What do you actually need for an FR44 quote?
Four things, and you probably already know where all of them are:
- Your driver’s license number.
- Your Florida ZIP code.
- The letter you got from the DHSMV, or your DUI paperwork. You don’t have to send it to us — we just need to know what it says.
- Whether a car is titled in your name. If one is, we need the basics: make, model and VIN. If there isn’t, we quote you a non-owner policy.
That’s it. For the short version of this answer, see what we need before we can quote a Florida FR44.
Why do we ask what the DHSMV letter says?
Because what the state is asking from you can differ case to case. Two people with what looks like the same DUI can be told to file different things for different lengths of time. Reading the language on your notice is how we make sure you buy the right product the first time — and it’s why we ask what it says rather than asking you to mail us anything.
This is also the step where the wrong certificate gets caught. Some drivers buy a policy with an SR22 filed on it and then learn the DHSMV wanted an FR44 instead. Wrong limits, wrong certificate, license still suspended. Here’s the difference between FR-44 and SR-22.
Do you need a car — or can you get a non-owner FR44?
You don’t need a car. If no vehicle is titled in your name, we quote a Florida FR44 non-owner policy, and that is the cheapest kind of FR44 insurance you can get. It satisfies the state’s filing requirement without insuring a vehicle you don’t own.
If a car is in your name, we need the make, model and VIN. More on the choice here: non-owner FR44 insurance in Florida.
What coverage does a Florida FR44 have to carry?
Florida FR44 requires liability limits of 100/300/50 — $100,000 bodily injury per person, $300,000 per crash and $50,000 property damage — or a $350,000 combined single limit as the alternative. You can carry more. You can’t carry less and still have a valid FR44.
That is a long way above standard Florida liability, and that jump is the whole point of the form. Every quote we give you is priced at or above those minimums, so you’re never comparing a number that wouldn’t actually satisfy the state. Full detail: what liability limits Florida FR44 requires.
How long does the call take?
About ten minutes, start to finish. In that time we shop more than 15 carriers and find you the right policy at the lowest price we can get on those required limits. The reason it’s worth doing on one call is that the carrier pool for filed policies is limited, and the spread between the cheapest and the most expensive option in that pool is usually significant.
When does the filing actually happen?
We file it with the State for you, usually the same day you purchase. What we can’t control is the DHSMV end — the state can take a minute to get everything matched up to your license. That’s the argument for not waiting: the sooner the filing is in, the sooner that countdown starts.
On filing fees: whether there’s an SR22/FR44 filing fee — and how much — is set by your insurance carrier. Some include the filing at no extra charge; others charge a small one-time fee. We’ll tell you exactly what your carrier charges before you buy.
How long do you have to keep the FR44?
Once your license has been reinstated, you’re usually looking at about three years of carrying the FR44 with no lapse in coverage. The clock runs from your reinstatement date, not your arrest date and not the day you bought the policy.
If the policy lapses, you have to start another one, pay those fees again, and your countdown timer resets to zero. That’s the single most expensive mistake in this whole process. More here: what happens if your FR44 lapses and how long you need FR44 insurance.
Common Questions
What do you need for a Florida FR44 quote?
Four things: your driver’s license number, your Florida ZIP code, what the DHSMV letter or your DUI paperwork says, and whether a vehicle is titled in your name. If a car is in your name we need the basics on it — make, model and VIN. If there isn’t one, we quote a non-owner FR44.
Do you need to own a car to get a Florida FR44?
No. If no vehicle is titled in your name we quote a Florida FR44 non-owner policy, which is the cheapest kind of FR44 insurance you can get.
What coverage does a Florida FR44 have to carry?
Florida FR44 requires 100/300/50 — $100,000 bodily injury per person, $300,000 per crash and $50,000 property damage — or a $350,000 combined single limit as the alternative. You can carry more, but not less.
How long do you have to keep a Florida FR44?
About three years from the date your license is reinstated, with no lapse in coverage. If the policy lapses you have to start a new one, pay the fees again, and the countdown resets to zero.
Related Guides
References
- Florida Statute §324.023 — Financial responsibility; FR-44 limits and the three-year filing requirement