When your license is suspended, you can still drive legally in the state of Florida - under one condition. By receiving a hardship license, Florida allows its drivers to freely peruse the roads under strict limitation. So what is a hardship license exactly? You might also be wondering how to get a hardship license in Florida. Slow down, suspended license carrier. Hardship license Florida DUI is a conglomeration of nouns that don’t go together. In other words, you can’t receive a hardship license for DUI related suspensions. If you’ve received a suspended license for other reasons, such as point accumulation on your record, delinquent payments, or court summons failure, you might be eligible for a hardship license.

What is a Hardship License?

A hardship license is a documentation that allows you to drive under restrictive regulation. The restrictions will mean you’re only able to drive to certain locations for reasonable cause. A hardship license comes in two separate types of licenses. Each will provide a different level of restriction on your driving.

Hardship License for Life Necessities Surrounding

The first type of hardship license is a business license. This lets you drive to and from work, as well as locations necessary to perform the responsibilities of your job. The business hardship license will also let you use it for driving for medical or educational reasons, which includes going to school or the hospital.

Hardship License for Employment Only

The other type of hardship license is the employment only license. This will let you drive to or from work. This version is stricter regarding where you can or cannot drive. You won’t have the same freedom to use your car for medical or educational purposes.

Who is Eligible for a Hardship License?

To get your Florida hardship license, you must first be eligible to receive one. It’s similar to asking the question, “Can you get your license at 18 without a permit?” You can, but under strict enrolled courses and documentation. Depending on the reasoning behind your license suspension, you may not be eligible. You will also be required to complete an advanced driving improvement (ADI) course before you are given a hardship license. Next, you will have to complete an ADI course. To take an advanced driving improvement course, you will have to enroll in a traffic school that is certified in the state of Florida. After passing the class, you will be fully eligible to receive a hardship license after application.

How Do You Get a Hardship License?

Getting your hardship license could be, well, hard. There are several steps involved that will require you to be patient and well-prepared. To help you ready yourself, we’ve created a small action step list to help you get your hardship license.
  1. Earn your advanced driving improvement course completion certificate. This is done by completing and passing your ADI class.
  2. Get a copy of your 30-day driving record. This is done by contacting your local county clerk office and putting in a request for your documentation.
  3. Bring the documents to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FDHSMV).
  4. Work with a hearing officer. You will be assigned a hearing officer that will determine whether you are eligible for a hardship license.
For information on other CA and TX hardship license programs, click: CA Hardship License TX Hardship License