How to get a driver's license in Florida, step by step

Which path applies to you

• Never licensed anywhere: TLSAE course, Class E knowledge exam with vision and hearing tests, learner's license, Class E driving skills test, Class E driver license.
• Valid license from another U.S. state: usually no written or driving test (see the last section).
• License from another country: no TLSAE course if you have your license, but Florida law requires an examination.

You must apply in person. The fee for an initial Class E license, including the learner's license, is $48; most tax collector offices also charge a $6.25 service fee.

Step 1: the TLSAE (drug and alcohol) course

If you have never been issued a driver license in any state or country, you must complete the Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) course before you apply. You can take it online or in a classroom with an approved TLSAE provider.

The course is required of drivers who have never held, or do not have in their possession, a license from another state, country or jurisdiction. If you were licensed abroad, bring that license with you.

Step 2: the knowledge exam and learner's license

The Class E knowledge exam has 50 multiple-choice questions about Florida traffic laws, safe driving practices and traffic controls. To pass, you must answer 40 of the 50 correctly (80 percent). For a learner's license you also take vision and hearing exams.

Language: since February 6, 2026, all Florida driver license knowledge and driving exams are given in English only, statewide, including oral exams and third-party testing providers. Translation services are no longer permitted. Some FLHSMV pages still list other languages, so prepare in English.

Where you can take it:

• at a driver license service center;
• with a registered third-party administrator;
• online, only if you are under 18, with a Parent Proctoring Form that must be notarized or signed in front of a driver license examiner.

Documents: originals of a primary identification document and proof of your Social Security number, plus two different documents showing your Florida residential address. Non-U.S. citizens must present proof of legal presence. Applicants under 18 need a signed or notarized Parental Consent Form.

If you fail, the knowledge exam retest fee is $10.

Learner's license rules and teen driving hours

The minimum age for a learner's license is 15. Under Florida law, these rules apply to every learner's license holder:

• you must always be accompanied by a licensed driver at least 21 years old in the closest seat to your right;
• for the first 3 months you may drive only during daylight hours, and after that until 10 p.m.

Under 18: you must hold the learner's license for at least 12 months or until your 18th birthday, whichever comes first, and complete 50 hours of supervised driving, 10 of them at night, confirmed by a signed or notarized Certification of Driving Experience of a Minor. You must have no moving violation convictions for 1 year from the date your learner's license was issued.

18 or older: the 12-month holding period does not apply.

A Class E license requires you to be at least 16. At 16 you may drive only between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m., and at 17 only between 5 a.m. and 1 a.m., unless you are driving to or from work or are accompanied by a licensed driver 21 or older. At 18, you may drive at all hours.

Step 3: the Class E driving skills test

You qualify for the road test after holding your learner's license for 12 months, or at 18. Bring a vehicle with a valid registration and proof of insurance that passes a basic safety check: the test is not given if, for example, the horn, brakes, tires, lights or signals are defective, cracked glass blocks your view or the tag is expired. No other passengers are allowed, and translation devices and services are not permitted.

You will perform these maneuvers:

• three-point turn, straight-in parking, parking on a grade and backing;
• approaching a crossing, yielding the right-of-way, obeying stop signs and traffic signals;
• signaling and turning, passing, staying in the proper lane and following at a safe distance;
• stopping quickly and using proper posture.

If you fail, you will be asked to study or practice before a retest; the retest fee is $20. After passing, you surrender your learner's license at a service center to receive your Class E driver license.

New residents: converting an out-of-state or foreign license

You must get a Florida license within 30 days of becoming a resident, for example when you accept employment, register to vote, enroll your children in public school or live in Florida for more than 6 consecutive months.

• Valid license from another state: you do not retake the written or driving test. Your out-of-state license is accepted in exchange for those exams, and you pass the vision and hearing tests only. If you cannot provide all the documents, you may get a 60-day temporary permit, as long as your out-of-state license is valid or has been expired for 60 days or less.
• License from another country: under section 322.12 of the Florida Statutes, the department examines every applicant, including one licensed in another country, except as otherwise provided. The test waiver in that section names only licenses from another state or a province of Canada. The Class E examination includes eyesight and hearing tests, a road sign test and a driving demonstration. Confirm your exact tests with your service center.