FR44 vs SR22: Which One Do You Actually Need?

Here's something nobody tells you until you're already confused: if you got a DUI in Florida and you've been Googling "SR22 insurance"... you've been searching for the wrong thing.

Not your fault. SR22 is the term everyone's heard. It's what your cousin in Georgia needed, it's what the forums say, it's what half the internet calls this whole category. But Florida does it differently — and knowing which certificate you actually need saves you from quoting the wrong product, filing the wrong form, and adding weeks to getting your license back.

The 30-Second Answer

Florida DUI → you need an FR44. Not an SR22. Florida law requires the FR44 specifically for DUI convictions.

Everything else → SR22. Driving without insurance, too many points, certain suspensions, most violations in most other states — that's SR22 territory.

Neither one is an insurance policy. They're certificates your insurance company files electronically with the state, proving you carry the coverage the law requires. Think of the policy as the engine and the certificate as the inspection sticker — you need both, but they're not the same thing.

The Real Difference: How Much Coverage the State Makes You Carry

This is where the two part ways hard.

SR22 proves you carry your state's standard minimum coverage. In Florida, the standard floor is $10,000 PIP and $10,000 property damage.

FR44 proves you carry 100/300/50 — $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident in bodily injury, plus $50,000 in property damage. That's roughly ten times the standard floor.

Florida built the FR44 specifically for DUI cases, and the message behind it isn't subtle: drive drunk, and the state makes you carry serious coverage for the next three years. That coverage jump — not the certificate itself — is why FR44 policies cost more than SR22 policies. Same driver, same car, bigger required product.

"But Every Site I Read Says SR22..."

Because most of the internet writes for all fifty states, and in most states SR22 IS the answer after a DUI. Florida and Virginia are the only two states that use the FR44 at all. So national articles say SR22, your search history says SR22, and then Florida hands you paperwork that says FR44 and you wonder if someone made a typo.

Nobody made a typo. If your DUI happened in Florida, the FLHSMV requires the FR44 to reinstate your license. An SR22 will not satisfy a Florida DUI requirement — wrong form, no reinstatement, and time lost finding that out the hard way.

(Virginia, for the record, has its own FR44 with 100/200/50 limits. If your situation is in Virginia or any of the other states we serve, our sister agency at SR22Coverage.com handles filings in ten states.)

Which One Do I Need? The Plain-English Decision

• DUI or DUI-related conviction in Florida → FR44. Full stop.
• Florida violation that isn't DUI (no insurance, points, certain suspensions) → SR22.
• Told by the FLHSMV or a court which form you need → that letter wins. Bring it to us and we'll match the filing to it exactly.
• Not sure what your notice is asking for → call us at (855) 678-6977 and read it to us. Takes two minutes, costs nothing, and beats guessing with your license on the line.

What They Have in Common

Both are filed electronically by your insurance carrier — usually same-day, nothing for you to mail. Both run three years in Florida, and the clock starts at your reinstatement date, not your arrest or conviction. Both come in owner and non-owner versions — and if you don't have a vehicle in your name, the non-owner route is usually the cheapest way to satisfy the state and get your license back. And both share the same rule about lapses: let the policy drop, and your carrier is required to tell the state, your license gets re-suspended, and the clock can reset.

The Part Where We're Honest About Money

FR44 policies cost more than SR22 policies — the required limits are much higher, and there's no way around that. What IS around: overpaying for it. Carriers price high-risk filings wildly differently, which is exactly why we shop 15+ carriers for every quote. The only way to know your real price is a free quote — it takes a few minutes, and we'll tell you exactly what your carrier charges for the filing itself before you buy. Want the deeper breakdown on what drives the price? We wrote the whole thing: How Much Does FR44 Insurance Cost in Florida?