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Your Florida License Was Suspended. Here's How to Get a Hardship License.
A hardship license lets you keep driving to work and essential needs during your suspension. Here's exactly what Florida requires.
Last updated: March 6, 2026
Your license is suspended. Florida calls it a hardship license.
What Just Happened to Your License
When you were arrested for DUI in Florida, two separate things happened to your license — and most people don't realize they're separate.
The criminal case — handled by the court. This is the DUI charge itself.
The civil suspension — handled by the DHSMV (Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles). This happens automatically and separately from the criminal case.
If you didn't request a DHSMV hearing within 10 days of your arrest, your license was automatically suspended. The suspension period for a first DUI is a minimum of 180 days and up to 1 year.
Your suspension and your interlock requirement are two different things ordered by two different authorities. They do not end at the same time.
The Hardship License
Florida calls its restricted license a hardship license. It lets you drive during your suspension — but you have to qualify for it.
What it allows:
- • Driving to and from work
- • Driving to and from school
- • Driving for church and medical purposes
- • Driving for your DUI program
What it does NOT allow:
- • Driving for recreation or personal trips
- • Driving outside the approved purposes listed in your license
Important: Florida requires you to complete DUI school before you are eligible to apply for a hardship license. You cannot get a hardship license without it.
How to Get a Florida Hardship License
Complete DUI school
Enroll in and complete a Florida-approved DUI education course. This is required before you can apply. Find approved programs at flhsmv.gov.
Wait out the hard suspension
Florida has a mandatory hard suspension period — 30 days for a first offense — where no driving is permitted at all, not even with a hardship license. The hardship license is only available after this period.
Apply at a DHSMV office
You must appear in person at a DHSMV office. Bring your DUI school completion certificate, proof of enrollment in a substance abuse treatment program if ordered, and your SR-22.
Get an FR-44
After a DUI conviction, Florida requires an FR-44 — not an SR-22. It carries higher liability limits ($100,000/$300,000 bodily injury, $50,000 property damage). Your insurance company files it with FLHSMV.
Pay the fees
$75 hardship license fee + $60 DHSMV administrative fee.
IID installation if required
If your BAC was .15 or higher, or if a minor was in the vehicle, the court will require an ignition interlock device as a condition of your hardship license.
Cost to expect: DUI school ($250–$400) + FR-44 insurance increase + DHSMV fees ($135) + IID if required ($70–$150/month)
The IID — What You Need to Know
Florida's interlock requirement depends on your BAC and the circumstances of your arrest.
IID is mandatory if:
- • Your BAC was .15 or higher
- • A minor was in the vehicle at the time of arrest
- • The court orders it as a condition of your hardship license
IID is not automatically required if:
- • Your BAC was between .08 and .14 with no aggravating circumstances
Your suspension ending does NOT automatically end your IID requirement. The court-ordered IID period runs separately. Removing it early is a violation.
How long is the IID required?
- • First offense, BAC .15 or higher: minimum 6 months
- • Court-ordered: as specified by the judge
To remove the IID, you need a court order or confirmation from DHSMV that your required period is complete. Contact your IID provider to check your status.
Getting Your Full License Back
Complete all required programs
DUI school and any court-ordered substance abuse treatment must be fully completed.
Confirm your FR-44 is still active
Florida requires the FR-44 for 3 years from the date your driving privilege is reinstated. Your insurance company must keep the filing active with FLHSMV.
Complete IID period if applicable
The IID must remain for the full court-ordered period.
Pay the reinstatement fee
$75 + applicable DHSMV fees.
Apply for full reinstatement
At a DHSMV office or online at flhsmv.gov.
Real Talk
Florida's process has more steps than most states. The 30-day hard suspension is real — there's no workaround for it. But after those 30 days, the hardship license is there if you do the work to qualify.
Complete DUI school first. That's the gate everything else goes through.
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