Florida Drivers License Application Process

So, you’re ready to get your Florida drivers license? Of course you are. The days of riding around with your friends and not having to ask mom for rides are so close you can taste them. But there is just one thing standing between you and your sweet, sweet freedom: The DMV.

Aceable's goal is to help you conquer the DMV as quickly and as smoothly as possible so you can get on the road! Here's a brief overview of the process:

Apply for a Florida Driver License In 4 Steps

1. Complete the Traffic Law & Substance Abuse Education course (also known as DATA or the Drug and Alcohol Course)
2. Pass the final permit exam online or at the DHSMV
3. Pass the behind-the-wheel test
4. Provide the Florida Licensing fee and neccesary proofs of identification.

Complete Florida Drivers Ed Requirements

In Florida, high school students may complete a semester long, in class drivers ed program, or a four hour Drug and Alcohol Course (also known as Traffic Laws and Substance abuse Education or DATA). You can finish your Drug and Alcohol Course in only 4 hours in Aceable's app from anywhere you want. Check out this infographic we made to show you just how fast finishing your course really can be.

To help teen drivers get better acquainted with the rules of the road the road, Florida has a Graduated Driver’s Licensing (GDL) law in place to help minimize the risks associated with first-time drivers. This law applies to anyone under 18 and has three different stages: Learner permit, intermediate driver license/provisional license, and full privilege Florida drivers license.

Florida Learner Permits

To apply for a learner permit in Florida, you have to be at least 15-years-old and have completed the Florida Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) course. Haven’t taken the TLSAE course yet? Let us help you with that.

Once you’re done with the TLSAE, it’s time to roll up to the DMV. Here’s everything you’ll need to bring with you:

1. A completed Parental Consent for a Driver Application of a Minor form
2. Proof of your identity (e.g. a certified U.S. birth certificate)
3. Your social security card
4. Proof that you have completed TLSAE (or your out-of-state permit, if you’re new to FL.)
5. Proof of your Florida residential address

Got all those docs on lock? Perfect. Once you provide those to the DMV, they’ll need you to pass a few tests before recieving your permit:

1. Vision exam
2. Hearing test
3. DMV written test

After you prove that you can see, hear, and that you’re a driving genius… congrats! For the first three months with your permit, you’ll only be allowed to drive during daytime hours. After that, the road is all yours until 10 p.m. No matter what time of day you’re driving, you ALWAYS need to be with a licensed driver who is at least 21-years-old.

As much fun as it is to have your learner permit, you’ll probably want to move up to your provisional/intermediate license ASAP. To do that, you must log at least 50 driving hours and 10 of those need to be at night.

Provisional/Intermediate License

Once you've completed your driving hours, turn 16-years-old and have your learner’s permit for at least one year without any car accidents or speeding tickets, you can obtain your provisional or intermediate license.

After all that’s taken care of, it’s time to head back to the DMV. They’ll also need you to do the following:

1. Submit your LF learner permit (or out-of-state permit)
2. Pass a driving test
3. Submit certification that you’ve completed the required behind-the-wheel hours.

As you’ve probably guessed, once you have your intermediate license, you’ll have a little more freedom.

• If you’re 16, you can drive unsupervised between the hours of 6am and 11pm.
• If you’re 17, you can drive unsupervised between the hours of 5am and 1am.
• If you are driving supervised by a licensed driver who’s over 21, you can drive at ANY time of day or night.

Full Unrestricted Florida Driver License

Turning 18 comes with a lot of perks. Your intermediate license turns into a full-privilege driver license. No time-of-day restrictions, no supervision necessary. Now go, little one. Go drive, go be safe, go be Aceable!