The Non-Owner FR-44 Filing Gap
A Florida DUI conviction triggers a mandatory FR-44 filing requirement for 3 years, measured from the conviction date. The state requires you to carry elevated liability limits—$100,000 bodily injury per person, $300,000 per accident, and $50,000 property damage—and your insurer must file the FR-44 certificate electronically with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. If you do not own a vehicle, a non-owner policy is the only way to satisfy this requirement.
The structural problem: FR-44 is a Florida-and-Virginia-only certificate that requires double the bodily-injury limits of a standard SR-22, and fewer than half the carriers writing non-owner policies in Florida will file an FR-44 without an owned vehicle on the policy. Most non-owner shoppers quote with carriers that advertise non-owner coverage but refuse FR-44 filings at the underwriting stage, leaving compliance filers stuck restarting the search after they have already invested time in the application.
Get non-owner SR-22 coverage without owning a vehicle
Compare carriers that offer non-owner policies with SR-22 filing — required for reinstatement in most states.
Get Your Free QuoteFlorida FR-44 Filing Period
3 years
Florida requires FR-44 filing for 3 years after a DUI conviction under FS 316.193, measured from the conviction date. A coverage lapse during this period resets the clock and reports the gap to FLHSMV, restarting your 3-year obligation.
Florida Statutes 316.193
What a Non-Owner FR-44 Policy Actually Covers
A non-owner policy is liability-only by design. It covers bodily injury and property damage you cause while driving a vehicle you do not own—a borrowed car, a rental, or a car-share vehicle. It does not cover collision or comprehensive damage to any vehicle because there is no owned vehicle to repair. For Florida FR-44 compliance, the policy must carry the elevated liability minimums the state mandates: $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident, and $50,000 property damage.
The policy is secondary coverage. If the car you are driving already has insurance, that policy pays first. Your non-owner policy sits behind it and covers the gap if the car's coverage is insufficient or if the owner has no insurance at all. The FR-44 certificate your carrier files with FLHSMV proves you carry the required liability limits continuously for the full 3-year period.
A non-owner policy does not cover a car you own, a car registered to you, or a car you drive regularly if it is registered to a household member. If you live with someone who owns a car and you drive it frequently, you must be added as a named driver on their policy instead. The non-owner policy is for drivers who genuinely do not have regular access to an owned vehicle.
FR-44's elevated liability minimums eliminate most non-owner carriers. Only six insurers in Florida write both non-owner policies and file FR-44 certificates without an owned vehicle.
Which Carriers Write Non-Owner FR-44 in Florida
Acceptance Insurance, Bristol West, Dairyland, Geico, Progressive, and The General are the six carriers confirmed to write non-owner FR-44 policies in Florida. Each carrier sets its own filing fee—the state charges no separate FR-44 filing fee—and underwrites non-owner applicants individually based on driving history, violation details, and the time elapsed since the DUI conviction. Not all six will quote every applicant; carriers decline non-owner FR-44 applications when the driver has multiple violations, a suspended license at the time of application, or a DUI conviction within the past 12 months.
Allstate, Infinity, Kemper, and National General advertise non-owner coverage in Florida but their FR-44 filing capability is not confirmed on carrier-official sources. State Farm writes non-owner policies in only one state nationwide and does not write them in Florida. USAA writes non-owner policies and files FR-44 in Florida but restricts eligibility to military-affiliated drivers. If you quote with a carrier outside the verified six, confirm at the application stage that they will file the FR-44 certificate without an owned vehicle before you pay the first premium.
Related Articles
The Filing Process and What Happens Next
Once you purchase a non-owner policy that meets Florida's FR-44 liability minimums, the carrier files the FR-44 certificate electronically with FLHSMV on your behalf. The filing typically processes within 1 to 3 business days. You do not file the certificate yourself—the insurer owns that step. FLHSMV receives the filing, matches it to your driver license record, and updates your compliance status. You can verify the filing by checking your driving record online through the FLHSMV driver license check portal.
The 3-year FR-44 period begins on your DUI conviction date, not the date the carrier files the certificate. If you were convicted on January 15, 2025, your FR-44 obligation runs until January 15, 2028, regardless of when you purchased the policy. Any coverage lapse during this period—even a single day—resets the clock. FLHSMV receives an electronic notice of cancellation from your carrier the moment your policy lapses, and your 3-year obligation restarts from the lapse date.
Most carriers writing non-owner FR-44 policies require continuous payment by automatic bank draft or credit card. If a payment fails and the policy lapses, the carrier files a cancellation notice with FLHSMV immediately. You cannot reinstate the lapsed policy—you must purchase a new one and restart the filing. The lapse also triggers a license suspension until you file a new FR-44 certificate and pay the reinstatement fee FLHSMV charges for the suspension.
Florida FR-44 Liability Minimums
$100,000/$300,000/$50,000
Florida FR-44 requires $100,000 bodily injury per person, $300,000 per accident, and $50,000 property damage—double the bodily-injury limits of a standard SR-22. A non-owner policy must carry at least these minimums to satisfy the filing requirement.
Florida Statutes 627.733
Reinstatement Requirements and Hardship License Eligibility
Florida suspends your driver license immediately after a DUI conviction. To reinstate, you must complete a state-licensed DUI program (Advanced Driver Improvement school), pay the reinstatement fee FLHSMV charges for the suspension, and file an FR-44 certificate proving you carry the required liability coverage. The reinstatement fee amount is set by the state but not published for DUI-specific suspensions—you must contact your local FLHSMV office or check your suspension notice for the exact figure.
Florida offers a hardship license (Business Purposes Only or Employment Purposes Only) that allows restricted driving during the suspension period. To qualify, you must apply through your local Administrative Reviews Office using Form HSMV 78306, prove you completed the DUI program, pay the reinstatement fee, and install an ignition interlock device on any vehicle you drive. The hardship license restricts you to employment or business purposes only—you cannot drive for personal errands, social activities, or non-work-related trips. The FR-44 filing requirement applies during the hardship period and continues for the full 3 years after your conviction date.
Compare Carriers That Write Your Situation
The six carriers verified to write non-owner FR-44 policies in Florida quote different premiums based on your DUI conviction date, your driving history before the DUI, and the county where you live. Carriers in the non-standard tier—Acceptance, Bristol West, Dairyland, and The General—typically quote lower premiums than standard-tier carriers like Geico and Progressive, but they also decline applicants with multiple violations or recent suspensions more frequently. Quote all six before you choose.
Use the comparison tool to see which carriers will quote your specific situation. Enter your DUI conviction date, your county, and whether you currently hold a valid license or are applying for a hardship license. The tool filters carriers by FR-44 filing capability and non-owner policy availability, so you do not waste time quoting with insurers that will decline at the underwriting stage. Once you select a carrier, confirm the FR-44 filing is included in the policy before you pay the first premium—some carriers require you to request the filing separately at the application stage.