Getting and Keeping a Florida Driver License

Written for aiforu2 as the source for a practice-test bank and the on-device tutor for the Florida Class E knowledge exam. The facts follow the official handbook; the wording is ours.

Source: Florida Class E Driver License Handbook, rev. 08/2023, chapters "Driver Licenses & ID Cards" (pp. 3–15) and "Driving Schools & Test Providers" (pp. 17–21), and the "Important Info for Minor Drivers" page.

Who needs a Florida license

A Florida resident must hold a Florida driver license to drive on public roads. You are a resident once you have lived in Florida for more than six consecutive months, registered to vote, filed a statement of domicile, or claimed a homestead exemption.

A non-resident who takes a job, practices a trade or profession, or enrolls a child in a Florida public school must get a Florida license within 30 days. Migrant and seasonal farm workers are the exception.

You do not need a Florida license if you are a non-resident of at least 16 with a valid non-commercial license from another US state or territory, or an International Driving Permit together with a valid license from your home country. Also exempt while holding a valid home license: US government employees driving government vehicles on official business, contractors on US government work (for 60 days only), members of the Armed Forces stationed in Florida with their spouses and dependents, out-of-state residents who commute into Florida for work, non-resident college students, migrant farm workers, and people who only drive farm tractors or road machinery on the highway temporarily.

Reciprocity

Florida waives the knowledge and driving-skills exams for holders of a valid license from any US state or territory, the US military, Canada, France, Germany (driving-skills test only), Taiwan and South Korea. A vision exam is still required. Licenses from other states must be surrendered when the Florida license is issued; Canadians who keep their Canadian license must take the Class E exams.

License classes

• Class E covers non-commercial vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating under 26,001 pounds.
• A two- or three-wheel motorcycle over 50 cc needs a motorcycle endorsement or a "Motorcycle Only" license.
• A commercial driver license (Class A, B or C) is needed for any single vehicle of 26,001 pounds or more; a combination of 26,001 pounds or more when the trailer is over 10,000 pounds; a vehicle built to carry 16 or more passengers including the driver; or any vehicle that needs hazardous materials placards.

Documents you must bring

Every applicant for a license or ID card presents three things, all original or certified (no photocopies, no notarized copies):

1. Primary identification. For US citizens: a government-issued birth certificate (hospital certificates are not accepted), a valid US passport or passport card, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or a certificate of naturalization or citizenship. Immigrants show a permanent resident card or equivalent immigration document; non-immigrants show an employment authorization card or an unexpired I-94 with a valid passport and visa; Canadians show a Canadian passport, birth certificate or citizenship certificate. 2. Proof of Social Security number, such as the card, a W-2, a paycheck showing the full number, a 1099 or a military ID. The name must match the name you want on the license; change it with Social Security first. Someone who has never been issued a number, or a non-immigrant, presents a secondary identification document instead, such as another state's license, a military ID, a school record showing date of birth, or a passport from another country. 3. Two proofs of Florida residential address, such as a deed, mortgage statement or lease, a Florida voter registration card, a vehicle registration or title, a utility bill or bank statement, an insurance policy or bill, mail from a government agency, or a school transcript for the current year. Someone living with another person brings two documents in that person's name plus a letter from them.

If your name has changed since your primary identification was issued, bring the marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order that links the names. Immigrants and non-immigrants change the name on their immigration documents first; Canadians change their passport first.

Immigrants, Canadians and other non-immigrants may receive a 60-day temporary permit without a photo while their documents are verified.

Learner's license and driver license

Learner's license: be at least 15, complete the Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education course (TLSAE), and pass the vision and Class E knowledge exams.

Driver license: be at least 16, complete TLSAE, present the required identification, and pass the vision, knowledge and driving-skills exams.

Under 18, you must also:

• hold the learner's license for 12 months or until your 18th birthday, whichever comes first;
• have no moving-violation convictions for 12 months from the learner's license date (one violation is tolerated if adjudication was withheld);
• have a parent, guardian or responsible adult of 21 or older certify 50 hours of driving experience, 10 of them at night;
• have a parent or guardian sign the parental consent form; and
• be in compliance with school attendance.

TLSAE is required of anyone who has never held a license anywhere. Passing a driver-education course at a certified DELAP school satisfies it.

Rules for minors

• With a learner's license: always drive with a licensed driver of at least 21 in the front passenger seat; daylight only for the first three months, then until 10 pm.
• Age 16 with a license: no driving between 11 pm and 6 am unless driving to or from work or accompanied by a licensed driver of 21 or older.
• Age 17 with a license: no driving between 1 am and 5 am, with the same exceptions.
• A driver under 18 who collects six or more points in 12 months is restricted to Business Purposes Only driving for one year, and the restriction grows by 90 days for every further point.

Parental consent

An unmarried applicant under 18 needs a parent or legal guardian to sign the application before the license agent or a notary. The signer accepts responsibility for the minor's driving and may withdraw consent by letter or online, which cancels the license. Married minors show a marriage certificate; emancipated minors show the court order.

Medical conditions and restrictions

List any physical or mental condition that could affect your driving on the application. Conditions such as epilepsy, fainting, dizziness or blackouts may require a medical report from your doctor before a license is issued. Insulin users may ask for "Insulin Dependent" to appear on the license.

Restriction codes printed on the license are conditions of driving; ignoring one can mean a citation and a suspension. Common codes: B corrective lenses, C hand controls or pedal extension, F outside left mirror, G daylight driving only, H employment purposes only, 1 business purposes only, 2 ignition interlock device, 4 automatic transmission, 5 power steering, 9 hearing aid.

ID cards

An ID card is available from age 5. Cards issued to ages 5–14 last four years; all others last eight. You cannot hold a license and an ID card at the same time; a licensed driver who wants an ID card surrenders the license. ID cards are free for people who are homeless (with a shelter letter) and for people at or below the poverty level.

Designations and special registrations

Honorably discharged veterans may add "Veteran" free of charge with a DD-214. Applicants may join the organ and tissue donor registry, which can save up to eight lives. Male US citizens and immigrants aged 18 to 25 must comply with Selective Service when applying. Registered sexual offenders and predators, and designated career offenders, must register in person at a service center within a set time and report changes of name or address.

Keeping the license current

• Address change: you must get a new license within 30 days of moving. Driving with a wrong address can bring a citation, and you may miss renewal notices and sanction warnings.
• Lost or stolen card: replace it immediately; the fee is waived for a stolen card if you bring the police report in person.
• Renewal: Class E licenses last six to eight years. Renewal needs your old license and a vision exam, plus documents for any address or name change. US citizens and permanent residents may renew online, but not two renewals in a row by mail, phone or online. Renewing after the expiration date (midnight of your birthday) costs a $15 late fee. Drivers 80 and older must pass a vision exam at every renewal, at a service center or by a Florida-licensed eye doctor who files the vision report.
• Fees: a first license, a learner's license and a renewal each cost $48; a replacement or an ID card costs $25; a knowledge-exam retest costs $10 and a driving-skills retest $20. Reinstatement after a suspension costs $45 and after a revocation $75, with higher administrative fees for insurance and alcohol offenses. Veterans with a 100% service- connected disability are exempt from most license fees.

Courses

• TLSAE (Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education): required before a first learner's or driver license; also required to reinstate on a hardship basis after an under-21 suspension for a blood alcohol level of .02 to .05.
• Basic Driver Improvement (BDI): required if you were at fault in a crash where someone was taken to hospital, had two crashes in two years with more than $500 damage each, or were convicted of running a red light, passing a stopped school bus, racing or reckless driving. You may also elect BDI for a non-criminal moving violation to avoid points, unless you were more than 30 mph over the limit; the election must be made with the clerk of court within 30 days of the citation, no more than once in 12 months and five times in a lifetime. It also brings an 18 percent reduction of the civil penalty, and your insurer cannot raise your premium or refuse renewal for that single infraction.
• Advanced Driver Improvement (ADI): required to reinstate a license suspended for points, as a habitual traffic offender, or by court order.
• DUI programs are required after alcohol-related suspensions or convictions. Courses for drivers 65 and older update them on the law and may lower insurance costs.

The exams

The license exam checks that you understand signs, signals and markings, know Florida law, meet the vision standard, and can drive safely.

• Vision: 20/40 or better in each eye passes outright; 20/50 or worse means a referral to an eye specialist; 20/70 may pass after referral if the worse eye is better than 20/200; if one eye is blind, the other must be 20/40 or better. The field of vision must be at least 130 degrees. Telescopic lenses do not count. If you need glasses or contacts to pass, you must wear them to drive.
• Class E knowledge exam: 50 multiple-choice questions on Florida traffic laws, safe driving practices and traffic controls. It can be taken at a service center, through a school's DELAP program, or through an approved third-party provider; applicants under 18 may take it online.
• Driving-skills test: you provide a vehicle with a valid plate and insurance, and it is inspected first. The test is refused if the horn, mirrors, signals, steering, brakes, tires or lights are defective, the tag is expired, glass is cracked, the driver-side wiper is missing, the doors do not open from inside and outside, or the vehicle is a low-speed vehicle. No passengers are allowed except an interpreter. Maneuvers include approaching a crossing in the proper lane, backing up 50 feet while looking to the rear (no mirror or camera), keeping a three- to four-second following distance, obeying stop signs and signals, observing right-of-way, parking on a grade with and without a curb, passing, signaling for the last 100 feet before a turn, staying in the proper lane, stopping quickly, straight-in parking, a three-point turn in a 20–40 foot space, and keeping both hands on the wheel.

Practise this with Florida Driver License questions

More of this guide