How to Fill Out and Submit Florida HSMV 78306: Fees and Reinstatement

The Florida HSMV 78306 hardship license application is the form you file with the Bureau of Administrative Reviews (BAR) to ask for a restricted “business purposes only” license during a DUI-related administrative suspension. You submit the completed one-page form with a $12 filing fee and proof of DUI school enrollment to the BAR office serving your area, and in most first-offense cases the BAR decides the request on paper without a hearing.¹

One thing to be clear about before you start: this form does not challenge whether your suspension was valid. It accepts the suspension and asks for limited driving privileges while it runs. If you want to fight the suspension itself, that is a separate form (78065) with a separate deadline, covered near the end of this article.

Can You Apply Yet?

Form HSMV 78306 is for drivers suspended under Florida Statute 322.2615, which triggers automatically on a DUI arrest with a breath or blood alcohol level of .08 or higher, or on refusal of a breath, blood, or urine test. Commercial drivers disqualified under Section 322.64 for similar alcohol-related violations use the same form.²

You cannot apply the day you’re suspended. If the suspension for a BAL of .08 or higher is sustained, you must wait 30 days after your last temporary permit expires before you become eligible. In practice, that’s roughly 40 days with no driving before a restricted license is even possible.²

Drivers with two or more DUI convictions, or two or more prior refusal-based suspensions, are generally barred from this process.³ Second and third convictions and offenses like DUI manslaughter follow separate, longer timelines under Section 322.271(2)(c) and are outside the scope of this form.

What to Gather Before You Fill It Out

Have these ready before you open the PDF:

Your Florida driver license number, or the license number from your home state if you hold an out-of-state license.
Proof of enrollment in (or completion of) a department-approved DUI program substance abuse education course. Without this document, the BAR cannot approve the hardship license.¹
A $12 filing fee, by check or money order made payable to the Division of Motorist Services.
Details of prior driving history in other states: any license you’ve held elsewhere, any prior suspension or revocation, and any alcohol-related convictions from other jurisdictions.
Any supporting documents you want considered, such as employment verification or written statements showing hardship.

The DUI school enrollment is the piece most applicants have to plan around. Enroll early. And note the 90-day rule: if you receive a restricted license but fail to complete the course within 90 days of enrollment, the DHSMV will cancel the restricted license until the course is finished.⁴

Filling Out the Form

The form is available as a PDF on the Florida DHSMV website. It’s a single page plus instructions.¹

Personal Information

Enter your full legal name, date of birth, mailing address, driver license number, issuing state, telephone number, and email address. Out-of-state licensees list their licensing state here.

The Seven Application Questions

The form contains seven numbered questions. Answer each honestly; the form includes an oath, and false statements can result in denial and additional penalties.

Reason for suspension. State the specific reason: unlawful BAL, test refusal, and so on.
Prior licenses in other states. Identify any state where you have previously held a license.
Prior suspensions in other states or countries. Give the location and the reason.
Acknowledgment of criminal conviction impact. You must confirm you understand that a later DUI conviction in criminal court for the same incident invalidates any restricted license granted through this application.
Reason for requesting a restricted license. Check the boxes that apply: maintaining livelihood, commuting to work, on-the-job driving, educational purposes, church, or other.
Prior alcohol-related convictions in other states. List the state and offense for each.
Acknowledgment of restrictions. You must confirm you understand the license will be limited to business purposes only and will carry a specific expiration date.

Signature and Witness

Both the applicant and a witness must sign. An unsigned application will not be processed, and because of the oath, your signature carries the weight of a sworn statement.

Where and How to Submit

Mail the completed form, the $12 filing fee, proof of DUI school enrollment, and any supporting documents together to the BAR office nearest your residence. The form itself lists the regional office addresses. Florida operates BAR offices in Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Clearwater, Miami, Lauderdale Lakes, and Pensacola, among other locations.¹

Send everything in one package. Missing the fee or the DUI school proof stops the application from being processed.

What Happens After You File

A BAR hearing officer reviews the paperwork and determines whether you qualify. For most first-offense administrative suspensions where the applicant has enrolled in DUI school and has no disqualifying history, the BAR can waive the hearing and decide based on your written submission.⁵ In cases involving death, serious bodily injury, or multiple DUI convictions, the department cannot waive the hearing and will schedule one.

If approved, the restricted license permits driving for business purposes only: commuting to and from work, on-the-job driving your employer requires, education, church, and medical needs.³ Recreational driving, errands, and social trips are not covered. Driving outside the permitted purposes can result in criminal charges for driving on a suspended license.

One thing catches people off guard. If you receive the restricted license through this form and are later convicted of DUI in criminal court for the same incident, the restricted license becomes invalid immediately, and criminal court sentencing then controls your driving privileges.¹

If You Also Want to Challenge the Suspension

Form HSMV 78306 asks for a hardship license. Form HSMV 78065 is what you use to challenge whether the suspension should have happened at all. That form carries a $25 fee and a strict 10-day deadline from the date of arrest or notice of suspension.⁶

You can file both. Many drivers file Form 78065 inside the 10-day window to try to overturn the suspension, and file Form 78306 separately to line up a hardship license in case the challenge fails. The 78065 form itself directs drivers seeking a hardship license to complete the 78306.⁶

Costs That Come After the $12 Filing Fee

The filing fee is the smallest expense in this process.

Reinstatement

When the suspension period ends and you reinstate your full license, the DHSMV charges a $45 reinstatement fee plus a $130 administrative fee for alcohol and drug-related offenses, for a total of $175 before you get your full license back.⁷

FR-44 Insurance

Florida does not use SR-22. Drivers convicted of DUI must file an FR-44 certificate of financial responsibility, requiring liability coverage of $100,000 for bodily injury or death of one person, $300,000 for two or more people in a single crash, and $50,000 for property damage. The FR-44 requirement typically lasts three years.⁸

Ignition Interlock Device

Florida may require an ignition interlock device on every vehicle you own or regularly drive after a DUI conviction. For a first offense at a standard BAL, the device must remain installed at least six continuous months. A first offense with a high BAL or with a minor in the vehicle requires at least six months, and two years for a second such offense. Second offenses require at least one year, and third offenses within 10 years require at least two years.⁹ Installation and monthly monitoring fees vary by provider.

DUI School Completion

Enrollment gets you in the door on Form 78306. Completion is required before full reinstatement, and the 90-day rule applies once a restricted license is issued: finish the course within 90 days of enrollment or the restricted license is cancelled until you do.⁴

1
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. HSMV 78306 Application for Administrative Hearing
2
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 322.2615 – Suspension of License; Right to Review
3
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 322.271 – Authority to Modify Revocation, Cancellation, or Suspension Order
4
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Florida DUI and Administrative Suspension Laws
5
Florida Senate. Florida Code 322.271 – Authority to Modify Revocation, Cancellation, or Suspension Order
6
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Application for Formal/Informal Review of Driver License Suspension/Disqualification
7
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Fees – Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
8
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. FR-44 Insurance Requirements Bulletin
9
Florida Senate. Florida Code 322.2715 – Ignition Interlock Devices