In the state of Florida, a vehicle must have a valid registration to operate on Florida roads, and vehicle with out-of-state registrations are required by law to be registered within 10 days of the owner either becoming employed, placing children in public school, or establishing residency. A complete registration consists of the following:
This complete set is evidence of having paid the registration taxes and fees on a motor vehicle.
If you are a military service member or veteran, please visit the department’s Military and Veteran Information Section.
Beginning on or after October 1, 2018, when you purchase or register a motor vehicle qualifying for the Hope Scholarship Program in Florida, you may designate $105 per vehicle to an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization participating in the Program. If the state sales tax due is less than $105, you may designate the amount of state sales tax due. Your motor vehicle dealer, county tax collector, or private tag agent will remit your contribution to the organization and remit the remaining state sales tax and surtax to the Florida Department of Revenue. To make your contribution to the Hope Program, complete the following Hope Scholarship Contribution Election Form, which may be submitted by mail along with Application for Certificate of Title With/Without Registration and payment of sales tax.
The $225 Initial Registration Fee must be paid when the owner does not have a license plate or record of a license plate registered in their name for a vehicle he or she previously owned (in Florida), to transfer to a newly acquired vehicle. An initial registration must take place in person at a local service center at the time of titling by submitting the following;
Please note: Some situations may require additional documentation.
Customers may renew their vehicle for a period of one or two years and may renew up to three months in advance of the registration expiration. Vehicle registrations expire at midnight on the first owner’s birth date unless the owner is a business. Heavy truck registration information can be found further down the page here .
To renew a registration via mobile app, the customer must provide the license plate or vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle they seek to register. If the department is unable to electronically verify valid insurance on the vehicle, no registration will be issued on the mobile app.
For a quick, convenient way to renew a vehicle or vessel registration online at MyDMV Portal where the following motor vehicle services are offered:
To renew a registration online, the customer must provide personal identifying information of the owner of the vehicle to log in and complete the transaction. If the department is unable to verify valid insurance on the vehicle or vessel, no registration will be issued online or in person.
All online electronic payments are charged a $2.00 processing fee in addition to the total transaction.
If unable to renew online, customers must go into a local service center or call Customer Service at (850) 617-2000 for further information.
Customers using MyDMV Portal should receive their registration in the mail within 7-10 business days from the transaction date. Customers can receive an emailed confirmation receipt that may be used as proof of payment until the registration arrives in the mail. On the payment confirmation page customers must select ‘yes’, enter an email address, and click ‘Send Email Confirmation’ for the information to be emailed. If 20 calendar days have passed since applying for a registration and you have not yet received it in the mail, you may inquire about a lost in transit replacement by going into a local service center or by calling Customer Service at (850) 617-2000 for further information.
Customers may renew up to five vehicles and/or vessels at once via the mobile app, MyFlorida, for a period of one year or two years with only one processing fee. The app offers:
The MyFlorida App is available on all mobile devices and allows customers to securely renew a registration on an eligible vehicle or vessel. Customers will receive a digital document to use until the registration arrives in the mail. A $4.00 processing fee is applied to each transaction for customers paying with credit card, or $3.75 for transactions paid through checking account.
Please note: no address changes can be made on the mobile app.
The MyFlorida app is available for download for free via iTunes and Google Play.
A delinquent registration fee is imposed on any customer who fails to renew registrations of motor vehicles and mobile homes beginning on the eleventh calendar day of the month succeeding the month in which the renewal registrations were due. Section 320.07(4)(a), Florida Statutes, specifically requires the delinquent fee to be imposed on any applicant who fails to renew a registration before the end of the month in which renewal registration is due.
Please note: registrations are only valid until midnight on the registrant’s birthday.
| License Tax | Delinquent Fee |
|---|---|
| up to $25.00 | $5.00 |
| 25.01 to $50.00 | $10.00 |
| $50.01 to $100.00 | $15.00 |
| $100.01 to $400.00 | $50.00 |
| $400.01 to $600.00 | $100.00 |
| $600.01 and higher | $250.00 |
Leased car registrations cost more to register and renew registration because of the taxing structure in Section 320.08(6)(a) Florida Statutes, which states motor vehicles “For Hire” under the passenger pay $17.00 flat fee plus $1.50 per cwt (100 pounds). Section 320.08(6)(b), Florida Statutes states motor vehicles “For Hire” with the passengers and over pay $17.00 flat fee plus $2.00 per cwt (100 pounds).
The department’s License Plates Rate Chart may help you with estimating total fees.
The registration renewal date for Heavy Trucks weighing between 5,000 and 7,999 pounds will soon change to a renewal period based on the owner’s birth month, unless the owner is a business. With this change, customers renewing their Heavy Truck registration expiring Dec. 2020 will have the option to extend their renewal to their birth month in 2021 or an additional year to their birth month in 2022. Customers whose date of birth falls within January and June can pay a prorated amount to renew their registrations in December 2020 for 1 to 18 months. Likewise, customers whose date of birth falls within July and December would pay a prorated amount in December 2020 for 7-24 months.
HVUT stands for Heavy Vehicle Use Tax which is an annual federal highway tax imposed on certain heavy motor vehicles, including trucks, truck tractors, and buses using our public highways. The tax applies only to vehicles with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more. The federal government then distributes revenues back to the states for highway construction and maintenance projects.
Section 320.02(7), Florida Statutes requires motor carriers to provide proof of payment or exemption from HVUT on motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 55,000 pounds or more prior to issuance of a registration.
Either of the following documents is acceptable as proof of payment for state registration purposes:
The following is acceptable proof of exemption for state registration purposes:
If you need additional information about DMV requirements for proof of payment of the Federal Heavy Vehicle Use Tax, call us at (850) 617-3711 / (850) 617-2000.
License Plates and Registrations
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