Florida driver license and ID card: first license, renewal, replacement and REAL ID

How to get a first Florida driver license or teen learner's license, switch from an out-of-state license, renew or replace your card, and what a REAL ID or Florida ID card requires, based on FLHSMV's own pages.

Guide · Florida · REAL ID · Driver licenses · Renewals · ID cards · updated October 29, 2026

Florida driver licenses, learner's licenses and ID cards are issued by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), at its own service centers and at county tax collector offices. This guide covers the common cases: a first license (including the teen learner's license), moving to Florida with another state's license, renewing, replacing a card, REAL ID, and state ID cards. For booking a visit and the full document list, see the Florida DMV visit guide.

Your first Florida license

FLHSMV says that if you have never been issued a driver license in any state or country, you must complete a Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) course before applying. FLHSMV keeps a list of approved course providers.

The standard license is the Class E. To get one, you pass:

  • The Class E knowledge exam: 50 multiple-choice questions on Florida traffic laws, safe driving and traffic controls. You need 40 correct answers (80 percent). It is given in English only. You can study with the official Florida Driver License Handbook and a practice test.
  • A vision test at a service center.
  • The Class E driving skills test, taken at a service center or with an approved third-party test administrator.

The skills test vehicle must have a valid registration and proof of insurance, and it must pass the examiner's basic inspection. FLHSMV lists reasons it will refuse to give the test, including an expired tag, inoperable brake lights or headlights, cracked glass that blocks visibility, and a low-speed vehicle. No passengers are allowed. The maneuvers include a three-point turn, parking on a grade, backing 50 feet without using the mirror or camera, and keeping a four-second following distance.

FLHSMV warns that anyone who passes a test through a third-party administrator may be picked at random for a free re-test.

The fee schedule lists an original Class E license (which includes the learner's license) at $48.00, a knowledge retest at $10.00 and a skills retest at $20.00. A tax collector office may add a $6.25 service fee.

Teens: learner's license and graduated licensing

For a learner's license, FLHSMV says you must:

  • Be at least 15.
  • If you are under 18, bring a signed, notarized Parental Consent Form. A step-parent may not sign unless they have legally adopted you.
  • Show you completed the Driver Education Traffic Safety (DETS) course.
  • Pass the vision and hearing test and the Class E knowledge exam.
  • Bring identity, Social Security and residential address documents.

Applicants under 18 can take the knowledge exam online through an approved third-party administrator. This needs a Parent Proctoring Form. Many high school driver education classes also give the exam.

For a driver license before 18, FLHSMV says you must:

  • Be at least 16.
  • Have held your learner's license for 12 months, or turned 18, whichever comes first.
  • Have a parent, legal guardian or responsible adult over 21 certify 50 hours of driving experience, 10 of them at night.
  • Have no moving violation convictions in the year after the learner's license was issued. One is allowed if adjudication was withheld.
  • Pass the driving skills test.

Driving hours under the graduated licensing law:

  • Learner's license: daylight only for the first three months, then until 10 p.m. You must always have a licensed driver aged 21 or older with you.
  • Age 16: you may drive only between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m.
  • Age 17: you may drive only between 5 a.m. and 1 a.m.

At 16 and 17, the hour limits do not apply when you are driving to or from work or are with a licensed driver aged 21 or older.

Moving to Florida with another state's license

FLHSMV says new residents must get a valid Florida driver license within 30 days of establishing residency. You apply in person at an office that offers driver license services. FLHSMV says you will take a vision test but may be able to get a license without a written or road test. Bring the documents for your residency status from the What to Bring page. See also How long do new Florida residents have to get a Florida driver license?

Renewing your license

A Florida license or ID card has to be renewed every eight years. You can renew a license up to 18 months before it expires, and an ID card up to 12 months before.

Online renewal on the MyDMV Portal is offered every other renewal period. You must go to an office if, among other reasons:

  • You renewed online last time.
  • Your card is not REAL ID compliant.
  • You want a new photo.
  • You are changing your name.
  • You hold a commercial license.
  • Your card says "TEMPORARY".

FLHSMV adds a $2.00 processing fee online and says the card should arrive by mail within 2–3 weeks. The fee schedule lists a Class E renewal at $48.00 and a late fee of $15.00. The step-by-step version is in How to renew a Florida driver license.

Replacing a lost or stolen license

You can replace a lost or stolen license or ID card before it expires, online on the MyDMV Portal or at any driver license service center. FLHSMV says that within 30 days of changing your name or address, Florida law requires you to get a replacement license. The fee schedule lists a replacement license at $25.00. For address changes, see How do I change my address with the Florida HSMV?

REAL ID

FLHSMV says Florida has issued REAL ID-compliant cards since 2010, and that compliant cards carry a star in the upper right corner. Cards issued from September 30, 2026 have a new design, with a gator worked into the star. FLHSMV says you do not have to replace a valid card just because of the new design.

You must visit an office to become REAL ID compliant for the first time. You bring proof of identity and lawful status, proof of your Social Security number, two proofs of your Florida residential address and any name change documents. FLHSMV says customers who are not REAL ID compliant cannot renew or replace their card on the MyDMV Portal. It also says you can hold a REAL ID driver license or a REAL ID ID card, but not both. To check a card you already have, see How can I tell if my driver's license is REAL ID compliant? and REAL ID explained.

Florida ID cards

ID cards are issued at the same driver license service centers. They use the same document lists from the What to Bring page, and they can be renewed or replaced on the MyDMV Portal if you are eligible. The fee schedule lists an original, renewal or replacement ID card at $25.00.

For vehicle paperwork, see the Florida vehicle registration and title guide, and for nearby offices the Florida DMV office list.

Sources · checked October 29, 2026

We wrote this summary ourselves from the official pages above on the date shown. Agencies change rules without notice: the official page always wins. DMVorganization.org is independent and not a government agency.

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