Moving from Florida to Georgia with FR-44: Which Filing Carries

No. Florida's FR-44 requirement follows you to Georgia and remains active until you've completed the full filing period Florida imposed — typically 3 years from your DUI conviction date. Georgia does not recognize FR-44 certificates, so you'll need to establish Georgia insurance with SR-22 filing to satisfy Georgia's licensing requirements while simultaneously maintaining Florida FR-44 compliance if you plan to reinstate Florida driving privileges or if Florida is tracking your filing status. The confusion comes from the fact that Georgia uses SR-22, not FR-44, for financial responsibility certification. When you establish Georgia residency and apply for a Georgia license, the Georgia DMV will require proof of insurance meeting Georgia minimums — 25/50/25 liability coverage — and if you have a DUI or major violation on record, Georgia may independently require SR-22 filing for 3 years from the date of your Georgia license reinstatement. Most carriers writing FR-44 in Florida do not operate in Georgia, and most Georgia carriers will not file FR-44 with Florida on your behalf. You're looking at either maintaining two separate policies in two states — prohibited by law — or finding a national carrier with operations in both states willing to coordinate dual filing, which is rare and expensive.

Florida law requires continuous FR-44 filing for the full duration of your filing period regardless of where you live. If you move to Georgia and cancel your Florida policy without notifying the Florida DMV, Florida will issue an immediate license suspension for failure to maintain FR-44. That suspension remains on your Florida driving record and can trigger reciprocal enforcement in Georgia under the Driver License Compact. Georgia requires new residents to obtain a Georgia license within 30 days of establishing residency. When you apply, Georgia will pull your driving record from Florida and see the FR-44 requirement. Georgia does not accept FR-44 certificates, so even if you're compliant in Florida, Georgia will treat you as a high-risk driver requiring SR-22 filing to obtain a Georgia license. The result: you need Georgia insurance with SR-22 to get a Georgia license, but you also need to notify Florida that you've moved and either surrender your Florida license formally or maintain FR-44 compliance until your Florida filing period ends. Failing to do either leaves you with overlapping suspensions in both states.

Contact your current Florida FR-44 carrier before you move and ask two questions: Do you write SR-22 policies in Georgia, and can you file both FR-44 with Florida and SR-22 with Georgia simultaneously? Most Florida-only carriers will say no. If your carrier operates in Georgia, ask for a quote on a Georgia policy meeting Georgia minimums with SR-22 filing, then ask how to formally close your Florida FR-44 policy without triggering a lapse notice to Florida. If your carrier doesn't write in Georgia, shop Georgia SR-22 carriers before you cancel your Florida policy. Progressive, State Farm, and GEICO write SR-22 in Georgia, but not all will coordinate FR-44 filing with Florida. You need a carrier willing to provide an SR-22 certificate to Georgia and confirm they will not file an FR-44 cancellation notice with Florida until your filing period ends or you formally surrender your Florida license. Once you have Georgia coverage, contact the Florida DMV and notify them of your move. Florida allows out-of-state residents to maintain FR-44 filing through a non-owner FR-44 policy if they no longer own a vehicle registered in Florida. If you've transferred your vehicle registration to Georgia, a non-owner FR-44 policy in Florida keeps your Florida filing active without requiring a Florida-registered vehicle. Rates for non-owner FR-44 policies typically run $40–$80 per month, compared to $180–$320 per month for owner FR-44 policies in Florida.

It depends on whether you plan to maintain Florida driving privileges and whether Florida or Georgia imposed the original filing requirement. If Florida imposed FR-44 as a condition of license reinstatement after a DUI, that requirement follows you until the filing period ends — typically 3 years from conviction. Georgia will independently require SR-22 if you apply for a Georgia license with a DUI on record, creating dual filing obligations. If you formally surrender your Florida license and have no intention of driving in Florida again, you can request Florida close your FR-44 requirement early. Florida grants this relief inconsistently — some drivers report Florida waiving the remaining filing period after proof of out-of-state residency and license surrender, while others report Florida requiring the full 3-year period regardless of residency. Call the Florida Bureau of Administrative Reviews at 850-617-2000 before assuming you can close your FR-44 early. If you maintain your Florida license while living in Georgia — legally questionable but common among snowbirds and recent movers — you must maintain both FR-44 in Florida and SR-22 in Georgia. This requires two separate policies: a non-owner FR-44 policy filed with Florida and an owner SR-22 policy filed with Georgia covering your Georgia-registered vehicle. Combined monthly cost typically runs $220–$400 depending on your violation date and claims history.

Georgia SR-22 rates for drivers moving from Florida with active FR-44 requirements typically run $95–$160 per month for minimum liability coverage, compared to $180–$320 per month for FR-44 in Florida. The rate drop comes from Georgia's lower liability minimums — 25/50/25 compared to Florida's FR-44-required 100/300/50 — and Georgia's less volatile insurance market for high-risk drivers. Your rate depends on how long ago your DUI or major violation occurred. Drivers within the first year of their filing period see quotes at the high end of the range, while drivers in year two or three of FR-44 filing typically qualify for Georgia SR-22 rates closer to $95–$120 per month. If you completed your FR-44 period in Florida before moving, Georgia may still require SR-22 for 3 years from your Georgia license issue date, but your rates will reflect time elapsed since the original violation. Carriers writing SR-22 in Georgia for drivers with recent DUI history include Progressive, State Farm, Acceptance, The General, and National General. State Farm and Progressive typically offer the lowest rates for drivers more than 18 months past their violation date. Acceptance and The General write drivers in the first 12 months post-DUI but at significantly higher premiums — expect $140–$180 per month for minimum coverage.

Florida will suspend your Florida license immediately and report the suspension to the National Driver Register. Georgia will see the suspension when they pull your record and will suspend your Georgia license under reciprocal enforcement rules. You'll lose driving privileges in both states until you reinstate in Florida, which requires paying Florida's reinstatement fee — $45 for a lapse, $500 for a DUI-related suspension — and filing new FR-44 coverage retroactive to the lapse date. Georgia does not require you to resolve Florida suspensions before issuing a Georgia license, but Georgia will independently suspend your Georgia license if Florida reports an active suspension. The suspension in Georgia remains until you provide proof to Georgia that Florida has reinstated your license. Most drivers discover this only after being pulled over in Georgia and told their Georgia license is suspended due to an out-of-state action. To avoid this: do not cancel Florida FR-44 coverage until you've either completed your Florida filing period or received written confirmation from Florida that your FR-44 requirement has been closed. If you're maintaining dual filing, set up automatic payment for both policies and monitor both states' DMV portals monthly to confirm filing status shows active. A single missed payment on either policy triggers suspension in both states.