The change may make lines at DMV offices across the state even longer
May 7, 2025 at 10:31
- Legal immigrants will now need to renew their driver’s licenses annually.
- Some residents are already lining up at DMVs overnight to get appointments.
If you’re an immigrant with a valid visa living in Florida, get ready for some extra paperwork: starting now, your driver’s license will only last a year, regardless of how long your visa is good for. This new rule is allegedly designed to make it more difficult to get a license in the state. While it won’t impact permanent residents or citizens, it’s likely to be a major inconvenience for international visitors and workers.
Before this change, which does not affect green card holders, legal immigrants in Florida could obtain a driver’s license that lasted until the expiry date on their visas, often longer than a year. Now, they will need to renew their license every 12 months. In addition, those with immigration documents that don’t have an expiry date will also only get the single-year license.
Read: Some Very Offensive Vanity Plates Were Rejected In Florida Last Year
According to News 4 Jax, these changes align Florida policies with the federal Real ID Act, which requires licenses and identification cards to meet nationwide standards. These licenses and identification cards are required to board any domestic flight.
Florida immigration attorney Rebecca Black has suggested that the changes to licensing in Florida may deter some foreigners from moving to the state.
“It really kind of sends a message internationally,” she said. “If I were an international student looking to study in Florida, I’d think twice about it if I had to renew my driver’s license every year instead of it being tied to the validity of my status.”
Black also had some advice for anyone already in the state: “If you’re here legally and you have a driver’s license, keep it with you,” she warned. “Even if you’re a permanent resident, make sure you have your green card. These are kind of crazy times, so I would make sure you keep with you whatever documentation shows you’re here legally.”
DMV Madness Continues
The changes could also make lines at DMV offices in Florida even longer than they already are. As reported by the Miami Herald, long lines routinely form for walk-up appointments at offices in Miami. Things are often so bad that some locals have been forced to start lining up outside DMV offices the night before.
To top it all off, the changes are bound to make Florida’s already infamous DMV lines even longer. According to the Miami Herald, some people in Miami have resorted to showing up the night before just to get a shot at an appointment. One local, 72-year-old George Smith, shared his experience of arriving at 3 a.m., six hours before the office opened, and still finding himself 77th in line. Apparently, Florida’s DMV is a competitive sport now.
#Florida #Tightens #Drivers #License #Rules #Immigrants
