Florida to Include Immigration Status on Driver's Licenses Starting 2027

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed the HB 991 law, known as the Florida SAVE Act, mandating that the legal status of the holder be indicated on all new, renewed, or replaced driver’s licenses and identification cards beginning January 1, 2027.

This legislation was enacted in The Villages as part of a broader electoral reform package approved by the state's Republican-controlled Legislature, passing the Senate with 27 votes against 12 and the House with 77 votes against 28.

Under this new regulation, documents issued from that date will specify whether the holder is a U.S. citizen or another type of legal resident. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles will share citizenship data weekly with the Department of State to cross-reference with voter registration records.

The change is neither retroactive nor immediate. Current license holders do not need to apply for new documents, as their existing ones will remain valid until they expire.

Gradual Implementation of New Licenses

The implementation will be phased: only when drivers renew, replace, or apply for a first-time license after January 1, 2027, will the new document include the legal status indicator. If a person becomes a naturalized citizen, they can update their license free of charge to reflect their new status.

Dariel Fernández, the tax collector for Miami-Dade, issued a statement describing the law as a comprehensive measure that enhances verification processes, improves data coordination, and modernizes identification management and eligibility across Florida. He noted that his office is central to many of these processes and is proactively assessing implementation to ensure a smooth transition for residents.

Beyond Driver’s Licenses: Voter Registration Changes

The law extends beyond driver’s licenses. It also requires proof of citizenship—such as a passport or birth certificate—to register to vote, eliminates student IDs as valid identification at the polls, and mandates that all voting be conducted on paper.

DeSantis defended the exclusion of university IDs: "A student ID does not indicate you are a Florida resident. It means you are studying. You need valid identification that proves you are a resident."

The official justification for the law relies on a report from January 2026 by Florida’s Office of Election Crimes and Security, which identified only 198 "likely non-citizens" who illegally registered and/or voted in Florida from a pool of over 13 million voters. Of these, 170 cases were referred to authorities for investigation, and 28 to the Department of Elections for list maintenance.

Legal Challenges and Reactions

Shortly after the signing, a coalition including the League of Women Voters of Florida, Florida Rising Together, the Florida Immigrant Coalition, and Common Cause filed a federal lawsuit in the Southern District of Florida, alleging that the citizenship proof requirements violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution.

The Elias Law Group filed a second lawsuit on behalf of the Florida NAACP and the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans in the Northern District. Abha Khanna of the Elias Law Group described the law as one of the most severe voter suppression laws in modern U.S. history.

Jonathan Topaz, an attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, warned that the law targets Florida’s most vulnerable voters: older Black voters who grew up in the segregated South, naturalized citizens, transgender individuals, low-income voters, and voters with disabilities.

DeSantis foresees the legal outcome: "They sue, go to a liberal judge, the liberal judge rules in their favor. Then we appeal and win. That's probably what will happen here."

More than 90% of Florida residents already possess a REAL ID-compliant identification—by January 2026, 20.6 million Floridians had a compliant license, while 872,408 did not—a fact that proponents of the law argue demonstrates that the majority of the population will not be affected by the new requirements.