A man in a dark jacket and jeans sits sideways in the open rear doorway of a dark car parked on a city street at dusk, looking toward a sunset sky above blurred buildings and streetlights.

Do I Need SR-22 After a DUI in Florida — or Is It FR-44?

What Happens to Your Car Insurance After a DUI in Florida

A DUI conviction in Florida triggers a specific sequence through both the court system and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Your driver's license is typically suspended for a minimum of 180 days for a first offense, and up to one year for subsequent offenses. During this suspension period, your current auto insurance carrier will likely receive notification of the conviction from the state.

Most standard carriers — including Allstate, State Farm, Geico, and USAA — will non-renew your policy at the next renewal date. This does not happen immediately. You typically have coverage through the end of your current policy term, which gives you a specific window to find replacement coverage before a gap appears on your record. A coverage gap makes reinstatement harder and increases your rates further.

When you apply for license reinstatement after completing your suspension and meeting court requirements, Florida will require proof that you carry a specific type of high-liability insurance coverage. This is where the FR-44 requirement enters the picture — and where most drivers discover their regular insurance company cannot help them.

A man in a dark hoodie and baseball cap sits in the driver's seat of a van, pulling the seat belt across his chest toward the buckle.

Florida Requires FR-44, Not SR-22

FR-44 is Florida's and Virginia's version of the SR-22 requirement — a state-mandated certificate filed after a DUI, but with higher minimum liability limits. In Florida, FR-44 requires 100/300/50 coverage: $100,000 bodily injury per person, $300,000 bodily injury per accident, and $50,000 property damage. This is double Florida's standard minimum liability requirement of 10/20/10.

FR-44 is not a type of insurance — it is a certificate your insurer files electronically with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, proving you carry the required minimum coverage. The certificate must remain on file for three consecutive years from your reinstatement date. If your policy lapses or cancels for any reason during this period, your insurer is required to notify the state within 10 days, and your license will be re-suspended.

Not all insurance companies offer FR-44 filing. Most standard carriers do not write policies for drivers with DUI convictions, and even fewer will file FR-44 certificates. You will need a carrier that specializes in high-risk drivers. Non-standard auto insurance refers to coverage offered by carriers that specifically work with high-risk drivers — those with DUIs, violations, lapses, or suspensions on their record. The coverage itself is identical to standard insurance; what differs is the carrier's willingness to write drivers who have been declined or overpriced elsewhere.

Carriers that commonly offer FR-44 filing in Florida include Progressive, Dairyland, The General, Bristol West, National General, Acceptance Insurance, and SafeAuto. Not every non-standard carrier operates in every Florida county, so comparison shopping is necessary.

A man in a dark jacket and cap sits in a van driver's seat, looking down while fastening his seatbelt, with a steering wheel in the foreground and a house visible through the window.

What FR-44 Insurance Costs in Florida

A DUI conviction in Florida typically increases your auto insurance premium by 70 to 130 percent depending on your age, prior driving record, and the carrier writing your policy. If your pre-DUI rate was $1,400 per year, expect to pay between $2,380 and $3,220 annually after the conviction. The higher FR-44 liability limits add additional cost compared to a minimum-liability policy.

The FR-44 filing fee itself — the administrative cost for the carrier to file the certificate with the state — is typically $15 to $50, paid once at policy inception and again at each renewal. This fee is separate from your premium and is not refundable if you cancel. Some carriers bundle the filing fee into the policy cost; others list it as a separate line item.

Your rate will begin to decrease after your first year of continuous FR-44 coverage without additional violations. Most carriers reduce premiums incrementally each renewal period if you maintain a clean driving record. After the three-year FR-44 requirement ends, you can shop for standard coverage again, though the DUI will remain on your motor vehicle record for 75 years in Florida and will continue to affect your rates — typically for five to seven years from the conviction date, with diminishing impact over time.

A man in a cap, dark hoodie and jeans leans against the front fender of a white pickup truck parked on gravel, with a low sun and distant hills behind.

Get Back to a Fair Rate After a Violation

Find Coverage for My Situation

How Long You Must Carry FR-44 in Florida

Florida requires FR-44 filing for three consecutive years from your driver's license reinstatement date, not from your conviction date or suspension date. If your license was suspended on January 1, 2024, and you complete the suspension and reinstate on July 1, 2024, your three-year FR-44 period runs from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2027.

The three-year clock resets if your policy lapses at any point. If you cancel your FR-44 policy after 18 months, your insurer notifies the state, your license is re-suspended, and when you reinstate again, a new three-year FR-44 period begins from that reinstatement date. This is the most common and costly mistake drivers make — allowing a policy to lapse because of affordability or misunderstanding the requirement.

You cannot switch to a non-FR-44 policy during the three-year period, even if you find cheaper coverage. The state tracks the filing electronically. Any gap or downgrade triggers automatic re-suspension. You must maintain continuous FR-44 coverage at the required liability limits for the entire period.

An open black mailbox on a wooden post holds a white envelope, with a blurred dark car parked in a driveway and a house with lit exterior lights in the background at dusk.

What to Do Right Now

If you have been convicted of DUI in Florida, follow these steps in order to avoid coverage gaps and additional license suspension:

1. Contact a non-standard carrier within 30 days of your conviction to quote FR-44 coverage, even if your license is still suspended. Securing a policy in advance prevents a gap between reinstatement and coverage activation. If you wait until the day before reinstatement, you risk delays in electronic filing that can postpone your reinstatement date.

2. Compare quotes from at least three FR-44 carriers. Rates vary significantly between non-standard insurers — differences of $500 to $1,200 annually are common for identical coverage. Request quotes from Progressive, Dairyland, The General, and at least two regional carriers that write FR-44 in your county. Confirm each quote includes the 100/300/50 liability limits required by Florida law.

3. Purchase your FR-44 policy at least 10 days before your planned reinstatement date. Your insurer must file the FR-44 certificate electronically with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Most carriers file within 24 to 48 hours, but processing delays occur. The state will not reinstate your license until the FR-44 filing appears in their system. If you purchase coverage the same day you attempt reinstatement, you will be turned away.

4. Set up automatic payment and policy renewal reminders immediately after purchasing your policy. A missed payment that results in policy cancellation triggers automatic license re-suspension and restarts your three-year FR-44 clock. Most carriers offer automatic bank draft or credit card billing. Use it. The cost of a lapse — reinstatement fees, additional suspension time, and a restarted three-year requirement — far exceeds the cost of maintaining continuous coverage.

5. Verify your FR-44 filing status annually by requesting a copy of your driving record from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Clerical errors and filing lapses occur. If your record does not show an active FR-44 filing and you believe your coverage is current, contact your carrier immediately to resolve the discrepancy before the state suspends your license again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get FR-44 insurance if I don't own a car in Florida?

Yes. Florida offers non-owner FR-44 insurance, which provides liability coverage when you drive a vehicle you do not own and files the required FR-44 certificate with the state. Non-owner FR-44 policies are typically 20 to 40 percent cheaper than standard FR-44 policies because they exclude comprehensive and collision coverage.

What happens if I move out of Florida during my FR-44 requirement period?

If you move to another state, you must maintain continuous FR-44 coverage filed with Florida until your three-year requirement period ends. Most carriers can write out-of-state policies with Florida FR-44 filing, but not all non-standard carriers operate in every state. Contact your insurer before moving to confirm they can continue coverage in your new state.

Will my FR-44 requirement show up on a background check?

The FR-44 filing itself does not appear on employment or criminal background checks. However, the underlying DUI conviction that triggered the FR-44 requirement will appear on your driving record and may appear on criminal background checks, depending on how the case was adjudicated.

Can I cancel my FR-44 policy after three years automatically?

No. You must maintain FR-44 coverage for three consecutive years from your reinstatement date. After the three-year period ends, the state does not notify you. Check your driving record to confirm the FR-44 requirement has been removed before canceling or downgrading your coverage. Some drivers cancel prematurely and face re-suspension.

Is FR-44 more expensive than SR-22 in other states?

Yes, typically. FR-44 requires higher liability limits than SR-22 — 100/300/50 in Florida compared to the state minimum in most SR-22 states. Higher limits mean higher premiums. Drivers with comparable DUI convictions in SR-22 states often pay 15 to 30 percent less for their required filing coverage than Florida FR-44 drivers.