General Information
Before you register a vehicle with at least four wheels in Florida, you must show proof of Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and Property Damage Liability (PDL) automobile insurance. PIP covers 80 percent of all necessary and reasonable medical expenses up to $10,000 resulting from a covered injury, no matter who caused the crash. PDL coverage pays for damage to another person’s property caused by you or someone else driving your insured vehicle.
Proof of PIP/PDL coverage must be issued by an insurance company licensed in Florida to sell policies or by qualifying for a self-insurance certificate issued by FLHSMV.
Any vehicle with a current Florida registration must:
- be insured with PIP and PDL insurance at the time of vehicle registration.
- have a minimum of $10,000 in PIP AND a minimum of $10,000 in PDL. Vehicles registered as taxis must carry bodily injury liability (BIL) coverage of $125,000 per person, $250,000 per occurrence and $50,000 for (PDL) coverage.
- have continuous coverage even if the vehicle is not being driven or is inoperable. Surrender the license plate/tag BEFORE cancelling your insurance.
- purchase the policy from an insurance carrier licensed to do business in Florida. (If you are new to the state, you may ask your agent to transfer your current insurance to a Florida policy.)
- maintain Florida insurance coverage continuously throughout the registration period regardless of the vehicle’s location. (Military members stationed out-of-state/country may be exempt. Visit our military page for more information.)
Non-Resident
The vehicle you own must have a Florida registration and license plate and be insured with a Florida policy when a non-resident:
- accepts employment or engages in a trade, profession or occupation in Florida; or
- enrolls children to be educated in a Florida public school.
- You must obtain the registration certificate and license plate within 10 days after beginning employment or enrollment. You must also have a Florida certificate of title for your vehicle unless an out-of-state lien holder/lessor holds the title and will not release it to Florida.
Moving Out of State
Do not cancel your Florida insurance until you have registered your vehicle(s) in the other state or have surrendered all valid plates/registrations to a Florida driver license office and motor vehicle service center or Tax Collector’s office. If you are keeping the insurance carrier, they can change your coverage to your current state of residence when you make the registration change.
Penalties
You must maintain required insurance coverage throughout the registration period or your driving privilege and license plate may be suspended for up to three years. There are no provisions for a temporary or hardship driver license for insurance-related suspensions.
Turn in your license plate at your nearest driver license office and motor vehicle service center or Tax Collector’s office BEFORE canceling your insurance to avoid suspension and reinstatement fees.
Failure to maintain required insurance coverage in Florida may result in the suspension of your driver license/registration and a requirement to pay a reinstatement fee of up to $500.
Definitions:
Bodily Injury Liability (BIL) pays for injury or death to others.
Judgment occurs when an at-fault party is sued in a civil court for damages caused in a motor vehicle crash and has not satisfied property damage and/or bodily injury requirements.
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) covers you regardless of whether you are at-fault in a crash, up to the limits of your policy.
Property Damage Liability (PDL) pays for the damage to other people’s property.
Security Deposit is an amount of monies posted in lieu of obtaining a release in an at-fault crash.
SR22 an insurance filing certifying bodily injury liability (BIL) and property damage liability (PDL) to comply with the reinstatement requirements of the Florida Financial Responsibility Law
Self-Insurance
Section 324.171, Florida Statutes outlines the financial requirements for the department to issue a certificate to qualified individuals or other specified entities as a self-insurer.
