The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) sets the rules below.
When you count as a Florida resident
FLHSMV says you may be considered a resident once you:
- Start a job or business in Florida
- Enroll your children in a Florida public school
- Register to vote in Florida
- File for the homestead tax exemption
- Have lived in Florida for more than six months in a row
Your driver license: within 30 days
- Apply in person at a local office that offers driver license services.
- You'll take a vision test. You may not need a written or road test.
- FLHSMV lists the license and ID card fees on its site. Most local Tax Collector offices add a service fee.
- The documents you need depend on your status (U.S. citizen, immigrant, non-immigrant or Canadian). FLHSMV lists each one.
Your car: within 10 days
Buy insurance from an agent licensed to sell in Florida, then title and register the car at a motor vehicle service center. For a car without a loan, bring:
- Proof of identity for every owner
- Proof of Florida insurance
- The original out-of-state title
- A completed Application for Certificate of Title (form HSMV 82040), signed by all owners
- A VIN inspection, done by someone FLHSMV allows, such as a law enforcement officer, a licensed Florida dealer or a tax collector employee
If a lender holds your title, contact them to ask for it to be transferred to Florida. You must register the car either way.