Non-Owner Insurance Files Your FR-44 or SR-22 During Suspension
Florida suspended your license, the state or court ordered you to file an FR-44 or SR-22 to reinstate, and you do not own a car. A non-owner car insurance policy is the only way to satisfy the filing requirement without listing an owned vehicle. The policy is liability-only—bodily injury and property damage coverage that follows you when you drive a car you do not own—and the carrier files the certificate with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles on your behalf.
The filing is continuous: it must stay active for the full period the state requires, typically 3 years for both FR-44 and SR-22 in Florida. If the policy lapses or cancels, the carrier notifies FLHSMV immediately, your filing clock resets to zero, and your license suspension resumes. The certificate is not insurance—it is proof you carry the liability coverage Florida demands. The non-owner policy is the insurance; the FR-44 or SR-22 is the filing the carrier submits to verify it.
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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 (alcohol-related offense under FS 316.193, on or after October 1, 2007). SR-22 filing is required for 2 years for non-DUI suspensions under the Financial Responsibility Law. Both periods reset to zero if the policy lapses.
Florida Statutes 316.193; FLHSMV filing certificate rules
FR-44 vs SR-22: Which Certificate Your Suspension Requires
Florida uses two different certificates, and the one you need depends on the violation that triggered your suspension. An FR-44 is required for DUI or DWI convictions—any alcohol-related offense under Florida Statute 316.193 on or after October 1, 2007. An SR-22 is required for non-DUI suspensions: driving without insurance, Financial Responsibility Law violations, or license reinstatement after a suspension not tied to alcohol.
The FR-44 carries elevated liability minimums: $100,000 bodily injury per person, $300,000 per accident, and $50,000 property damage. The SR-22 requires only Florida's standard minimums: $10,000 property damage and $10,000 personal injury protection. Both certificates are filed electronically by the carrier and both require continuous coverage for the full period. The certificate type determines which carriers will write your non-owner policy—some file SR-22 only, others file both.
Check your suspension notice or reinstatement letter from FLHSMV. It will state which certificate you must file. If the suspension followed a DUI conviction after October 2007, you need an FR-44. If it followed an insurance lapse, uninsured-driving citation, or non-DUI violation, you need an SR-22. Filing the wrong certificate does not satisfy the requirement and does not restart your eligibility clock.
Only 11 carriers in Florida write non-owner policies AND file FR-44 or SR-22 certificates. Quoting with a carrier that does not file both means restarting the application process.
Which Florida Carriers Write Non-Owner Policies and File Your Certificate
Carriers confirmed to write non-owner policies AND file both FR-44 and SR-22 in Florida: Acceptance Insurance, Allstate, Bristol West, Dairyland, Geico, Infinity, Kemper, National General, Progressive, and The General. Clearcover writes non-owner and files SR-22 but FR-44 capability is not confirmed. Direct Auto and GAINSCO write non-owner and file SR-22 but do not file FR-44. Travelers writes non-owner but filing capability is not confirmed. USAA writes non-owner and files SR-22 (military-affiliated only) but FR-44 capability is not confirmed.
If your suspension requires an FR-44, start with the 10 carriers confirmed to file both certificates. If you need SR-22 only, the pool expands slightly but remains narrow. State Farm writes non-owner in only one U.S. jurisdiction and is not a viable option in Florida. Farmers, Liberty Mutual, and Mercury General write SR-22 but non-owner capability is not confirmed statewide. Quote only with carriers whose data flags confirm they write non-owner AND file the certificate your reinstatement requires.
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Filing Fees, Reinstatement Fees, and the Cost of Inaction
The FR-44 and SR-22 filing fees are set by the carrier, not the state. Florida charges no separate state filing fee. Most carriers charge a one-time filing fee between $15 and $50 when they submit the certificate to FLHSMV. The fee is paid once at policy inception; you do not pay it again unless the policy lapses and you restart the filing.
Florida's reinstatement fee is $45, paid to FLHSMV when you apply to reinstate your license after the suspension period ends. This fee is separate from the filing fee and is required regardless of which certificate you file. If your suspension followed a DUI, you must also complete an Advanced Driver Improvement course or a licensed DUI program before applying for reinstatement, and proof of completion is required at the Administrative Reviews Office.
The cost of inaction is higher: if you do not file the required certificate, your suspension remains in effect indefinitely. If you file but the policy lapses, the carrier notifies FLHSMV within 24 hours, your filing clock resets to zero, and you restart the full 3-year or 2-year period from the date you file again. A lapse also triggers a new suspension notice and may add additional reinstatement fees or administrative penalties.
Florida License Reinstatement Fee
$45
Florida charges a $45 base reinstatement fee for most suspensions. Multi-tier suspensions (repeated offenses or DUI-related) may carry higher fees. The fee is paid to FLHSMV at the time of reinstatement application, after the suspension period and filing period are complete.
FLHSMV reinstatement fee schedule
Hardship License Eligibility During Suspension
Florida offers a hardship license (Business Purposes Only or Employment Purposes Only) that allows limited driving during your suspension period. You apply through your local Administrative Reviews Office using Application for Administrative Hearing form HSMV 78306. Hardship eligibility depends on the violation: DUI suspensions are eligible after completing a licensed DUI program and installing an ignition interlock device. Non-DUI suspensions may be eligible after completing an Advanced Driver Improvement course and paying the reinstatement fee.
The hardship license restricts you to employment or business purposes only—commuting to work, school, medical appointments, or church. It does not permit recreational driving. You must carry a non-owner policy that meets the FR-44 or SR-22 filing requirement throughout the hardship period, and the carrier must file the certificate before the hardship license is issued. If the policy lapses during the hardship period, the hardship license is revoked immediately and your full suspension resumes.
What a Non-Owner Policy Covers and What It Does Not
A non-owner policy is liability-only. It covers bodily injury and property damage you cause while driving a car you do not own—a borrowed car, a rental, or a car-share vehicle. It does not cover collision or comprehensive damage to the car you are driving, because you do not own a vehicle to repair. If you borrow a household member's car and cause an accident, the non-owner policy pays after the car owner's policy limits are exhausted. It is secondary coverage, not primary.
The policy does not cover personal injury protection tied to an owned vehicle, because there is no owned vehicle. Florida requires PIP for standard auto policies, but non-owner policies are exempt from this requirement under the state's non-owner exemption. The FR-44 or SR-22 certificate filed with the policy verifies you carry the liability minimums Florida demands, not that you carry PIP or physical-damage coverage. If you later buy a car, the non-owner policy does not convert automatically—you must purchase a standard auto policy and notify the carrier to transfer the filing to the new policy without a lapse.
Compare Carriers That Write Your Situation
Start with the 10 or 11 carriers confirmed to write non-owner policies and file the certificate your suspension requires. Request quotes from at least three. Rates vary widely based on your driving record, the violation that triggered the suspension, your age, and the county where you live. Florida's uninsured motorist rate is 20.6 percent, one of the highest in the U.S., and carriers price non-owner policies in high-uninsured markets more aggressively than in low-risk states.
Ask each carrier to confirm they will file the FR-44 or SR-22 electronically with FLHSMV at policy inception, and verify the filing fee. Confirm the policy will remain active for the full 3-year or 2-year period without automatic cancellation. Confirm the carrier will notify you before any lapse or non-payment cancellation, so you have time to pay and avoid resetting the clock. Choose the carrier that writes your situation, files your certificate, and gives you the clearest lapse-prevention process. The lowest rate is not always the best choice if the carrier's lapse-notification process is unclear or their non-owner underwriting is restrictive.