What You Need to Know to Get Your Florida Learner’s Permit
If you are a teenager or the parent of a teen in Florida, you may have questions about how to a learner’s permit. There are educational and other requirements involved. A Florida learner’s permit is necessary for any teen under the age of 18 who wants to get his or her first driver’s license. Here’s everything you need to know about the process.
Florida Learner's Permit Basics
To obtain your Florida learner’s permit, you’ll need to first meet some basic requirements. You must:
Be at least 15 years old
Have a parental consent form for a minor application signed and notarized (step-parents can only sign if they’ve legally adopted you)
Pass a vision and hearing test
Prove you’ve taken the Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TSLAE) course (you can actually take this course starting at age 14 ½)
Pass a knowledge exam covering road rules and signage, consisting of 50 multiple-choice questions, with a score of 80% or better
Provide documents establishing proof of identity, residence and your Social Security number
Florida Learner's Permit Education
The four-hour Florida TSLAE covers all essential Florida traffic laws and driving procedures so you'll feel safe and knowledgeable on the road.
The combo course from I Drive Safely includes both the TSLAE coursework as well as study materials and practice tests for the 50-question permit exam. The I Drive Safely program utilizes proven online teaching methods, including videos, animation, and audio, and is fully authorized by the Florida Department of Health Safety and Motor Vehicles.
When you're ready, you can take the knowledge test online as well, but a parent may need to have a proctoring form notarized indicating he or she observed you taking the test. Once you complete your coursework and ace the permit test, the results are sent electronically to Florida's driver services.
Visit Florida Driver Services
After you’ve completed your education requirements, you'll need to go to your local driver's license office to apply for your actual learner’s permit. Remember to bring certain documents. You will need:
Two proofs of residential address (e.g. school transcripts, mail from your bank, etc.)
Proof of identification (e.g. U.S. passport, a state-issued certified copy of your original birth certificate, etc.)
Proof of a Social Security number (Social Security card or W-2 tax form)
Notarized parental proctoring form
Notarized parental consent form
Once You Receive Your Florida Permit
Getting your learner’s permit is the start of your journey towards earning full driving privileges with your own license. Here are a few of the rules when you have your learner’s permit:
When operating a vehicle, you must have a licensed driver (who is 21 years or older) in the front passenger seat at all times
For the first three months after receiving your learner’s permit, you’re only permitted to drive in daylight hours
After three months, you can drive between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Before you can apply for your graduated license, you’ll need an adult to attest, by signing a Certification of Driving Experience form, that you’ve had at least 50 hours of behind-the-wheel experience, 10 of which were at night
You cannot have a moving violation for the year you have your learner’s permit before applying for your license. If you receive a violation, the one-year period starts again from the day you received the ticket
Ready to Get Your Florida Learner’s Permit?
Getting your Florida learner’s permit can be done safely and conveniently from the comfort of your own home through I Drive Safely. Sign up for our combo TSLAE coursework and online permit test today!
