Florida FR-44 Insurance: Requirements, Cost, and How It Differs from SR-22
FR-44 vs. SR-22: They Are Not the Same Thing
Both FR-44 and SR-22 are financial responsibility certificates filed electronically by your auto insurance company to prove you carry the required coverage. Neither one is an insurance policy — they're endorsements attached to an existing policy. But the coverage they certify is dramatically different.
| SR-22 | FR-44 | |
|---|---|---|
| Triggers | Points accumulation, insurance lapse, uninsured accident | DUI conviction, alcohol-related traffic felony |
| Bodily injury (per person) | $10,000 | $100,000 |
| Bodily injury (per accident) | $20,000 | $300,000 |
| Property damage | $10,000 | $50,000 |
| Mandatory maintenance period | 3 years | 3 years |
| Filing fee | $15–$25 | $15–$25 |
The FR-44 requires liability limits roughly ten times higher than the SR-22. This is the single biggest reason FR-44 policies are so much more expensive — you're buying substantially more coverage, and the insurance company is underwriting a driver the state has classified as high-risk due to an alcohol-related offense.
Who Needs an FR-44
An FR-44 is required for any driver whose license was suspended or revoked due to a DUI conviction in Florida. This includes first-offense DUI, repeat DUI, and any alcohol-related traffic felony (DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide while intoxicated).
If your suspension was caused by points accumulation, insurance lapse, or other non-DUI reasons, you need an SR-22 instead — not an FR-44. Getting the wrong certificate filed delays your reinstatement because the FLHSMV's system matches the filing type to the suspension type.
What FR-44 Insurance Actually Costs
The filing fee for the FR-44 certificate itself is typically $15–$25 — your insurer charges this to submit the electronic form to the FLHSMV. That's the small cost.
The real financial impact is the premium. With an FR-44 requirement on your record, you're classified as a high-risk driver. Expect your annual auto insurance premium to double or triple compared to what you were paying before the DUI. Some standard carriers won't write FR-44 policies at all, which pushes you toward non-standard or specialty high-risk insurers where rates are even higher.
Exact premiums vary widely based on your age, location, driving history, and the specifics of your DUI case. A 30-year-old driver in Tampa with a first-offense DUI might see annual premiums jump from $2,000 to $5,000–$7,000. A driver with a second DUI or additional violations on their record will pay more.
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The 3-Year Maintenance Rule
Once filed, the FR-44 must remain continuously active for three years from the date of license reinstatement. "Continuously" means no gaps, no lapses, no periods without coverage.
If your FR-44 policy lapses — even briefly — your insurance company is required to notify the FLHSMV. The state immediately resuspends your license. Restarting the process requires obtaining a new FR-44 policy, having it filed, and paying the reinstatement fee again.
Common lapse scenarios:
- Missed premium payment. Most insurers provide a grace period (typically 10–15 days), but once the policy is canceled for non-payment, the FR-44 cancellation notice goes to the FLHSMV.
- Switching carriers. If you find a cheaper policy, the new carrier must file the FR-44 before the old policy terminates. Any gap between cancellation and new filing triggers a lapse.
- Selling your car. Even without a vehicle, you need to maintain a non-owner FR-44 policy for the remainder of the three-year period. Dropping coverage because you no longer own a car counts as a lapse.
How to Get an FR-44 Filed
- Contact your current auto insurance company and tell them you need an FR-44 filing for Florida.
- If your current insurer doesn't write FR-44 policies (some standard carriers don't), you'll need to find a high-risk or non-standard insurer that does. Companies that specialize in this market include non-standard carriers and surplus lines brokers.
- Once you have a policy with the required $100,000/$300,000/$50,000 limits, the insurer files the FR-44 certificate electronically with the FLHSMV.
- The filing typically appears in the FLHSMV system within one to three business days. Confirm it shows on your MyDMV Portal record before proceeding to other reinstatement steps.
SR-22 Requirements in Brief
If your suspension is non-DUI and requires an SR-22 instead:
The process is identical to the FR-44 — your insurer files electronically, maintenance is three years, and any lapse triggers resuspension. The difference is the liability coverage: SR-22 requires only Florida's minimum 10/20/10 limits, so the premium increase is less dramatic than an FR-44.
SR-22 is typically required for insurance lapse suspensions (reinstatement fee: $150–$500 depending on offense number), points-based suspensions, and uninsured accident-related suspensions.
For a complete breakdown of when each filing type applies and how to sequence the insurance step with DUI school, interlock requirements, and hardship applications, the Florida Driver's License Reinstatement Guide integrates the insurance filing into the overall reinstatement workflow.
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