Florida’s HSMV 71120 Certification of Address is a one-page sworn affidavit that lets someone who lives with you vouch for your residential address when you apply for a Class E driver license or ID card and don’t have two approved residency documents in your own name. The person you live with fills it out, brings their own proof that they live at the address, and signs it either in front of a notary or in front of the examiner at your appointment.1Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Certification of Address
When You Actually Need This Form
Florida asks every license and ID applicant for two documents proving the residential address. If both are already in your name, skip the 71120 entirely. The form exists for the gap: you live somewhere, but nothing at that address is in your name — no lease, no utility account, no mortgage statement, no property tax bill.
In that situation, the person whose name is on the household paperwork becomes your certifier. They fill out the form, swear you live there, and supply their own documents as backup.
What the Certifier Has to Bring
Two documents, from two separate lists. One from each. Two items from the same list will not satisfy the requirement.
One Household Information Document
- Deed or mortgage
- Property tax bill or statement
- Recent monthly mortgage statement
- Rental or lease agreement
These tie the certifier to the physical address. A lease should name them as a tenant; a deed or mortgage should list them as an owner or borrower.
One Supporting Document
- Florida voter registration card
- Professional license issued by a U.S. government agency
- Selective Service card
- Employer documentation dated within the last 60 days (paycheck stub, W-2)
- Florida vehicle or vessel documentation
- Utility bill dated within the last 60 days (water, gas, electric, phone, cable)
- Homeowner’s or automobile insurance policy or bill dated within the last 60 days
- Financial statement dated within the last 60 days (bank, credit card, or investment account)
- Government-issued document from a federal, state, county, or city agency dated within the last 60 days
- FDLE registration form completed by a local sheriff’s department or the Department of Corrections, dated within the last 30 days
Watch the date windows. Most time-limited documents must be dated within 60 days of your office visit. The FDLE registration form is tighter at 30 days. A utility bill from three months ago will not be accepted even if the address is correct.
The address on every document has to match the address written on the form exactly. An apartment number formatted one way on the lease and another way on the form is enough to get the paperwork kicked back.
Filling Out the Form
Download HSMV 71120 from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles website. It has three sections.
Section A: Applicant Information
You fill in your full legal name and your residential street address with city, state, and zip. It has to be a physical street address. A P.O. box defeats the purpose of the form.
Section B: Certifier Information and Affidavit
The certifier writes in their full name and checks off which household document and which supporting document they are presenting. Below the checklist is a sworn statement that you live at the stated address and that the information is true. The form warns that making a false statement on a driver license application is a crime under Florida law.
Section C: Witness or Notary
The certifier’s signature has to be either witnessed by the issuance personnel at the office or notarized ahead of time. The form reads “appeared before me” and “signed this form in my presence,” which points to in-person notarization. If you want to use a remote online notary, call your local office first and confirm they will accept it.1Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Certification of Address
Signing: At the Counter or Ahead of Time
You have two paths. If the certifier comes with you to the appointment, leave Section C blank — the examiner witnesses the signature on the spot and checks the certifier’s documents right there. If the certifier can’t come, take the form to a notary public before your appointment and bring the notarized form along with photocopies or originals of the certifier’s two documents.
Bringing the certifier in person is the safer option. The examiner catches small errors, confirms the documents match, and witnesses the signature in one step.
Submitting It at the Office
Bring the completed form to a Florida tax collector office or driver license service center.1Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Certification of Address Many offices require an appointment, though some county tax collector offices still accept walk-ins.2Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Locations
At the counter, the officer reviews the form for completeness, checks that the certifier’s documents show the same address, and either witnesses the signature or confirms the notarization. Once it clears, the form is scanned into your record and you move on to the rest of the application: photo, vision test, and the other identity and Social Security documents the license type requires.
The Risk the Certifier Takes On
The certifier is signing under oath. Under Florida Statute 322.212, knowingly making a false statement or concealing a material fact on a driver license or ID card application is a third-degree felony.3Florida Statutes. Florida Code 322.212 A third-degree felony in Florida carries up to five years in prison.4Florida Statutes. Florida Code 775.082
That exposure sits with the certifier personally, not just the applicant. Anyone you ask to sign this form should understand that before they do.
Mistakes That Will Send You Home
- Two documents from the same list. The requirement is one from each category.
- A utility bill, bank statement, or similar supporting document older than 60 days. Check the date before you leave.
- Address formatting that doesn’t match between the form and the certifier’s documents. “123 Main St Apt 4” and “123 Main Street #4” can be flagged.
- Form never notarized and certifier not present at the appointment. The office cannot process it.
- Blank fields on the form itself: missing name, missing city, unsigned affidavit.
Have the certifier come with you if you can. It removes most of the ways this goes wrong.