Moving Out of Florida or Virginia — What Happens to Your FR-44

FR-44 filing is a condition of your license reinstatement in Florida or Virginia, not a geographic requirement. If you move to another state but keep your Florida or Virginia driver's license active, you must continue filing FR-44 for the full 3-year period even though you no longer live there. The clock does not pause or reset when you move. In Florida, the FR-44 requirement runs for 3 years from your license reinstatement date. In Virginia, it runs for 3 years from your conviction date. Both states track compliance electronically — if your insurer cancels your FR-44 filing or if you switch to a carrier that doesn't file FR-44, the Florida DHSMV or Virginia DMV receives an automatic notification and your license is suspended again, regardless of where you currently live. This creates a choice: maintain your Florida or Virginia license and continue the FR-44 filing through an insurer licensed in that state, or surrender your old license, transfer to your new state, and navigate their DUI/license transfer rules. Neither option is simple, and the wrong sequence can extend your filing period or trigger additional suspensions. FR-44 insurance Florida FR-44 requirements Virginia FR-44 requirements

If you move out of state but do not formally surrender your Florida or Virginia license, you remain subject to FR-44 filing requirements until the 3-year period ends. This means you need to maintain an active FR-44 policy with a carrier licensed to write and file FR-44 in your original state. Most national carriers will not write an FR-44 policy for a driver who no longer resides in the state where the filing is required. If you move to Georgia, for example, and call your Florida FR-44 carrier, many will cancel your policy because you no longer have a Florida address. When the insurer cancels, they notify the Florida DHSMV electronically, and your license is suspended again — even though you're now living in Georgia. You then face a new reinstatement process and the 3-year FR-44 clock can restart from the new reinstatement date. A smaller number of non-standard carriers will continue FR-44 coverage for out-of-state addresses, but they typically require you to register your vehicle in Florida or Virginia (not your new state) and maintain the policy under your old state's liability limits — 100/300/50 in Florida or 50/100/40 in Virginia. You cannot register your car in your new state and maintain a Florida or Virginia FR-44 simultaneously in most cases. This creates dual-state registration complications and often results in higher premiums. If you no longer own a vehicle, non-owner FR-44 policies remain an option and are easier to maintain across state lines. You can live in another state, hold a Florida or Virginia license, and carry a non-owner FR-44 policy filed in your original state. The policy provides the required liability coverage and satisfies the DMV filing requirement without needing vehicle registration. Premiums for non-owner FR-44 policies typically run $50–$150/month, depending on your conviction details and the carrier.

If you want to obtain a driver's license in your new state, you must surrender your Florida or Virginia license as part of the transfer process. Most states require this by law — you cannot hold two active state licenses simultaneously. When you surrender your Florida or Virginia license, the FR-44 filing requirement tied to that license technically ends, but this does not mean your DUI conviction disappears or that your new state will issue you a license without conditions. Your new state's DMV will run a National Driver Register (NDR) check and see your DUI conviction and any suspension history from Florida or Virginia. Depending on your new state's rules, they may require you to complete additional steps before issuing a license: proof that you satisfied all Florida or Virginia reinstatement requirements, payment of outstanding fines, completion of DUI programs, or filing of an SR-22 certificate in your new state. Most states outside Florida and Virginia use SR-22 filings, not FR-44. SR-22 has lower liability limits than FR-44 — typically matching each state's minimum liability requirements, which are far below Florida's 100/300/50 or Virginia's 50/100/40. If your new state requires SR-22, you will need to obtain it from an insurer licensed in that state. The filing period in your new state may be shorter or longer than the remaining time on your Florida or Virginia FR-44 requirement, depending on state law. Important timing issue: if you surrender your Florida or Virginia license before completing your full 3-year FR-44 filing period, and later attempt to reinstate or transfer that license back, Florida or Virginia may require you to restart the 3-year clock from the new reinstatement date. This is especially common in Florida, where the DHSMV treats early license surrender during an FR-44 period as non-compliance. You effectively lose credit for the time you already served.

If you move out of Florida or Virginia, stop paying your FR-44 policy, and do not formally transfer your license, your Florida or Virginia license will be suspended for non-compliance. The suspension follows you — it appears on the NDR and will block you from obtaining a license in your new state until you resolve it. To clear the suspension, you must reinstate your Florida or Virginia license by filing FR-44 again, paying reinstatement fees, and potentially restarting the 3-year filing clock depending on how long the lapse lasted. Florida charges a $45 reinstatement fee for FR-44 non-compliance; Virginia charges $145. Both states require proof of continuous FR-44 coverage going forward, which means finding a carrier willing to write FR-44 for a driver with a prior lapse — these policies cost significantly more, often $300–$500/month for standard vehicle coverage. Once your Florida or Virginia license is reinstated and you have active FR-44 coverage again, you can then apply to transfer your license to your new state. The new state may still impose additional requirements based on your DUI conviction, but at least the suspension will be cleared from the NDR.

If you know you're moving out of Florida or Virginia and you're still within your 3-year FR-44 filing period, contact your insurer before you move. Ask whether they will continue your FR-44 policy with an out-of-state address, and if so, under what conditions. If they will not, ask for referrals to non-standard carriers that will. Do not cancel your FR-44 policy until you have replacement coverage in place and the new carrier has successfully filed FR-44 with the Florida DHSMV or Virginia DMV. Any gap in filing — even one day — triggers an automatic suspension and restarts your reinstatement process. If you plan to transfer your license to your new state, call that state's DMV and ask what they require for a driver transferring from Florida or Virginia with a DUI-related suspension history. Ask specifically whether they require proof that you completed your FR-44 period in full before they will issue a license, or whether they will accept a license transfer with SR-22 or other conditions in place of FR-44. Not all DMV representatives will know the answer to this — ask to speak to a supervisor or license reinstatement specialist. If you do not own a vehicle and do not plan to drive in your new state, maintaining a non-owner FR-44 policy in Florida or Virginia and keeping your old license active may be the simplest path. You satisfy the filing requirement, avoid reinstatement complications, and the premiums are lower than standard vehicle FR-44 policies. Once the 3-year period ends, the FR-44 requirement drops, and you can transfer your license to your new state without additional DUI-related conditions.

Most major insurers — GEICO, Progressive, State Farm — do not write FR-44 policies for out-of-state addresses. You will need to work with a non-standard or high-risk carrier that operates in Florida or Virginia and is willing to file FR-44 for a policyholder living elsewhere. These carriers include The General, Acceptance Insurance, and National General in Florida, and similar non-standard writers in Virginia. Expect higher premiums than you paid before moving. Carriers view out-of-state FR-44 filings as elevated risk because they cannot verify vehicle use, garaging address, or driving patterns as easily. Monthly premiums for out-of-state FR-44 vehicle policies typically range from $250–$450, depending on your conviction date, prior lapses, and vehicle type. Non-owner FR-44 policies for out-of-state drivers run $75–$175/month. Some carriers require you to maintain vehicle registration in Florida or Virginia even if you live elsewhere. This means titling and registering your car in your old state, paying registration fees there, and potentially insuring the vehicle under Florida or Virginia rating rules — which may be more expensive than your new state's rates. If this is not feasible, a non-owner FR-44 policy may be your only option, even if you own a vehicle. Start your search at least 30 days before your move. Do not assume your current carrier will transfer your policy. If you wait until after you move and your carrier cancels for an address change, you will face a filing lapse, license suspension, and much higher premiums when you try to reinstate.