Short answer: The “FR44 form” is Florida’s FR-44 certificate of financial responsibility. After a DUI conviction, your insurance carrier files it electronically with the Florida DHSMV to prove you carry 100/300/50 liability. You don’t fill it out or mail it yourself, and you need it for three years from the date your driving privilege is reinstated.
Form, Certificate or Policy: What’s the Difference?
We’ve talked to a lot of drivers who spent days hunting for a PDF to print. There isn’t one you can file yourself. Three things get mixed up:
| Term | What it actually is |
|---|---|
| Insurance policy | The coverage you buy, owner or non-owner, that meets the FR-44 limits. |
| FR-44 certificate (the “form”) | The electronic filing your carrier sends the DHSMV to show you meet Fla. Stat. 324.023. |
| A paper form you mail in | Not how it works with a carrier that files electronically. Paper is how people lose a week. |
Who Files the FR44?
Your insurance carrier does. You cannot file a valid FR44 as a private person, and there is no certificate without a policy that meets 100/300/50. That’s why quote sites that only collect your information leave people stuck: nothing gets bound and nothing gets filed. More: Can I file the FR44 myself without an agent?
What the DHSMV Receives
The DHSMV gets an electronic FR44 straight from your carrier. It confirms your name, the policy number, the effective dates, and that your liability is at least 100/300/50. More: What does the DHSMV receive when my FR44 is filed?
Do I Mail an FR44 to Tallahassee?
No, not if your carrier files electronically. You may still visit a DHSMV office later for reinstatement fees or a replacement license, but that’s separate from the filing. Filing the same day isn’t the same as walking out with a printed license that afternoon, because DHSMV confirmation can lag. More: Do I have to mail an FR44 form to the DHSMV?
FR44 Limits and How Long You Need Them
The FR-44 applies to drivers convicted of DUI in Florida after October 1, 2007, including a no-contest plea or withheld adjudication. Under Fla. Stat. 324.023 you carry at least $100,000 bodily injury per person, $300,000 per crash and $50,000 property damage (or combined single limits of $350,000). You keep it for three years from the date your driving privilege is reinstated. Details: How long do you need FR44 insurance in Florida?
FR44 or SR22?
A Florida DUI calls for the FR-44, not an SR-22, and an SR-22 won’t reinstate you after a DUI. Side by side: FR44 vs SR22.
Your FR Case Number and How to Check the Filing
Your court case number and your DHSMV FR case number are different numbers. The FR case number is the Financial Responsibility sanction number on your DHSMV Notice of Suspension; DUI suspensions fall under the FR4/FR400 “DUI” sanction. See where to find your Florida DUI or traffic case number. Once your carrier files, you can confirm it posted: how to check your FR44 status.
Sources: Fla. Stat. 324.023 and the FLHSMV FTP procedures manual.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The FR44 “form” people search for is the FR-44 certificate of financial responsibility. Your insurance carrier files it electronically with the Florida DHSMV. You do not fill it out or mail it to Tallahassee.
No. A private person cannot file a valid FR44. The insurance carrier has to transmit it to the DHSMV, and there is no certificate without a policy that meets 100/300/50.
At least $100,000 bodily injury per person, $300,000 per crash, and $50,000 property damage (100/300/50), or combined single limits of $350,000, under Fla. Stat. 324.023.
Three years, counted from the date your driving privilege is reinstated, not from your arrest or conviction date.
Ask your carrier or agent for your policy documents and filing confirmation. The state filing itself is electronic, so there is usually no paper certificate to carry into a DHSMV office.
Need the FR44 Filed? We’ll Do It Today
We shop 15+ carriers, you buy the policy that fits, and we file your FR-44 electronically with the DHSMV the same day you purchase.
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