What to Bring to the Florida DMV

Bring everything in one trip. Most failed applications come down to missing documents, not failing the test. Below is the Florida-specific checklist.

Section

Identification documents

Acceptable identity documents

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.

Acceptable residency documents

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.

SSN proof requirements

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)

Vision test required at issuance

yes

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

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