FR-44 After a DUI in Florida: What to Expect
After a Florida DUI, an FR-44 proves you carry the required 100/300/50 liability so you can reinstate your license. Your insurer files it electronically, and you carry it for about three years of continuous coverage.
After a DUI conviction in Florida, an FR-44 is how you prove you carry the state’s required high liability so you can get and keep your license. It sets your minimum coverage at 100/300/50, double the bodily-injury limits an SR-22 requires, and your insurer files the certificate electronically with the FLHSMV; you do not file it yourself. Plan to carry it for about three years of continuous coverage.
Why does a DUI trigger an FR-44?
Florida requires an FR-44 specifically after a DUI conviction because it treats impaired driving as one of the most serious offenses on a record.
The FR-44 is Florida’s high-tier financial-responsibility filing, reserved for exactly this kind of conviction. Lesser violations, the ones that call for a filing at all, are handled by an SR-22 at lower limits. A DUI, and other serious offenses such as DUI manslaughter, sit in the FR-44 category. That is why two drivers with different violations can face very different obligations. For the broader picture of insuring a car after this kind of conviction, see our overview of DUI insurance in Florida.
What coverage does an FR-44 require after a DUI?
An FR-44 sets your liability floor at 100/300/50: $100,000 of bodily injury per person, $300,000 per accident, and $50,000 of property damage.
Those limits are the heart of the requirement, and they are what make an FR-44 different from a standard policy or an SR-22. The bodily-injury figures are double what an SR-22 asks for in Florida, and well above the state minimum most drivers carry. The higher coverage is not optional and cannot be waived; it is the reason the policy behind an FR-44 costs more than an ordinary one, quite apart from the DUI on your record.
It helps to read the numbers plainly, because 100/300/50 is shorthand a lot of drivers nod at without decoding. The first figure is the most a policy pays for injuries to any one person in a crash you cause. The second is the total for everyone hurt in that crash. The third covers damage you do to other people’s property, from their car to a fence or a storefront. Florida sets those floors high for FR-44 drivers on purpose, so that if a serious crash happens, more of the harm is covered rather than landing on the victims or the public.
Who files the FR-44, you or the insurer?
Your insurance company files the FR-44 certificate with the FLHSMV on your behalf; the driver never submits it directly.
This is one of the most common misunderstandings after a conviction. You do not stand in line at a state office with a form. You buy a compliant policy from a carrier that writes FR-44s, and that carrier transmits the certificate to the state electronically, often quickly. Your job is to keep that policy active. If it lapses, the insurer reports the break, and the requirement can restart, so the filing is only as good as the continuous coverage under it.
You buy the policy; the carrier does the filing
Think of the FR-44 as an attachment to your policy rather than a separate errand. Choose a carrier that files FR-44s, keep the policy paid and active, and the certificate takes care of itself.
What should you expect over the next three years?
Expect to carry the FR-44 for roughly three years of unbroken coverage, with costs that tend to ease as the conviction ages and you build a clean record.
The path is more predictable than it feels at first:
- Get a compliant FR-44 policy in place so your insurer can file and your license can be reinstated.
- Keep coverage continuous the entire term; a single lapse can reset the clock.
- Drive cleanly, since every incident-free stretch is what eventually moves you back toward standard rates.
- Reassess your carrier at renewal, comparing options rather than accepting the first number.
- Confirm your end date with the state before you change or drop anything as the term closes.
The emotional shape of the three years surprises people too. The first stretch feels heavy: the rate is at its highest, the conviction is fresh, and the filing feels like a leash. But if you keep coverage continuous and stay out of trouble, the middle and back end tend to loosen, both in what you pay and in how much attention the requirement demands. It becomes a bill you keep current rather than a crisis you manage, and then one day the term is simply done.
A DUI sets the requirement, but continuous coverage sets the finish line. Keep the policy alive and the three years actually pass.
What should you do right now?
Right now, the priority is getting a compliant FR-44 policy on file so your reinstatement can move forward.
The sooner the certificate is filed, the sooner the FLHSMV can act on the rest of your reinstatement. If you own a car, you will insure it at the required limits; if you do not, ask specifically about a non-owner FR-44, which is often the cheapest way to comply and is explained in our non-owner FR-44 guide. Not sure the requirement even applies to your case? Start with whether you need an FR-44 at all, then get the filing in motion.
Filing early shortens the wait
Reinstatement stalls until the FR-44 is on record. Getting a compliant policy bound quickly is the one step that speeds up everything that follows it.
Should you get an owner or non-owner FR-44 after a DUI?
Which one you need depends on a single fact: whether a vehicle is registered in your name.
Both satisfy Florida at the same 100/300/50 limits and file the same certificate, so the decision is about your situation, not about meeting the requirement. If you own and drive a car, you insure that car with an owner FR-44. If you have no registered vehicle, a non-owner FR-44 covers you as a driver and is usually the cheaper route, because there is no car to rate and no physical-damage coverage attached.
- Own a car you drive regularly: an owner policy at the required limits is the correct structure.
- No registered vehicle, borrowing or renting when you drive: a non-owner FR-44 usually costs less and still complies.
- A car registered to someone else in your household: ask how it is insured before assuming you need your own owner policy.
The wrong instinct is to buy or register a car just to have something to insure. That adds cost without adding compliance. If you genuinely do not own a vehicle, say so and ask for the non-owner option by name; our non-owner FR-44 guide walks through who qualifies and why it tends to be cheapest.
What mistakes make an FR-44 harder than it needs to be?
The avoidable pain after a DUI comes less from the requirement itself and more from a handful of predictable missteps.
Drivers who struggle usually did one of these:
- Delaying the filing, which stalls reinstatement, since nothing moves until the certificate is on record.
- Letting the policy lapse mid-term and restarting the roughly three-year clock.
- Taking the first quote without comparing carriers, who weigh a DUI very differently from one another.
- Buying an owner policy when a cheaper non-owner filing would have satisfied the state.
- Dropping the required limits before confirming the requirement has actually ended.
None of these are about the conviction; they are about handling the aftermath calmly. Get a compliant policy filed quickly, keep it continuous, compare carriers at each renewal, and confirm your end date before you change anything. Handled that way, an FR-44 becomes a bill you manage rather than a recurring crisis, and the term ends on schedule.
If one mindset separates a smooth FR-44 from a miserable one, it is treating the three years as a project with a clear finish rather than an open-ended punishment. You know the coverage you must carry, you know roughly how long, and you know that continuity is the whole game. Put the filing in place, automate the payments, mark your end date, and check in at each renewal. Handled that way, most of the term takes care of itself while you get on with your life.
FR-44 after a DUI: FAQ
Why do I need FR-44 after a DUI in Florida?
Florida requires an FR-44 after a DUI conviction because it treats impaired driving as a top-tier offense. The filing proves you carry the state's required 100/300/50 liability so you can reinstate and keep your license.
What are the FR-44 coverage limits after a DUI?
An FR-44 requires 100/300/50 liability: $100,000 bodily injury per person, $300,000 per accident, and $50,000 property damage. The bodily-injury limits are double what an SR-22 requires in Florida.
Do I file the FR-44 myself after a DUI?
No. Your insurer files the FR-44 certificate electronically with the FLHSMV. You buy a compliant policy and keep it active; the carrier handles the filing with the state.
How long do I need FR-44 after a DUI in Florida?
Generally about three years of continuous coverage. The clock runs only while your coverage stays unbroken, and a lapse can restart the requirement from the beginning.
Is FR-44 the same as SR-22 after a DUI?
No. A DUI triggers an FR-44 with 100/300/50 limits, while lesser violations trigger an SR-22 at lower limits. The FR-44 carries double the SR-22 bodily-injury coverage, so it generally costs more.
Does FR-44 cost go down over the three years?
It usually eases rather than dropping suddenly. As the DUI ages and you keep a clean record with continuous coverage, your rate tends to improve over the term and further once the requirement ends.
Informational only. Not legal, financial, or insurance advice. FR-44 and SR-22 requirements are set by Florida (FLHSMV) and the courts and can change; verify your specific requirement with the FLHSMV. Pricing shown is illustrative, not a quote. FR44 Insurance of Florida is an independent insurance agency and not a government entity.