Every application for a license or ID card has three steps: primary ID, Social Security proof, and address proof. Step 1, primary identification, proves who you are and your legal presence. Lying anywhere on the application is a serious crime.
Every license or ID card applicant must present:
- 1. Primary identification
- 2. Proof of Social Security number, or secondary identification
- 3. Two documents showing your Florida residential address
Know the rule
All documents must be originals or certified copies. Photocopies and notarized copies are not accepted.
Handbook p. 13 ↗Know the rule
If your name has changed since your primary ID was issued, bring a name change document that links the two names, such as a marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order.
Handbook p. 13 ↗US citizens: one original or certified document:
- Certified US birth certificate issued by a government agency (includes territories and DC)
- Valid US passport or Passport Card
- Consular Report of Birth Abroad
- Certificate of Naturalization
- Certificate of Citizenship
Know the rule
Hospital birth certificates are not accepted. The birth certificate must come from a government agency.
Handbook p. 13 ↗Immigrants: one original or certified document, such as:
- Valid Alien Registration receipt card (Green card, Form I-151 or I-551, or Permanent Resident Card)
- I-551 stamp in a valid passport with a valid US Visa, or on an approved I-94
- Immigration Judge's Order (with A-number) granting asylum, plus a valid passport
- I-797 (with A-number) showing asylum granted, plus a valid passport
- I-797, I-94 or USCIS form showing refugee entry or approved refugee status, plus a valid passport
Canadian citizens: one original or certified document:
- Valid Canadian passport
- Canadian birth certificate
- Canadian Naturalization Certificate
- Canadian Certificate of Citizenship
Non-immigrants: one original document:
- Valid USCIS Employment Authorization Card (Form I-688B or I-766)
- Unexpired Form I-94 with the required attachments (proof of non-immigrant classification)
- I-4s must come with a valid passport that has a valid US Visa
Some classifications need extra paperwork:
- F-1 and M-1: an I-20; J-1 or J-2: a DS-2019
- Refugee, asylee and parolee: extra documents such as an I-94 with a photo attached
- I-571 travel document, I-512 parole letter, or judge's asylum order: accepted only with a valid passport
Know the rule
Immigrants, Canadian citizens and other non-immigrants applying for a license may be given a 60-day temporary driving permit without a photo. Non-US citizens applying for an original ID card get a receipt.
Handbook p. 14 ↗Temporary driving permit (no photo) for non-citizen license applicants
Handbook p. 14 ↗Know the rule
FLHSMV checks your documents with FDLE, Homeland Security and the FBI. If they don't verify, a secondary check is done. If that one verifies, your card is mailed to you. If it fails, the card is denied.
Handbook p. 14 ↗Penalties for dishonesty
| Offense | Possible penalty |
|---|---|
| Fraud or a false statement on a license/ID application | Up to 5 years in prison and a $5,000 fine |
| The same fraud: existing license | Suspended for at least one year |
| Letting an unlicensed person drive | 60-day jail sentence and a $500 fine |
| That unlicensed driver injures or kills someone in a crash | Your license may be suspended for one year |
Put it into practice
You were born in Ohio and have only the souvenir birth certificate from the hospital. It won't be accepted. Order a certified copy from the government vital records office, or bring your valid US passport instead.