Florida Dmv: Updating Vehicle Insurance

If you need to update your vehicle insurance in Florida, you can do so online, by phone, by mail, or in person. Florida law requires all vehicle owners to carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and Property Damage Liability (PDL) insurance. You must maintain continuous insurance coverage throughout the registration period, even if the vehicle is not being driven. If you fail to do so, your driver's license, tag, and registration may be suspended, and you may have to pay a reinstatement fee of up to $500.

Florida's insurance requirements

Before registering 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% of all necessary and reasonable medical expenses up to $10,000 resulting from a covered injury, regardless of who caused the accident. 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. The license plate/tag must be surrendered 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 or abroad may be exempt.

If you are a non-resident, the vehicle you own must have a Florida registration and license plate and be insured with a Florida policy if you:

• Accept employment or engage in a trade, profession, or occupation in Florida.
• Enrol children to be educated in a Florida public school.

You must obtain the registration certificate and license plate within 10 days of 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.

Do not cancel your Florida insurance until you have registered your vehicle(s) in another state or have surrendered all valid plates/registrations to a Florida driver's license office, motor vehicle service center, or Tax Collector's office. If you are keeping the same insurance carrier, they can change your coverage to your current state of residence when you make the registration change.

You must maintain the required insurance coverage throughout the registration period. Failure to do so may result in the suspension of your driver's license/registration and a requirement to pay a reinstatement fee of up to $500.

In addition to the mandatory PIP and PDL insurance, many drivers in Florida also purchase other types of optional insurance coverage, such as collision, comprehensive, uninsured motorist, medical payment, towing, rental reimbursement, and accidental death and dismemberment.

Updating insurance information online

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) requires all licensed insurance companies to provide policy initiation or cancellation electronically. If you cancel or remove a vehicle from a Florida policy, you must notify the department, which will send you a letter informing you to provide the required insurance coverage information.

You can update your insurance information online by visiting the FLHSMV's website and using their self-service options. To do this, you will need to provide your driver's license number, Social Security number, title, or vehicle identification number.

In some cases, your insurance company will notify the FLHSMV for you. However, it is always a good idea to ensure that your records are up to date. Failure to show proof of insurance can result in the suspension of your driving privileges, along with your vehicle's registration and license plate for up to three years. Reinstating your driving privileges can be expensive, with a reinstatement fee of up to $500.

Therefore, it is important to keep your insurance information current and to notify the FLHSMV of any changes to your policy. By updating your insurance information online, you can ensure that you are in compliance with the state's requirements and avoid any potential penalties or fines.

Proof of insurance

In Florida, you must carry proof of insurance with you whenever you drive and it must be current. If you are pulled over or are involved in a car accident, law enforcement will ask you to show proof of insurance.

Before you can 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% of all necessary and reasonable medical expenses up to $10,000 resulting from a covered injury, regardless of 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. You must 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.

Any vehicle with a current Florida registration must be insured with PIP and PDL insurance at the time of vehicle registration. It must 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.

You must maintain Florida insurance coverage continuously throughout the registration period, regardless of the vehicle's location. If you are a military member stationed out-of-state or in another country, you may be exempt.

If you cancel or remove a vehicle from a Florida policy because you no longer own the vehicle and do not plan to transfer the Florida tag to another vehicle, you must surrender the Florida tag at a driver's license and motor vehicle service center or tax collector's office. If the vehicle is inoperable or otherwise not being driven on public roadways, you must surrender the Florida tag and registration immediately upon canceling the Florida insurance at a driver's license and motor vehicle service center or tax collector's office.

If you move to another state but keep your Florida tag and registration on the vehicle, you must register the vehicle in your new state of residence. For a vehicle to maintain a Florida registration, it must be insured in Florida unless you are an active-duty military member (including a spouse or dependent) and are currently stationed in another state.

Required insurance coverage

Florida law requires residents to have car insurance. Before registering 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.

The minimum limits for Florida car insurance coverage are:

• $10,000 of no-fault or personal injury protection (PIP) insurance.
• $10,000 of property damage liability (PDL) insurance.

PIP covers 80% 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.

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.
• Be purchased from an insurance carrier licensed to do business in Florida.
• Maintain Florida insurance coverage continuously throughout the registration period, regardless of the vehicle's location.

If you cancel or remove a vehicle from a Florida policy because you no longer own the vehicle, you must surrender the Florida tag at a driver's license and motor vehicle service center or tax collector's office. If the vehicle is inoperable or otherwise not being driven on public roadways, you must surrender the Florida tag and registration immediately upon canceling the Florida insurance at a driver's license and motor vehicle service center or tax collector's office.

If you move to another state but keep your Florida tag and registration on the vehicle, you must register the vehicle in your new state of residence. For a vehicle to maintain a Florida registration, it must be insured in Florida unless you are an active-duty military member (including a spouse or dependent) and are currently stationed in another state.

If you cancel your Florida insurance before registering your vehicle in another state or surrendering all valid plates/registrations, you may face suspension and reinstatement fees. Failure to maintain required insurance coverage in Florida may result in the suspension of your driver's license/registration and a requirement to pay a reinstatement fee of up to $500.

Reinstatement fees

If a driver's license has been suspended due to failure to pay a traffic fine, comply with or appear at a traffic summons, or complete a driver improvement course, the driver must first meet the court requirements. Once the county has updated the department with this information, the driver may then present a reinstatement fee to any Florida driver license service center. Alternatively, the reinstatement fee can be paid over the phone by calling 850-617-3000.

In the case of an out-of-state citation, the driver must obtain a paid receipt with the court seal of the county where the citation was received and present proof of satisfaction along with a reinstatement fee to any Florida driver license service center. The proof of satisfaction and reinstatement fees can also be sent by mail to the Bureau of Motorist Compliance in Tallahassee, Florida.

It's important to note that there are no provisions for a temporary or hardship driver license for insurance-related suspensions. Therefore, it is crucial to maintain the required insurance coverage throughout the registration period to avoid suspension and reinstatement fees.

Frequently asked questions