 20/200 or worse, the other has to reach at least 20/40. 20/80 or worse in both eyes disqualifies you.⁵ If you pass only with glasses or contacts, your license carries a corrective lens restriction.

Deafness or difficulty hearing normal conversation is not a disqualifier. You get a restriction instead, requiring either an outside left rearview mirror on the vehicle or use of a hearing aid while driving.⁶

Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education Course

First-time applicants age 18 or older who have never been licensed in any state have to finish a Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) course from a state-approved provider before any testing. It is commonly delivered as a four-hour online program covering how alcohol and drugs affect driving, Florida traffic law, and the consequences of behaviors like speeding and distracted driving.⁷ You are exempt if you already hold a valid license from another state or completed a Department of Education driver education course.

Knowledge Exam and Road Test

The Class E knowledge exam is 50 multiple-choice questions split between road signs and traffic rules. You need 80 percent, meaning 40 correct, to pass. Topics include right-of-way, speed limits, and penalties for violations. A failed attempt costs $10 to retake.⁸

For the road test, bring a vehicle with valid registration and proof of Florida insurance. The examiner looks at basic maneuvers: three-point turns, backing in a straight line, maintaining safe following distances. A failed road test costs $20 to retake.⁸

Fees

Original Class E license: $48
Renewal (Class E): $48
Replacement card: $25
Knowledge exam retest: $10
Driving skills retest: $20
Late renewal within 12 months of expiration: $48 plus a $15 delinquent fee

Tax collector offices add a $6.25 service fee per transaction. Veterans who have previously provided proof of veteran status are exempt from that surcharge.⁸ Most locations take cash, debit, and credit cards, though payment methods vary.

Scheduling through the Online Appointment Service and Information System (OASIS) cuts the wait considerably. At the counter, staff capture your photo and digital signature. You leave with a temporary paper permit; the permanent REAL ID-compliant card is printed centrally and mailed to your verified address, typically within two to three weeks.

If You Just Moved to Florida

Once you start working in Florida or enroll a child in a Florida public school, you have 30 days to get a Florida license. Your spouse and any driving dependents are on the same clock.⁹ Driving past that deadline can get you cited for an invalid license.

If you hold a current, unexpired license from another U.S. state, Florida typically waives the knowledge and road tests. You still take the vision and hearing screening and bring the full identity, Social Security, and address paperwork. The fee is still $48.¹⁰

Florida is in the Driver License Compact, so a conviction in another member state gets reported back and treated as if it happened here. Points for a speeding ticket in Georgia land on your Florida record; a DUI conviction elsewhere can trigger a Florida suspension. Parking tickets and other non-moving violations are not covered.¹¹

REAL ID

Since May 7, 2025, you need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, or another accepted document like a valid U.S. passport, to board a domestic flight or enter certain federal facilities.¹² Florida has been issuing compliant licenses for several years. Look for a gold star in the upper-right corner of the card.

If your current Florida license has no gold star and you want REAL ID compliance, you must come into a service center in person with the full set of identity documents. Online renewal does not work for the upgrade because the office has to verify your originals face-to-face.¹³

Two Situations With Different Rules

Applicants under 18 go through a graduated driver licensing system that starts with a learner’s license at 15, adds a parental consent form, imposes supervised-driving logs and nighttime curfews, and layers on a zero-tolerance alcohol rule for anyone under 21.¹⁴ The documents and tests above still apply; the restrictions are added on top.

Driving large trucks, buses, or vehicles carrying hazardous materials requires a Commercial Driver License, not a Class E. The CDL has its own classes, a $75 fee, $7 per endorsement, a federal medical certificate requirement, and no online renewal.¹⁵

1
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 322.21 – License Fees
2
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 322.08 – Application for License; Requirements for License and Identification Card Forms
3
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Certification of Address
4
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 322.12 – Examination of Applicants
5
Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code 15A-5.011 – Vision Standards
6
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. General Information
7
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 322.095 – Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education Program for Driver License Applicants
8
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Fees
9
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 322.031 – Nonresident; When License Required
10
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. New Resident – Welcome to Florida!
11
CSG National Center for Interstate Compacts. Driver License Compact
12
Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID
13
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Renew or Replace Your Florida Driver License or ID Card
14
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Licensing Requirements for Teens, Graduated Driver License Laws and Driving Curfews
15
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Commercial Driver License