How to Get a New Driver’s License in Florida: Exams and Documents

To get a new driver’s license in Florida, you apply in person at a Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) service center or a participating county tax collector office, bring documents proving your identity, Social Security number, and Florida address, pass a vision and hearing screening, and pay $48 for a standard Class E license.¹ First-time drivers also complete a traffic law course, a written knowledge exam, and a road test. New residents transferring a valid out-of-state license skip both exams. Since May 2025, the license you receive must meet federal REAL ID standards if you want to use it for domestic flights or federal buildings.²

Who Has to Get a Florida License, and When

If you accept a job in Florida or enroll your children in a Florida public school, state law gives you 30 days to obtain a Florida license before driving on state roads. The same 30-day clock applies to your spouse and dependents.³

For first-time drivers who already live in Florida, age sets the track. A learner’s license is available at 15; a full Class E license requires the applicant to be at least 16.⁴ Anyone under 18 goes through Florida’s graduated licensing steps described below.

Documents You Need to Bring

Every new applicant brings documents in four categories. Bring originals or certified copies. Photocopies and notarized copies are not accepted.

Proof of identity: a valid U.S. passport, certified U.S. birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or unexpired permanent resident card, showing your full legal name and date of birth.⁵
Proof of Social Security number: an original Social Security card, a W-2, an SSA-1099, a non-SSA 1099, or a pay stub showing your name and full SSN.⁶
Two proofs of Florida residential address: a mortgage statement, lease, utility bill, bank statement, or similar document showing your name and Florida home address. Two separate documents are required.⁶
Proof of any name change: a certified marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order that links your current legal name to the name on your birth certificate or passport.

Names must match exactly across every document. A gap between the name on your birth certificate and the name on your utility bill will stall the application until you produce a legal document connecting the two.

Transferring an Out-of-State License

New residents exchanging a valid, unexpired out-of-state license get a real break. Florida waives both the written knowledge exam and the driving skills test, so long as the previous license is current and in good standing.⁴ You still take the vision and hearing screening at the counter.

The FLHSMV checks your record against the National Driver Register, the federal database of drivers with suspensions, revocations, or serious traffic convictions in other states. If you arrive with an active suspension from another state, Florida will not issue a license until that state clears you. Moving does not erase a DUI suspension or an unpaid ticket warrant.

If you cannot produce every required REAL ID document on your first visit, the FLHSMV may issue a 60-day temporary permit while you gather what is missing, provided your out-of-state license is valid or has been expired for 60 days or less.⁷

Exams for First-Time Drivers

If you have never held a driver’s license anywhere, Florida requires three things before it will issue a Class E license: a Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) course, a written knowledge exam, and a behind-the-wheel skills test. The TLSAE requirement applies to adults over 18 as well as teens.

Knowledge Exam

The Class E knowledge exam is a 50-question multiple-choice test on road rules and road sign identification. You need at least 40 correct answers, or 80 percent, to pass. Right-of-way rules, pavement markings, speed limits, and emergency responses make up most of the material. Florida’s official Driver License Handbook, free on the FLHSMV website, is the intended study source.

Driving Skills Test

The road test covers three-point turns, parking, lane changes, and obedience to traffic signals in real traffic. You bring a registered, insured vehicle, and because you do not yet hold a full license, a licensed driver must bring you to the appointment.

Vision and Hearing Screening

Every applicant, whether transferring or testing, takes a vision and hearing screening at the service center. The vision standard is 20/40 or better in each eye, with or without corrective lenses.⁸ Reading worse than that in either eye triggers a referral to an eye specialist. Applicants who cannot hear normal conversation are not disqualified; the license is issued with a restriction requiring an outside left-side rearview mirror or a hearing aid while driving.⁴

The Teen Path Through Graduated Licensing

Florida eases teenagers into full driving privileges in steps. Skipping one delays the license by months.

Learner’s License at 15

A teen must be at least 15 and must have completed an approved driver education course before receiving a learner’s license.⁹ A learner’s license holder must always be accompanied by a licensed driver at least 21 years old in the front passenger seat. For the first three months, driving is restricted to daylight hours. After three months, the curfew extends to 10 p.m.¹⁰

Moving Up to a Class E License

To upgrade to a Class E license before turning 18, a teen must have held the learner’s license for at least 12 months with no moving traffic convictions and must have logged at least 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 at night. A parent or guardian certifies the hours on the Certification of Minor Driving Experience Form.¹⁰

Night curfews continue after the Class E is issued, until age 18:

Age 16: no driving between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., unless driving to or from work or accompanied by a licensed driver 21 or older.
Age 17: no driving between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., with the same work and supervision exceptions.

A curfew violation does not cost a first-offender the license, but it goes on the record as a moving violation.

What Happens at the Service Center

Book an appointment through the FLHSMV’s online system before you go. Walk-ins are allowed at many offices, but waits without an appointment can run past two hours in bigger metros.

The fee for an original Class E license, which includes the learner’s license, is $48.¹ Paying by credit card adds a processing fee around $4. Cash, check, and debit avoid that surcharge at most locations.

At the counter, a clerk reviews your documents, runs the vision and hearing screening, and takes your digital photograph. The application collects height, weight, eye color, and emergency contact information. Florida law also requires you to disclose whether you have held a license in another state and whether any prior license was ever suspended or revoked.⁵ You will also be offered voter registration and asked whether you want to join the state’s organ and tissue donor registry.¹¹

Your Temporary Permit and Permanent Card

Once your application is approved, you leave with a paper temporary permit that serves as your legal driving credential. The permanent plastic REAL ID card is mailed and usually arrives in two to three weeks. Keep the paper permit with you whenever you drive during that window, because it is your only proof of licensure until the card arrives.

The permanent card has a gold star in the upper right corner marking it as REAL ID compliant. That is the version you need to board domestic flights or enter federal facilities. A valid U.S. passport works as a federal ID at airports regardless of your license type.

Lying on the Application Is a Felony

Using a fake name or making a false statement on a Florida driver’s license application is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.¹²¹³¹⁴ The one narrow exception is a minor who lies only about their age, which is charged as a second-degree misdemeanor. If a document has an error, correct it with the issuing agency before applying rather than trying to explain the discrepancy at the counter.

1
Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Fees
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Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID
3
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 322.031 – Nonresident; When License Required
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Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. General Information
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The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 322.08 – Application for License
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eCFR. 6 CFR Part 37 – Real ID Drivers Licenses and Identification Cards
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Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Visiting Florida Frequently Asked Questions
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Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code Annotated R 15A-1-013 – Minimum Visual Standards for Licensing
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The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 322.1615 – Learners Driver License
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Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Licensing Requirements for Teens, Graduated Driver License Laws and Driving Curfews
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Florida Division of Elections. Register to Vote or Update Your Information
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Florida Senate. Florida Code 322.212 – Unauthorized Possession of, and Other Unlawful Acts in Relation to, Driver License or Identification Card
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Florida Senate. Florida Code 775.082 – Penalties; Applicability of Sentencing Structures; Mandatory Minimum Sentences
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The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 775.083 – Fines