{"id":14549,"date":"2018-12-13T11:45:04","date_gmt":"2018-12-13T16:45:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/?p=14549"},"modified":"2023-11-07T13:13:55","modified_gmt":"2023-11-07T18:13:55","slug":"miami-dmv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/city-guides\/miami\/miami-moving-guide\/miami-dmv\/","title":{"rendered":"Miami DMV: Getting Your Florida Driver\u2019s License &#038; Registering Your Car"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-14550\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/drivers-license-miami-dmv.jpg\" alt=\"cars driving on the highway with palm trees along the side\" width=\"526\" height=\"296\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/drivers-license-miami-dmv.jpg 526w, https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/drivers-license-miami-dmv-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 526px) 100vw, 526px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Once you move to Miami, you need to get a Florida driver\u2019s license and register your car in Florida. The law says you should register your car within 10 days of moving to Florida and get a new license within 30 days.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s the good news about dealing with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles: once you\u2019re gotten you first Florida driver\u2019s license and your first Florida license plate, you won\u2019t have to visit often. But if you do have to visit your local Miami DMV, there\u2019s ways to make your trip relatively painless.<\/p>\n<h2>How to Get a Florida Driver&#8217;s License<\/h2>\n<p>Getting a Florida driver\u2019s license is quite easy if you already have a valid driver\u2019s license from another state. All you need to do is present your proof of identity and citizenship or residency, proof of Social Security number and two documents verifying your address. You won\u2019t have to take either a driving test or a written test, though you\u2019ll have to pass hearing and vision tests. An 18-year-old who is not married needs a parent\u2019s signature.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s the most important thing to know before you show up to any of the Florida DMV offices: Make an appointment.<\/p>\n<p>If you make an appointment, you can be in and out within an hour. If you don\u2019t \u2026 you could lose an entire day. You are required to get a Florida license within 30 days of moving to the state. You can find the closest Florida DMV office and <a href=\"https:\/\/services.flhsmv.gov\/Oasis\/OnlineAppointments.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">make an appointment\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Opinions may vary but the best time of day to go to the DMV is typically in the morning, right when the office opens up. Make your appointment in advance to get their bright and early and skip the massive lines before they start.<\/p>\n<h2>Florida Driver&#8217;s License ID Requirements and Renewal Tips<\/h2>\n<p>The identification requirements have gotten stricter in recent years. You will need to bring:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your out-of-state driver\u2019s license<\/li>\n<li>A certified U.S. birth certificate (issued by a government agency, not a hospital) <em>OR<\/em> a valid U.S. passport <em>OR<\/em> a certificate of naturalization\/certificate of citizenship<\/li>\n<li>An original social security card <em>OR<\/em> a W-2 <em>OR<\/em> a paystub <em>OR<\/em> a 1099\/SSA-1099 to verify your Social Security Number<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To verify your new address, you\u2019ll need two documents chosen from a long list, which includes a deed, lease, voter registration card, utility bill or mail from a bank. You can see the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flhsmv.gov\/driver-licenses-id-cards\/what-to-bring\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">entire list\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>When you get your license, you can provide emergency contact information for the state to keep on record, and you can also sign up as an organ donor.<\/p>\n<p>If you don\u2019t drive, you have the option of getting a Florida identification card to use for official identification. The ID requirements are similar.<\/p>\n<p>Once you have your Florida driver\u2019s license, you won\u2019t need to go back to the office in person for as long as 16 years. If you\u2019re younger than 80, renewals are every eight years, and you can easily renew your license online or by mail. If you move, you can change your address online and get a corrected license by mail. Your license will expire on your birthday.<\/p>\n<h2>Registering a Car in Florida<\/h2>\n<p>The law requires you to register your car in Florida within 10 days of moving to the state. The license tag offices are separate from the driver\u2019s license offices. You can register your car at the tax collector\u2019s office or at a private auto tag agency. Some offices allow you to make appointments and others serve only walk-in customers. You can find the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flhsmv.gov\/locations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">closest office\u00a0here<\/a>. If you want to come when lines are shorter, come mid-month. Your new license tag will expire in your birth month.<\/p>\n<p>To start the process, you\u2019ll need to buy Florida auto insurance or convert your out-of-state policy to a Florida policy and then get proof of insurance from your agent. You\u2019ll also need to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flhsmv.gov\/dmv\/forms\/btr\/82040.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fill out\u00a0Form 80240<\/a> and have a notary, law enforcement official, tax collector\u2019s employee or other approved official verify your VIN number. If you don\u2019t have a copy of the car\u2019s title (because you have a loan on it), the Florida tax collector\u2019s office will help you get the proper documentation for the new registration.<\/p>\n<p>The cost to register a car in Florida starts with the one-time $225 fee the first time you register your car, plus additional fees based on the weight of the car. Personalized tags or tags that benefit one of many charities cost more. If you want a very Florida tag, you can get one that benefits oceans, the Everglades, fish, the Florida panther, Florida springs, Florida whales, reefs, dolphins, sea turtles or manatees. Other specialty license plates benefit Florida universities, sports teams, the Challenger space shuttle, golf and other causes. Those plates cost an additional $15 to $25. You can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flhsmv.gov\/dmv\/specialtytags\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">see the options\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you bought the car more than six months ago (and you\u2019ll need to prove that), no sales tax is due. If the car is less than six months old, you\u2019ll need to pay the difference between Florida\u2019s 6 percent sales tax (plus any local taxes levied) and the sales tax you paid to register the vehicle elsewhere.<\/p>\n<h2>Online Renewal Information<\/h2>\n<p>Once your car has been registered in Florida, you can renew your registration <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flhsmv.gov\/motor-vehicles-tags-titles\/license-plates-registration\/renew-replace-registration\/\">online<\/a>, and the cost is less than $100 per year for most cars. Each year, you\u2019ll get a sticker with the new date to add to your license plate. In Florida, license plates are only on the front of your car.<\/p>\n<p>In other good news, Florida has no personal property tax on cars.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Once you move to Miami, you need to get a Florida driver\u2019s license and register your car in Florida. The law says you should register your car within 10 days of moving to Florida and get a new license within 30 days. Here\u2019s the good news about dealing with the Florida Department of Highway Safety [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":14550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[650,651],"tags":[1062,347],"class_list":["post-14549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-miami","category-miami-moving-guide","tag-miami-dmv","tag-moving-to-miami"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\r\n<title>How to Get Your Florida Drivers License &amp; Register Your Car in Miami | The Storage Space<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you just moved to Miami, that means you need to switch some things over. 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