Beginning in August the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles will begin issuing a new, more secure Florida driver license and ID card. By the end of December 2017, the new credentials will be available at all service centers throughout Florida and online. Previous driver license and ID cards will still be in use alongside the new credential until the they are replaced or phased out.
The new credential provides Floridians the most secure over-the-counter credential on the market today.
Florida’s new driver license and ID card is uniquely Florida! The card front incorporates a pastel-colored linear rendering of the Florida state seal and a large orange “FL” over a stark white base. On the card back, an image of the state of Florida rests among ocean waves and the year 1845 is displayed, referring to the year Florida became the 27th state in the Union.
Photograph images will now be printed with a transparent background and appear in four locations on the credential.
Fraud Protection
The new credential design incorporates nearly double the fraud protection measures compared to the previous design, including redundant data, ultraviolet (UV) ink and optically variable features.
Designated Header Colors
New credentials will be issued with designated header colors that denote the type of license the customer holds. Credentials held by customers under 21 years of age will display a red box on the card front that indicates the date until which the customer will be under 21.
New/Updated Designations
The new design incorporates designations for lifetime sportsman’s, boater, freshwater, saltwater and hunting licenses, as well as designations for veteran, organ donor, deaf/hard of hearing and developmentally disabled.
Getting Your New Card
Individuals are only required to replace their current driver license or ID card if their current credential has reached its expiration or a required change is needed, such as a name or address change.
IN PERSON:
Beginning August 2017, the new credential will be offered at select service centers, with additional service centers each month. The new credential will be available at all service centers by the end of December 2017.
Please review the service center implementation timeline to find out when the new credential will be available locally.
ONLINE:
The new credential will be available for online renewals at GoRenew.com by the end of December 2017.
Motorcycle endorsements will no longer be spelled out on the front of Florida driver licenses. Motorcycle-also and motorcycle-only endorsements have been added and are designated by an “A” or “O” in the endorsement field located on the front of the card and are also indicated by a “A-MTRCL Also” or “O-MTRCL Only” on the back of the card.
