Florida Form HSMV 82002 is the Initial Registration Fee Exemption Affidavit, the one-page document you file to avoid the state’s $225 initial registration fee when you title a vehicle in Florida. You complete it, check one of six exemption boxes, attach the proof that box requires, and submit it in person at your county tax collector’s office or a licensed private plate agency. The form is a free download from the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles website.
When the Form Applies
The $225 fee hits the first time a private automobile, truck, motor home, or truck camper is registered in Florida. It is not a renewal charge. Motorcycles, trailers, and most other vehicle classes sit outside the fee entirely because they fall under different subsections of the registration statute.1The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 320.072 – Additional Fee Imposed on Certain Motor Vehicle Registration Transactions
If you are a new Florida resident bringing a car in from another state, a current resident buying a vehicle that was not previously Florida-titled, or anyone registering a brand-new vehicle for the first time, that $225 line item will appear on your bill unless you qualify for one of the exemptions on the HSMV 82002 and bring proof of it.
The Six Exemption Boxes and What Each One Requires
You check one box. The box you check dictates what you have to bring with you.
Prior Registration
You already have a Florida plate on a vehicle you are getting rid of (sold, traded, totaled) and you want to move that plate to the replacement vehicle. Write the plate number on the form; the agent verifies it against the state database. A separate $4.50 plate transfer fee still applies.2Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Initial Registration Fee Exemption Affidavit3Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 320.0609 – Transfer or Exchange of Registration License Plates
Immediate Family Transfer
Title is moving between immediate family members (parent and child, spouses, siblings) who live at the same address. The tax collector checks both addresses against the state vehicle information system, so update anything stale before you go. Florida uses the definition of immediate family found in Section 657.002.2Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Initial Registration Fee Exemption Affidavit
Military
This is the longest section on the form and the only one that spills onto page two, because it covers six separate situations. Pick the one that fits:
- Non-resident on active duty stationed in Florida. Bring your orders and your out-of-state driver license.
- Non-resident stationed in Florida who is now establishing Florida residency. Bring your orders and new Florida driver license.
- Former service member returning to Florida within six months of an honorable discharge, where you were a Florida resident at enlistment and bought the vehicle while stationed outside the state. Bring your DD-214 and Florida driver license.
- Active duty Florida resident reassigned back to Florida after buying a vehicle while stationed elsewhere. Bring your orders and Florida driver license.
- Active duty Florida resident still stationed outside Florida, registering a vehicle purchased out of state. Bring your orders and Florida driver license.
- Surviving spouse or dependent of a service member killed or MIA, where the service member was a Florida resident at enlistment. Bring proof of the death notification or MIA status, and register within one year of that notification.
A dishonorable discharge disqualifies the veteran exemption. A surviving spouse who waits past the one-year mark loses it.2Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Initial Registration Fee Exemption Affidavit
Court Order
A court has declared you the legal owner of the vehicle, typically through a divorce decree, probate order, or civil judgment. Attach a copy of the order.2Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Initial Registration Fee Exemption Affidavit
Operation of Law
Ownership transferred automatically under Florida Statute 319.28, which covers repossessions, mechanic’s liens, and similar proceedings where the law itself triggers the title change without a direct court order to you. Bring the documentation that shows how you acquired the vehicle, such as a lien satisfaction or an auction certificate.2Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Initial Registration Fee Exemption Affidavit
Administrative Name Change
A business filed a fictitious or corporate name change with the Florida Department of State and now needs the plate reissued under the new name. Attach the name change affidavit from the Department of State.4Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Florida Motor Vehicle Procedure Manual RS-30 – Initial Registration Fee
Filling Out the Form
At the top, enter the vehicle identification number (VIN), model year, make, and body type exactly as they appear on the title or manufacturer’s certificate of origin. If the vehicle has a prior Florida title, enter that title number too. Leave the title number blank for a brand-new vehicle or one coming in from another state with no Florida history.
Below the vehicle block, check one exemption box. Only one. If you are claiming prior registration, write in the plate number you want transferred. For every other category, the form itself tells you what document to attach.
Sign and date at the bottom. The signature line carries a perjury declaration, so the person signing has to be the vehicle owner claiming the exemption. The lower verification section is for the tax collector or plate agency employee to complete after they review your paperwork; leave it alone.4Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Florida Motor Vehicle Procedure Manual RS-30 – Initial Registration Fee
Where to Submit
Take the completed form and your supporting documents to a county tax collector’s office or a licensed private plate agency. The FLHSMV office locator will point you to the nearest one. There is no online submission path and no way to send the form to the state directly.2Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Initial Registration Fee Exemption Affidavit
Once the agent verifies the exemption and enters it in the state system, the $225 line drops off your total. The form only waives that fee. You still owe the title transfer fee, standard license plate fees, and Florida sales tax on the purchase price if you bought the vehicle rather than receiving it as a gift or inheritance.
If you show up without the right proof, the office will charge the full $225 to complete the transaction. A refund is possible afterward but means a separate request and a return trip, so bring everything the first time.
If You Already Paid the Fee
Florida law allows a refund of the $225 if you sell, trade, or otherwise dispose of the vehicle within three months of paying it. You need the receipt showing you paid the fee and you have to surrender the license plate from the vehicle you got rid of. The three-month clock runs from the date you paid, not from the date you acquired the vehicle.1The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 320.072 – Additional Fee Imposed on Certain Motor Vehicle Registration Transactions
This refund is a separate process at the tax collector’s office. The HSMV 82002 is not part of it.
What Gets the Form Rejected
The most frequent problem is arriving without the proof the chosen box requires. Telling the agent you qualify is not enough; the agent has to see and verify the document the form lists, whether that is military orders, a court order, a DD-214, or a name change affidavit.
Second is picking the wrong box. The military section alone has six variants with different eligibility rules. An immediate family claim fails if the two household addresses do not match in the state system. Read each description on the form before you check anything.
Third is assuming the form does more than it does. It waives the $225 initial registration fee. It does not reduce sales tax, the title fee, or any other charge on the bill.