SR-22 vs FR-44 in Florida: Which One You Need and What It Costs

The short version: an SR-22 is what Florida requires after non-DUI violations — driving without insurance, a license suspension, too many points. An FR-44is what Florida requires after DUI-related convictions, and it comes with dramatically higher mandatory coverage. Florida is one of only two states that use the FR-44 at all; the other is Virginia. You don't choose between them — the court or the Florida DHSMV tells you which one you owe. What you can control is what you pay for it.

SR-22 vs FR-44 at a glance

Sources: Florida filing requirements; ValuePenguin FR-44 cost data.

Neither one is an insurance policy

Both filings are certificates of financial responsibility — documents your insurer files with the state proving you carry the required coverage. You can't buy an SR-22 or FR-44 on its own. You buy an auto policy from a carrier that offers the filing, and the carrier submits the certificate electronically.

That distinction matters because it explains the cost structure. The filing itself is nearly free — typically a one-time fee of around $15–25. What costs money is the event that triggered it. An insurer pricing your policy sees the uninsured-driving citation or the DUI on your record, and that violation drives the premium whether or not a certificate is attached.

Why the FR-44 costs so much more

Florida's standard requirement is unusually light: $10,000 in personal injury protection and $10,000 in property damage liability, with no bodily-injury liability required for most drivers. An FR-44 wipes that out. It mandates 100/300/50 liability limits — $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident in bodily-injury coverage plus $50,000 in property damage — roughly ten times the standard floor.

So an FR-44 driver is buying far more coverage than a typical Florida driver, priced against a record that includes a DUI. ValuePenguin puts the average minimum-coverage FR-44 policy at about $318 per month. That's painful, but it's worth comparing to the ordinary market: Florida full coverage already averages $2,786–$2,953 a year according to MoneyGeek and Insure.com, so the FR-44 premium is elevated rather than otherworldly — and it typically lasts three years, not forever.

The moving-out-of-state wrinkle

Filings follow you. If Florida requires your SR-22 or FR-44 and you move, you generally still owe Florida the filing for the full term — usually via an out-of-state equivalent your new insurer can file. Two details trip people up:

• Eight states don't use the SR-22 at all: Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania. Moving to one doesn't erase a Florida requirement; it just means you'll need a carrier willing to file for a state it doesn't normally deal with.
• Since only Florida and Virginia use the FR-44, an FR-44 driver moving elsewhere needs an insurer that can satisfy Florida's requirement from out of state — a niche that fewer carriers serve.

In both cases, letting the policy lapse restarts the clock and can re-suspend your license. Continuous coverage is non-negotiable.

How to keep the cost down

A filing requirement doesn't exile you from a competitive market — several carriers actively specialize in SR-22 and FR-44 business, and their prices for the same driver often differ widely. Comparing quotes matters more with a filing than without one.

The levers that typically help:

• Compare carriers that want the filing. Specialists price violation-heavy profiles more aggressively than mainstream brands. Start with our guides to SR-22 insurance in Florida and FR-44 insurance in Florida, or get quotes directly.
• Never let coverage lapse. Continuous coverage is one of the most consistently rewarded factors in auto pricing, and a lapse during a filing period compounds the damage.
• Re-shop as the violation ages.Premium impact fades over time, and Florida's market is currently moving in your favor: per FLOIR, the state's five largest insurer groups filed an average 8% rate decrease for 2026. Those cuts apply at renewal, per company — switching to whoever prices your profile lowest typically captures more than waiting.
• Work the standard discounts. Bundling, multi-car, higher deductibles, and paying in full often still apply even with a filing on the policy.

For context on what drivers without filings pay, see our breakdown of the average cost of car insurance in Florida and our full Florida car insurance guide.