Florida · Handbook chapter 1 · 5 min read

How to get a Florida learner's license and Class E license: age limits, the required course, the 50-question knowledge exam, vision rules, documents, fees, and where you can test.

Why this chapter matters

Before you can practice on Florida roads you need a learner's license, and before that you need to pass the Class E Knowledge Exam. The exam can also ask about the licensing process itself, so learn the key numbers: 15, 16, 21, 50, 40, 12 months and 50 hours.

Who needs a Florida license

• Every Florida resident who drives on public streets needs a Florida license.
• A non-resident who takes a job in Florida or enrolls a child in a Florida public school must get a Florida license within 30 days.
• Visitors aged 16 or older with a valid license from another state, or an International Driving Permit with their home license, may drive without one. Students attending college in Florida and members of the Armed Forces stationed here (with their families) are also exempt.

License classes

A Class E license covers non-commercial vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating under 26,001 pounds. Heavier vehicles, vehicles built for 16 or more passengers and vehicles carrying placarded hazardous materials need a commercial license (Class A, B or C). A motorcycle with an engine over 50 cc needs a motorcycle endorsement or a Motorcycle Only license.

Learner's license requirements

1. Be at least 15 years old.
2. Complete the required traffic law and substance abuse course (see below).
3. Pass the vision (and hearing) screening and the Class E Knowledge Exam.
4. If you are under 18 and unmarried, a parent or legal guardian signs the Parental Consent Form in front of a driver license agent or a notary. Whoever signs accepts responsibility for your driving and can later withdraw consent, which cancels your license.

The required course

The handbook calls it the Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) course. You need it if you have never held a license in any state or country. FLHSMV's newer teen requirements page names it the Driver Education Traffic Safety (DETS) course. Providers report completion electronically, so no paper certificate is needed. Passing a driver education course at a certified school can replace it.

The Class E Knowledge Exam

Sign questions are part of the same 50; there is no separate signs test. You can test at a driver license service center, with an approved third-party provider, through a school driver education program (DELAP), or online if you are under 18. An online test needs a Parent Proctoring Form, notarized or signed in front of an examiner. Anyone who passes with a third party may be chosen at random for a re-test at an office.

Vision standards

• 20/40 or better in each eye (with or without lenses) passes without referral.
• 20/50 or worse in either eye means referral to an eye specialist.
• With one blind eye, or one at 20/200 or worse, the other eye needs 20/40 or better.
• The minimum field of vision is 130 degrees.
• If you need glasses or contacts to pass, you must wear them whenever you drive (restriction code B). Telescopic lenses are not accepted.

From learner's license to driver license

To get a Class E license you must be at least 16 and pass the Driving Skills Test. If you are under 18 you must also:

• hold your learner's license for 12 months or until your 18th birthday, whichever comes first;
• have no moving violation convictions in those 12 months (one is allowed if adjudication was withheld);
• have a parent, guardian or responsible adult 21 or older certify 50 hours of driving, including 10 at night;
• be in compliance with school attendance.

The driving skills test

You supply an insured, registered vehicle that passes a safety check (working horn, lights, brakes, wipers on the driver's side, doors that open, and so on). No passengers ride along unless an interpreter is needed. You will be asked to back up 50 feet without using the mirror or camera, keep a three to four second following distance, signal for the last 100 feet before a turn, park on a grade and straight in, stop quickly, and turn around in a 20 to 40 foot space.

Documents and fees

Bring original or certified documents (no photocopies or notarized copies):

1. primary identification, such as a certified US birth certificate or a valid passport;
2. proof of your Social Security number, such as your card or a W-2;
3. two documents showing your Florida residential address.

A $6.25 service fee may apply at a tax collector office.

Keeping your license current

• Change your address within 30 days of moving (online or in an office).
• Class E licenses are valid for six to eight years. Drivers 80 or older must pass a vision test at each renewal.
• You may not hold a Florida driver license and a Florida ID card at the same time.