Moving to Florida? Here's what to know about getting your license

US citizens present one original or certified primary identity document: a certified US birth certificate issued by a county health department or the Bureau of Vital Statistics (hospital birth certificates are not accepted, and a Puerto Rico certificate must have an issue date after July 1, 2010), a valid US passport or passport card, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, a Certificate of Naturalization (N-550 or N-570), or a Certificate of Citizenship (N-560 or N-561). Canadian citizens must present an original valid Canadian passport; without one, a USCIS document establishing legal presence is also required. Immigrants and non-immigrants have their own document lists, which FLHSMV maintains on separate What to Bring pages and revises as federal rules change, so check the page that matches your status rather than working from any printed summary. If your name has changed since your primary document was issued, bring a marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order linking the two names, unless a valid US passport already carries your current name. Photocopies and notarized copies are never accepted.

Source: FLHSMV, What to Bring, US Citizen and Canadian pages, checked 2026-08-21. The Canadian requirement has changed since the handbook was printed: FLHSMV now states "For a Canadian citizen an original valid Canadian passport", where the Florida Driver License Handbook (rev. 08/2023), Chapter 1, still lists a Canadian birth certificate, Naturalization Certificate or Certificate of Citizenship as alternatives. The immigrant and non-immigrant lists are deliberately not reproduced here: they track federal status categories, FLHSMV keeps them on separate pages (/what-to-bring/immigrant/ and /what-to-bring/non-immigrant/), and a summary of them in a printed book would be the first thing to go stale.

You must present two different documents showing your Florida residential address, and your current driver license or ID card does not count as one of them. FLHSMV no longer accepts an out-of-state or US territory address for a Florida Class E license or ID card. Acceptable documents include a deed, mortgage or monthly mortgage statement, or a residential rental or lease agreement; a Florida voter registration card; a valid Florida vehicle or vessel registration or title; a utility bill for water, gas, electricity, cell phone or cable; a homeowner or automobile insurance policy or bill; employer documentation such as a W-2, 1099 or paycheck stub; financial statements from a bank, credit card or investment account; and mail from a federal, state, county or city government agency. Most of these must be dated within the last 60 days. A homeless applicant may present a letter from a shelter, transitional service provider or halfway house, dated within the last 60 days. If you live with someone and have nothing in your own name, that person completes a Certification of Address form and supplies two of their own address documents, and they must either come to the office with you or sign the form in front of a notary. Under the REAL ID Act you do not have to present these documents again at a later renewal unless your information changes.

Source: FLHSMV, What to Bring, US Citizen page, Proof of Residential Address, checked 2026-08-21. Two points have moved since the handbook was printed. FLHSMV now requires a Certification of Address form plus two of the resident's own address documents, with the resident present or signing before a notary, where the Florida Driver License Handbook (rev. 08/2023), Chapter 1, says only "two documents and a letter from that person". The page also adds the 60-day recency requirement, the refusal of out-of-state addresses, and the REAL ID renewal exemption, none of which are in the handbook.

Florida law requires collection of your Social Security number, and FLHSMV verifies it electronically with the Social Security Administration. Present one original or certified document that shows your full SSN: your Social Security card, a W-2 form, a paycheck that contains your complete Social Security number, a pre-printed 1099 form, or a military ID. The name on the SSN document must match the name you want on your driver license or ID card, so if your name has changed you must update Social Security Administration records first. Applicants who have never been issued a Social Security number may instead present one of the state's approved secondary identification documents (for US citizens and immigrants), and all non-immigrants must present a secondary document regardless of SSN status.

Source: Florida Driver License Handbook (rev. 08/2023), Chapter 1: Driver Licenses & ID Cards, pp. 6-7 (Step 2: Social Security Number or Secondary Identification)

yes

Source: Florida Driver License Handbook (rev. 08/2023), Chapter 2: Driving Schools & Test Providers, p. 19 (License Examinations, Vision Screening)

$48

Source: s. 322.21(1)(b), Florida Statutes: an original Class E driver license is $48, and Florida issues the learner's license as an original Class E credential, so the same $48 applies. The fee includes the driver education contribution under s. 1003.48 and covers the initial knowledge exam. Florida Driver License Handbook (rev. 08/2023), Chapter 2, p. 14 (Fees for Driver License/ID Card).

$10 retake (initial exam included in $48 license fee)

Source: The first attempt is covered by the $48 license fee. s. 322.12(3), Florida Statutes: "An applicant who fails to pass the initial knowledge test incurs a $10 fee for each subsequent test." The handbook lists the same $10 under Other Fees, as "Written re-tests (Class E Knowledge Exam)", Florida Driver License Handbook (rev. 08/2023), Chapter 2, p. 14 (Fees for Driver License/ID Card).

$20 retake (initial test included in $48 license fee)

Source: The first attempt is covered by the $48 license fee. The handbook lists "Driving skills re-tests $20" under Other Fees, Florida Driver License Handbook (rev. 08/2023), Chapter 2, p. 14 (Fees for Driver License/ID Card). The retest-fee mechanism is s. 322.12(3), Florida Statutes.

$48

Source: s. 322.21(1)(b), Florida Statutes: "An original Class E driver license is $48, which includes the fee for driver education provided by s. 1003.48." Florida Driver License Handbook (rev. 08/2023), Chapter 2, p. 14 (Fees for Driver License/ID Card).

$48

Source: s. 322.21(1)(c), Florida Statutes: renewal or extension of a Class E driver license is $48, with a $15 delinquent fee added for a renewal made within 12 months after the expiration date. Florida Driver License Handbook (rev. 08/2023), Chapter 2, p. 14 (Fees for Driver License/ID Card).

$25

Source: s. 322.21(1)(f), Florida Statutes: an original, renewal or replacement identification card issued under s. 322.051 is $25. The same section exempts an applicant who presents a valid Florida voter's registration card and attests to financial hardship, among other categories. Florida Driver License Handbook (rev. 08/2023), Chapter 2, p. 14 (Fees for Driver License/ID Card).

$10 knowledge exam; $20 driving skills

Source: $10 for each subsequent Class E Knowledge Exam under s. 322.12(3), Florida Statutes, and $20 for a driving skills re-test per the handbook's Other Fees table, Florida Driver License Handbook (rev. 08/2023), Chapter 2, p. 14 (Fees for Driver License/ID Card). There is no waiting period between attempts; the fee is the only thing the state attaches to a retake.

80

Source: FLHSMV, "Class E Knowledge Exam & Driving Skills Test": "To pass, a customer must answer 40 out of 50 questions correctly, or score 80 percent." The handbook states the 50-question length (p. 19) but never states the passing score.

50

Source: Florida Driver License Handbook (rev. 08/2023), Chapter 2: Driving Schools & Test Providers, p. 20 (Class E Knowledge Exam)

40

Source: FLHSMV, "Class E Knowledge Exam & Driving Skills Test": "To pass, a customer must answer 40 out of 50 questions correctly, or score 80 percent."

You get 60 minutes for the Class E Knowledge Exam, and anything you have not answered when the time runs out is marked incorrect. That is 50 questions in an hour, a little over a minute each, which is comfortable if you keep moving and tight if you stall. The limit is set for approved third-party administrators, including the online route open to applicants under 18, and county tax collector offices publish the same 60 minutes for exams taken in their offices; tax collector offices also generally allow two attempts per day. Do not plan on circling back to questions you skipped, because the testing system does not promise you can: answer each one as you reach it, give a hard question your best reading rather than deferring it, and move on.

Source: FLHSMV, Third-Party Administrator Knowledge Agreement (rev. 7/15/2022), clause 8: "The Third-Party Administrator must inform applicants of and enforce a 60-minute limit per exam. Any questions not answered during this time limit will be marked as incorrect." County tax collector offices, which administer driver license exams as agents of FLHSMV under s. 322.135, Florida Statutes, publish the same 60-minute limit for in-office written exams, along with a two-attempts-per-day limit. Neither the Florida Driver License Handbook (rev. 08/2023) nor s. 322.12, Florida Statutes, states a time limit, which is why the figure has to come from the administering materials rather than from the manual. The exam software’s navigation behavior, specifically whether a skipped question can be revisited, is not documented in any source checked, so this fact does not claim either way.

The Class E Knowledge Exam is 50 multiple-choice questions delivered on screen through FLHSMV's web-based testing system, at a driver license service center, a tax collector office, or an approved third-party administrator. It covers Florida traffic laws, safe driving practices and identifying traffic controls. Since February 6, 2026 it is given in English only, with no interpreter and no translated printed exam; that applies to the skills test too, and to orally administered exams. American Sign Language is still permitted where it is used to communicate in English. If you are under 18 you may take the knowledge exam online through an approved third-party administrator, with a Parent Proctoring Form that is notarized or signed in front of a driver license examiner.

Source: Handbook p. 19 states the 50 multiple-choice questions and the three subject areas. Delivery and venue: FLHSMV, "Class E Knowledge Exam & Driving Skills Test", which describes in-person, online-for-under-18 and DELAP routes and notes that examinations are available in English only. The English-only rule and its date come from FLHSMV's announcement of January 30, 2026, effective February 6, 2026. The exam runs on ADLTS, FLHSMV's web-based Automated Driver License Testing System, which is what makes on-screen delivery accurate for Florida.

Source: No waiting period is set by s. 322.12, Florida Statutes, by the handbook, or by FLHSMV's exam page. s. 322.12(3) instead charges a fee: "An applicant who fails to pass the initial knowledge test incurs a $10 fee for each subsequent test." Recorded as 0 because the absence was checked, not assumed.

The Florida Class E Knowledge Exam is scored as a single 50-question test; the handbook does not divide the exam into sections with separate passing minimums, so a candidate needs only to hit the overall passing threshold.

Source: Florida Driver License Handbook (rev. 08/2023), Chapter 2: Driving Schools & Test Providers, p. 20 (Class E Knowledge Exam)