Chris
Sonny JGetting your Florida drivers license can be overwhelming. That’s why I Drive Safely put together this how-to guide to make sure you know every necessary step on the way to your Florida drivers license.
STEP 1 – Pass Our Florida TLSAE Course
Your path to earning your Florida drivers license starts here. Our simple 4- hour course makes Florida drivers ed easy and fun.
All the material you’ll need is included in 7 single-subject units that you can study at your own pace. Don’t worry one bit about scheduling – you can log on or off anytime and always pick up right where you left off. You’ll learn all the essential Florida traffic laws and driving procedures, including chapters on:
- Night driving
- Driving in inclement weather conditions
- Florida road signs and signals
- Defensive driving techniques
- Freeway driving
- Merging and lane changing
- Hazard prevention methods
- Dangers of substance abuse and driving while intoxicated
Once you’ve completed the course, we'll notify the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles department of your drug and alcohol course completion. This not only satisfies your "first-time driver" TLSAE requirement, but it also makes you eligible to go ahead and take the online Florida drivers permit test if you are under 18 (adults 18 and older must take this test in-person). You’ll get three tries to pass it online – fail to do so, and you’ll be required to retake the drug and alcohol test at the DHSMV office in person.
If you pass, all you need to do is fill out some paperwork at the DHSMV office, provided you have all the right forms. When that’s done, you’re ready to jump behind the wheel with your new learners permit!
STEP 2 – Apply for Your Florida Learners Permit
(Remember, you must be at least 15 1/2, but under 18 years to get a permit)
To get your Florida learners permit, you must provide:
- One primary form of identification such as:
- Certified United States birth certificate issued by a government agency (hospital birth certificates cannot be accepted).
- Valid United States passport
- Certificate of naturalization
- Proof of date of birth
- One secondary form of identification which may include:
- School record stating date of birth, which must contain the registrar’s signature
- Baptism certificate, which shows date of birth and the place of baptism
- Family Bible record or birth announcement in a baby book
- An insurance policy on the customer’s life which has been in force for at least two years and has the month, day and year of birth
- Proof of Social Security number which may include:
- Social Security card
- Tax return
- W-2 form
- Pay check
- School record
- Proof of residential address
- Proof that you have taken and passed a Florida TLSAE course, or a license from any state/county
- A Florida DHSMV parental consent form, which should either be signed by a parent in the presence of a Florida drivers license examiner or notarized if the parent/guardian will not be present.
- If you are an unmarried minor (under the age of 18), at least one parent/legal guardian is required to sign your license application. Step-parents are not allowed to sign unless they have legally adopted you.
The following tests are required:
- A written exam, which is made up of 50 questions.
- A vision test with an eye machine. You must have 20/40 (or better) vision in each eye, and both eyes together, with or without corrective lenses in order to pass.
- A hearing test
Conditions for driving with a Florida learners license:
- For the first 3 months: you may only drive during daylight hours
- After the first 3 months: you may only drive until 10 p.m.
- At all times: a licensed driver who is 21 years of age or older must accompany you in the front passenger seat as you drive
STEP 3 – Complete Your Parent-Supervised In-Car Training
You must complete this step before you can apply for your first-time Florida drivers license.
- The law requires a parent/guardian to certify that your teen has spent:
- A minimum of 50 hours behind the wheel to qualify for getting a first-time Florida drivers license (Ten of those hours must be at night).
- A responsible licensed adult over 21 years of age must always occupy the front passenger seat closest to the driver.
STEP 4 – Get Your Florida Drivers License
- Minimum requirements:
- Be at least 16 years of age
- Must have been in possession of a Florida learners license for at least one year with a clean driving record
- Documents you must provide:
- Either a Florida learners license, or a valid license from another jurisdiction
- Certification from a parent/guardian that you have practiced a minimum of 50 hours of behind-the-wheel driving, with 10 of those hours occurring at night
- The next step is to take a driving test, during which you will be asked to perform specific maneuvers.
- Conditions for driving with a Florida intermediate drivers license:
- For 16-year-olds: you may only drive between the hours of 6 a.m. and 11 p.m., unless you are traveling to or from work, or have a licensed driver over the age of 21 sitting in the car’s front passenger seat
- For 17-year-olds: the same rules apply, but the hours you may drive between are 5 a.m. and 1 a.m.
