Appointments
The DMV office is always at your service, to help you solve doubts or to complete your transactions. You can visit one of our offices with, or without an appointment. The only difference will be the time you will need to spend in the office.
- You can visit us without making an appointment.
- You can make an appointment Online by our Online Appointment Service and Information System (OASIS). This is the correct option if you want to save time and avoid long lines.
- You can schedule your appointment by phone. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Please keep in mind that before making an appointment to the DMV, it is mandatory to be fully informed about the necessary documentation and deadlines for the different types of procedure you need to achieve.
Offices Hours in 101 N. Alabama Avenue
There is always a DMV office near you. The opening hours can vary from a County to another one. In general, the offices in 101 N. Alabama Avenue open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. And then, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
On weekends, the DMV usually closes its doors, however there are some exemptions when some of the DMV offices offer limited services on weekends.
DMV officials are available 24/7 to help you solve your doubts and assist you in any query. For those people who are not available to visit us within these hours, do not hesitate to contact the DMV online or by phone.
Practise Test in 101 N. Alabama Avenue
The practise Test must be successful to be able to get your driver's license. You will have 5 attempts to approve it, after that, if you are not successful, you will have to wait one year to reschedule your test and pay a fine of 20$.
To be able to apply for the test, the following documentation will be required:
- ID Card or passport.
- Proof Social Security Number.
- Proof of current address.
- For young people under 18 - Parental Consent Form – Minor Driver Applicant Form.
Please note that if you took the exam on a third party, the exam results will be loaded in the system and available at all the offices of the FLHSMV (Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles). There will be no need to bring any documentation to the FLHSMV if the exam has been taken by an external Driver’s license provider.
For more information about the available Driver’s Licence educational centers, please enter here: https://www.flhsmv.gov/driver-licenses-id-cards/driver-license-exams/
Florida License
In the Sunshine State, getting the driver's license is quite simple . All the driver must do is to complete a TLSAE course, pass a driving and theoretical exam, present the paperwork and the process will be finished.
There are different kinds of licences depending if you are young with no experience, or if you are a senior driver.
Class E - Learners license
The Class E - Learners License is issued for all of those Drivers between 15 and 18 years old. The Graduated Driver License law (GDL) establishes this license as the first step for the inexperienced drivers who are learning how to drive.
To apply for this Learners License, you must complete a Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education course (TLSAE). After that, you will have to make an appointment at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHMSV), where an officer will request you all the necessary documentation. You will have to pass a vision and hearing examination before taking the test, if everything is Ok, the last step required is to pay the fee to access the knowledge test.
Required Documents to apply for a Learners License
- ID
- Social Security Number
- Residential address
- Parental consent for a driver application of a minor - If under 18
- If you are not a US citizen: Proof of Legal residence in the US.
Learners License restrictions:
- The individual must drive under the supervision of an adult over 21 years old.
- It is not allowed to drive at night during the first 3 months of the license. After this period, it is permitted to drive up to 10PM.
After obtaining the first Learners License, the driver will have 1 year to obtain an intermediate or full privilege license. If the Learners license expires, the driver must renew it and do the process all over again.
Intermediate Driver License
The Graduated Driver License laws (GDL), establishes this as the second step: the driver must obtain the Intermediate Driver's License before the Learners license expires. In this second stage, the driver can use the vehicle with non supervision, but there are still some restrictions to follow up until the driver turns 18 years of age.
To apply for this Intermediate License, you must hold your Learners license for one year with no traffic violations. You must count with 50 hours of driving practise, 10 of which must be during night hours. After this, you will have to Schedule an appointment to the DHMSV’s Service Center. At your appointment the officer will request you all the documentation. You will have to pass a Driving exam, and if you succeed, you will give up your learners license and gain the new one.
What Documents do you need to apply for the Intermediate License?
It is very important that you count with the form Certification of Driving Experience of a Minor (HSMV 71142). This paper needs to be filled up by your driving instructor in the presence of an officer from the Driver License Center or a Notary Public.
Characteristics of the Intermediate License:
- You will be allowed to drive between 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m without supervision . This rule will apply until you turn 17 years of age.
- You will be allowed to drive between 5:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m without supervision. This rule will apply until you turn 18 years of age.
- You will not be allowed to drive outside these periods of time, unless you are supervised by an adult of 21 years old or older.
Full privilege Driver's License
If the driver is over 18 years old, and has never had a Drivers license, he or she can apply for a Full privilege License without going through the steps mentioned before. However, those people who prefer to have supervised driving at the beginning, are allowed to get their full license starting from the learners step.
To apply for the Full-Privilege License, the individual must complete a Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education course (TLSAE). After this, it is necessary to make an appointment to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHMSV), where the officer will ask you to present all the required documentation. The driver will have to pass a vision and hearing examination, and a Knowledge and driving test. If it is successful, the last step will be paying the fee (if apply), take the Picture for the new license and surrender any other kind of license he or she owns.
What Documents do you need to apply for the Full privilege License?
- ID or Passport
- Social Security Number
- Proof of Residential address
- If you are from outside the United States: Bring a Proof of your Legal residence in the US.
Transferring your Driver's License to the Florida Driver’s License.
Holders of a License from another State in the US.
If a Driver up to 16 years old, with a current valid Driver's license needs to transfer their out of state license to a Florida one, the only requirement will be to pass a Vision and Hearing examination. On the contrary, if the license is expired, the driver will be requested to pass these medical examinations, plus the Knowledge and the Driving exam.
To apply for the Full-Privilege License in Florida, the individual has to make an appointment to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHMSV), where the officer will ask you to present all the required documentation. The driver will have to pass a vision and hearing examination. If it is successful, the last step will be to pay the fee, take the Picture for the new license and surrender the out of state license he or she owns.
Once the driver complies with all the requirements above, he or she will obtain a Full Privilege Florida Drivers License. This License will be valid for 8 years and it will expire on the driver's birthday.
Outside of the United States License.
If you are coming from another country, and need to obtain the Florida Drivers license, you will have to follow a similar process to the one followed for a new Driver's license. There are some exceptions if you are coming from Canada or Germany, (in which case you will only be required to take a driving and Knowledge test), France, South Korea and Taiwan.
To be able to apply for the Florida driver’s license, the driver must schedule an appointment at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHMSV), once there, the officer will request all the documentation. The driver will have to pass a vision and hearing examination, and if necessary, must also take the Knowledge and Driving test. If everything is successful, the last step will be to pay the fee, take a Picture, and surrender the license the driver owns. (If required).
Change address in 101 N. Alabama Avenue
Every change of address must be notified to the Florida DMV as soon as possible to be registered on the system and changed on the drivers license. There is a limit of 30 days to communicate this to the DMV after moving.
There are different options to comply with this:
- Change of address Online: Access the site GoRenew.com and sign up. Pay a fee of 2$ to complete the process. Please keep in mind that this process accepts all credit cards.
- Change of address by mail: you will find all of the information at www.gorenew.com.
- Change of address visiting a DMV office: Localize the nearest office and bring the documentation personally.
What documentation do you need?
- Valid Identification Card.
- Proof Social Security Number.
- Proof of your new address.
Bill of Sale
Everyone is familiarized with the paperwork one must go through when purchasing a new vehicle, there are a lot of forms to comply. During the last couple of years there have been some incidents when selling/buying a vehicle. Fraud, theft or simply mistakes are around the corner, and have led people to lose more money and waste their time trying to fix things up.
When buying or selling a car, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) highly recommends that the owner and the new buyer protect themselves by filling up the Bill of Sale Document. Even though this paper is not legally required, and in any case it replaces the Title transfer, it is a very good choice to fill up the Bill of Sale to protect both parts of the transaction: The Buyer and the Seller.
The “Notice of Sale and/or Bill of Sale for a Motor Vehicle, Mobile Home, Off-Highway Vehicle or Vessel”, can be downloaded from the DHSMV site. This paper is a very good backup to avoid any future possible problems.
Purpose of the form
The Bill of Sale is beneficial for both parts, as it protects the Seller and the Buyer. This paper serves as a proof of the transaction made and the transfer of responsibilities form one part to the other one.
It is necessary that the actual owner of the vehicle is the first one to fill up this paper and sign it, before the buyer at the moment of the sale.
To complete the form correctly, the seller must include the following information:
- The Vehicle details.
- The Certificate of title number.
- The current kilometer of the vehicle.
- The personal information of both parts.
- The vehicle`s price of sale and the current date.
What are the Benefits for the Seller part?
The Bill of Sale form protects the seller of the vehicle in any case where any infraction or new ticket arrives from the authorities and once the vehicle is driven by the new owner. It works as a proof of non responsibility over the vehicle.
Once the purchase is completed, you must notify the tax collector’s office (DMV Office), to inform them about the sale. Once the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is informed, they will proceed to cancel the registration of the vehicle under your name and keep the vehicle on hold until the buyer’s notification arrives. Once the new notification is received, they will register the vehicle under the buyers name.
What are the Benefits for the Buyer part?
The Bill of Sale also protects the buyer of the vehicle after the purchase and from that date on. In the case any infraction or old ticket of the vehicle is found at the time the vehicle was the responsibility of the previous owner, the Bill of Sale will prove that the responsibility over the vehicle at that time was over the previous owner.
Once the transaction has been completed, the Buyer should notify the new acquisition to the tax collector’s office. After this, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles will cancel the registration of the vehicle for the Seller’s name and register the vehicle under the name of its new owner. Please bear in mind that a sales tax payment will be required at this time. The new owner will only have 30 days to register the vehicle under his/her name after the sale. After this time period there will be a penalty fee due to the late transfer.
Drivers License Renewal in 101 N. Alabama Avenue
In Florida your Drivers License will be valid for a period no longer than 8 years. The expiration date will be on the day of your birthday. In Florida, it is allowed to renew your license up to 18 months before the expiration date.
There are some situations where the renewal will not be possible due to eligibility, traffic violations not solved in court, or cases of suspended, cancelled or revoked licenses. In this scenario, it is possible that the driver must comply with a new training and/or start over step by step to achieve a brand new license.
The are different ways to renew your license in Florida:
Renewal Online
There is an exception applied to the Commercial Drivers License that does not allow its renovation online. Renewing the license online is the most easy, fast and convenient way to do it. This service is only available for American citizens or permanent US residents. When choosing this option, please bear in mind that it is not allowed to use this way if the last renewal was made online, by mail or over the phone.
Renewal Personally
This is the chosen option in most of the cases. All you need to do is to schedule an appointment at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) service’s center and bring your paperwork.
It is probable that you may have to pass a vision test (If applicable) and you`ll have to surrender your expired Driver’s license.
Once you attend your appointment, the officer will require all the paperwork, including your ID, proof of address and if you have changed your name, two different proofs of your new name. Bear in mind that if you have not renewed your driver's license in person since January 1st, 2010, you will need to bring one form of primary ID, two proofs of your current address and your social security number.
Real ID and the Driver’s License.
If you need to renew your license, keep in mind that you will have to do the renovation in person starting from October 1st 2021. From this day forward, all the renewal of the drivers licenses in Florida will be issued complying with the Real ID standards. To avoid double paperwork and assure the renovation is made under the new security standards from the Real ID. You may seek advice from a FLHSMV office.
More info at https://www.realidinfo.net/en/fl-florida
Renewal for special situations
Older and Senior Drivers - Requirements
Drivers above 80 years old will hold a Driver's license with a validity of 6 years. To be able to renew this license, the driver will be required to pass a vision examination. Depending on the specific situation of the driver, other kinds of tests may also be mandatory. Before scheduling an appointment for the renewal, please contact the FLHSMV for further information.
Requirements for Military personnel
All Military personnel can renew their driver's license up to 18 months before its expiration. In the case when a soldier is outside the State and the renewal cannot be done online, the State of Florida will allow some exemptions.
Under certain circumstances, the License’s validity will be extended for 90 days after its expiration date. Or untill the driver comes back to Florida to reside. Before filling your online application for the renewal, please contact the FLHSMV for more information.
Offices in 101 N. Alabama Avenue
In order to help and assist citizens all over the State of Florida, the Department of Motorized Vehicles provides a wide range of possible communication channels.
In the last couple of years, some of the DMV offices outside Miami, Broward and Volusia have suffered a depreciation of its services. For this reason a restructuring plan for the office's location across the State has been necessary.
The DMV focused on centralizing the services in some places and merging the services with the tax collectors offices in other places where the demand was lower. Despite this, it is necessary to mention that the DMV offices have never lost their touch of quality and speed at the time to manage the citizens' formalities.
This website is privately owned and is not affiliated with the FLHSMV (Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles). Remember that we are never going to solicit any personal information, ID or credentials. The official FLHSMV website: https://www.flhsmv.gov/
