Information of Interest About Driver Licenses and Identification Cards - November 2010

HELP YOURSELF AND OTHERS: Florida residents wishing to obtain a new driver license or identification card, legally change their name prior to their renewal date, or immediately replace a lost or stolen license or ID card, need to come prepared with the proper documentation. The time you and others will spend completing a transaction at the first office visit is directly related to having the required proper documentation. The complete list of acceptable documents is available online at http://www.gathergoget.com./ Here is a summary of the requirements:

1) Identification – A certified U.S. birth certificate (hospital birth certificates are not accepted); a valid U.S. passport; a consular Report of Birth Abroad; a certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550 or N-570); or a certificate of Citizenship (Form N-560 or N-561).
2) Social Security Number – Card, W-2 form, paycheck or any 1099 form.
3) Residential Address – Two (2) items mailed to you that contain your address. Acceptable is a mortgage statement, voter ID card, a utility bill or a car insurance policy.

Anyone who has changed their name must bring marriage certificates, court orders or divorce decrees to connect the name on the primary identification to the name of the customer and the name in which the license or ID card will be issued.

Immigrants and non-immigrants can secure a complete list of documents to bring to one of our offices by visiting http://www.gathergoget.com/, or http://www.reunavengaobtenga.com/ in Spanish, or http://www.rasanblealepran.com/ in Creole.

BE INFORMED BEFORE YOU COME: DHSMV continues its focus on a campaign dedicated to assisting Floridians with new driver license and identification card requirements. DHSMV encourages all Floridians to gather your documents, go to a driver license office and get your new card. http://www.gathergoget.com%20/will enable residents to:
• Determine when they will need to visit a driver license or tax collector’s office.
• Create a personalized checklist detailing documents they will need.
• Obtain contact information showing where to get required documents.
• Browse a list of driver license offices in their local area.

The campaign and its tools are also available in Spanish at http://www.reunavengaobtenga.com/ and in Creole at http://www.rasanblealepran.com./

BIRTH CERTIFICATES FROM PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico birth certificates will continue being valid until September 30, 2010. New birth certificates began to be issued on July 1, 2010 and will have indefinite validity. More information on developments regarding Puerto Rican birth certificates is available on the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA) web site at http://www.prfaa.com./

GET AN APPOINTMENT, SAVE TIME! All customers who must visit one of our offices to renew, replace, or file a change of address to their driver license or identification card, are urged to secure an appointment prior to their visit. Connect via Internet at http://www.flhsmv.gov/oasis%20for an appointment to greatly reduce the length of the visit. Also link to the on-line pre-application and complete it before coming to one of our offices.

EMERGENCY CONTACT REGISTRATION: DHSMV’s award-winning Emergency Contact Information program, a tool that law enforcement can use to quickly contact loved ones in case of an accident. The system allows licensed drivers and identification card holders to submit two contacts to notify in the event of an emergency. The information can then be accessed only by law enforcement officers to find designated contacts in case of emergency. Visit www.flhsmv.gov/eci to register your Emergency Contact Information.

KEY INFORMATION FOR PARENTS ON TEEN DRIVING: The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has a parents section on its teen driving website www.flhsmv.gov/teens. The website provides parents with useful information to help them teach their teens to become safe drivers. Florida’s graduated driver licensing program allows teens to obtain a learner’s permit at age 15, which restricts them to driving only under certain conditions with a licensed adult. Other restrictions apply to teens with an operator’s license until their 18th birthday.

The website aims to ensure that both parents and teens have a complete understanding of the law, an explanation of each phase of the graduated licensing program and the related restrictions. Certain behaviors are associated with the cause of the high fatality rate of teen drivers including: inexperience and immaturity combined with speed, alcohol consumption, not wearing seatbelts, distractions, drowsiness, and driving when visibility is limited. The website includes a driving guide and a driving log to track the 50 hours of practice that teens must record to obtain their intermediate operator’s license. To visit the website, please go to: www.flhsmv.gov/teens.

OFFICE SCHEDULE: Driver license offices in Florida are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Testing guidelines, that continue to provide excellent customer service, call for the start of the last oral examination and CDL test to begin each day at 3:30 p.m. The last written examinations and driving tests begin each day at 4:30 p.m. Please check our website at www.flhsmv.gov/offices/ for the most up-to-date information on office locations and schedules.

CUSTOMER SERVICE INITIATIVE: The Division of Driver Licenses has implemented a Customer Service Initiative named “Miami CSI.” Members from the Department proactively joined together to address the increased customer wait times in many of our offices in Miami-Dade and some parts of Broward Counties. Volunteers from other offices around the state the Division worked together to heighten customer service by assisting with screening documents, administering driving tests and issuing credentials.


The Department has developed a strategic long-term plan to address the increased customer volume and wait times in offices, which includes quickly filling personnel vacancies in that area, moving personnel vacancies from other areas of the state to ensure adequate permanent staffing coverage. In a few of the offices, there were over 100 customers waiting when the office opened its doors. As a result, those offices began opening a half hour earlier, to try and accommodate those customers more quickly. Thanks to all the members who work so hard each day throughout the state, and all of our members who volunteered to travel to South Florida to pitch in!