Florida Statute § 322.033 was just amended this past session to address the utility of certain out of state driver’s licenses. Some states, such as Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, and Vermont have special classes of driver’s licenses that are specifically issued to undocumented immigrants. These are essentially “drive only” licenses.
These particular classes of license are no longer sufficient in Florida to permit someone to operate a motor vehicle within the state of Florida. (Rhode Island was previously among these states, but it has been determined that a large percentage of documented Rhode Island residents also have this class of license, so Florida has afforded them an exemption.)
While the new law does not address vehicle registration, it did bring to light that these driver’s licenses expressly indicate that they are not valid for identification. To register a vehicle, a consumer must present a valid identification (which these driver’s licenses are not) or a passport. Therefore, dealers cannot register a vehicle to consumers that present these types of driver’s licenses (unless they present a valid passport).
Consumers for whom you register a vehicle after presenting one of these licenses while also presenting a valid passport, should be cautioned that while they can purchase the vehicle, their driver’s license is insufficient to allow them to operate the vehicle in Florida. This does NOT apply to every driver’s license issued by these states, but rather, those that are for “driving only.”