What Is FR-44 Insurance, and Who Needs It? (2025)
An FR-44 isn’t a type of insurance. It’s a form Virginia and Florida require of certain high-risk drivers.
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If you lost your driver’s license because of a DUI conviction or another major offense like reckless driving, you’ll need proof of auto insurance before you can get your license back. In Florida and Virginia, you’ll need to have an insurer file an FR-44 form with the state to certify that you’re insured.
But not all Florida and Virginia insurance companies offer FR-44 filing. And an FR-44 requires you to carry more than the state’s minimum amount of liability coverage, so it’s important to compare quotes from multiple insurers to find one that will file an FR-44 on your behalf.
Quick Facts
Another name for an FR-44 is a certificate of financial responsibility.
The form is similar to the SR-22, but it’s used for more serious violations, like DUI convictions and driving with a suspended license.
Drivers typically must file an FR-44 for three years.
Best insurance companies for FR-44 insurance
Insurance is expensive for drivers with an FR-44, so it pays to explore all your options. The following insurers have some of the lowest monthly rates on liability-only and full coverage for these high-risk drivers.
Insurance Company  | Full Coverage | Liability Only | IQ Score The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 criteria to objectively rate insurance companies on a one-to-ten scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores. |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Farm | $160 | $82 | 9.3 |
| GEICO | $195 | $128 | 9.2 |
| Safeco | $236 | $146 | 8.1 |
| Allstate | $205 | $109 | 8.9 |
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 500+ partner insurance providers. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
Our editorial team spent more than 350 hours developing the Insurify Quality (IQ) Score and scoring insurance companies. The IQ Score objectively analyzes and calculates a score for insurers using more than 15 crucial criteria. The team weighted criteria by importance to the consumer — factors such as customer reviews and affordability influence the score more than availability and third-party ratings.
We rate each company on a 1 to 10 scale based on five categories: financial ratings, customer satisfaction, affordability, customer support and transparency, and availability. Insurify updates ratings once a year or as more recent information becomes available.
- Third-party financial ratings: Insurify uses data from AM Best, S&P, Moody’s, and more to compare insurance companies’ credit and ability to pay out future claims.
- Customer satisfaction: To calculate this score, Insurify analyzed more than 55,000 customer reviews across 155 car insurance companies. We also consider third-party ratings from J.D. Power, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and Trustpilot.
- Affordability: Our data scientists analyzed more than 90 million real-time auto insurance rates from our partners across the U.S., as well as available discounts, to calculate an affordability score.
- Customer support and transparency: This measures coverage options, ease of claims filing, and the insurer's transparency surrounding discounts, coverages, and claims process.
- Availability and reach: Insurify scores availability and reach by identifying the number of states in which insurers offer coverage and company size by market share.
Best for low FR-44 rates: State Farm
Best for drivers with newer vehicles: GEICO
Best for bundling: Safeco
Best for drivers who want to improve while saving: Allstate
What is an FR-44 form?
An FR-44 form is a certificate of financial responsibility that proves a driver has at least the amount of minimum car insurance coverage their state requires for high-risk drivers. Florida and Virginia are the only states that use FR-44 forms. Drivers in those states with a suspended license due to a major offense, like a DUI (in Florida) or DWI (in Virginia), need an FR-44 form before they can have their driver’s license reinstated.
The form lists your personal and contact information, the name of your insurance company, and your car insurance policy number.[?] It also indicates whether you have non-owner car insurance (operator’s policy) or an owner’s policy. If you have an owner’s policy, the FR-44 will also list your vehicle information.
Your insurer will prepare and file the FR-44 with the DMV (Virginia) or Division of Motorist Services (Florida) on your behalf.
Find Affordable FR-44 Coverage in Florida
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SR-22s vs. FR-44s
SR-22 forms and FR-44s are similar forms that serve the same purpose. Both provide proof of insurance to have your suspended license reinstated. However, they have some important differences.
Form | Coverage Requirements | Violations |
|---|---|---|
| SR-22 | State-minimum liability coverage | DUI or DWI, excessive points, driving with suspended license or without insurance, reckless driving |
| FR-44 | Additional coverage beyond state-minimum liability coverage | DUI or DWI, driving with suspended license |
The overlap between the violations that lead to an SR-22 and an FR-44 sometimes prompt insurers to file both forms for the same driver.
Who needs an FR-44 form?
Traffic courts or a state’s motor vehicle department may order a Florida or Virginia driver who lost their driver’s license because of a serious offense to get an FR-44 before the state will reinstate their license.
For example, if you caused an accident while under the influence of alcohol, and the other driver was injured in the crash, you’d likely lose your license for some period of time. Once the suspension period ended, you’d purchase a car insurance policy with the minimum amount of coverage the state requires after such a suspension, and your insurer would fill out and file your FR-44 form.
How an FR-44 form affects car insurance rates
The FR-44 form itself doesn’t affect car insurance rates, but the driver’s infractions leading to license suspension do. As a high-risk driver, you’ll need more coverage than you had before your license suspension.
Virginia has higher liability coverage requirements for drivers with an FR-44 — double the state’s minimum amount of liability insurance. Florida requires drivers with DUI convictions to purchase bodily injury liability insurance in addition to the state’s personal injury protection and property damage liability requirements. Drivers usually must carry this coverage and have an FR-44 certificate for at least three years.
These additional requirements contribute to the higher cost of FR-44 insurance. Drivers who need FR-44s also pay much higher rates because insurers view them as very high risk, and charge them accordingly.
Florida car insurance requirements
Florida law requires each driver to have $10,000 in personal injury protection coverage and $10,000 in property damage liability coverage. However, you’ll also have to carry bodily injury liability insurance if you’re required to file an FR-44. Minimums for that are $100,000 per person and up to $300,000 per accident. A minimum of $50,000 in property damage coverage is also required.[?]
Coverage Type | Standard Requirement | FR-44 Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Personal injury protection | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Bodily injury protection | Not required | $100,000/$300,000 |
| Property damage liability | $10,000 | $50,000 |
Virginia car insurance requirements
In 2024, Virginia requires drivers to carry $30,000 in liability insurance for the injury or death of one person, $60,000 for the injury or death of two or more people, and $20,000 in property damage coverage.[?] Those minimums increase to $50,000, $100,000, and $25,000, respectively, for policies that go into effect on or after Jan. 1, 2025.
Virginia law doubles those minimums for drivers required to file form FR-44.
Coverage Type | Standard Requirement | FR-44 Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability (2024) | $30,000 for injury or death of one person; $60,000 for injury or death of two or more people | $60,000 for injury or death of one person; $120,000 for injury or death of two or more people |
| Property damage liability (2024) | $20,000 | $40,000 |
The combination of high risk and higher coverage amounts means you’ll pay significantly more for your insurance if an FR-44 form is a condition of your license reinstatement.
Insurify analyzed proprietary data to calculate the following overall monthly averages for Florida and Virginia drivers with clean records compared to drivers with FR-44s.
The below rates are estimated rates current as of: Friday, October 31 at 5:00 PM PDT.
Data reviewed by Konstantin Halachev
)
7+ years experience in data analysis
Ph.D. in Computational Biology
State Name | Clean Record | FR-44 Required |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | $110 | $130 |
| Florida | $155 | $182 |
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 500+ partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
How to get cheap FR-44 insurance
Finding ways to reduce your car insurance premiums is especially important for drivers paying high rates for FR-44 insurance. Here are some tips from the Insurance Information Institute:
How to file an FR-44 form
Your insurance company will file your Virginia or Florida FR-44 form on your behalf. But it’s up to you to start the process of finding an insurer to file your FR-44 after a judge or your state’s department of motor vehicles tells you to get one.
Here’s how it works:
If you’ve not yet purchased insurance, do some comparison shopping to find the best rate.
Speak with an agent to verify that the insurer covers high-risk drivers and files FR-44s.
Purchase your coverage and ask the insurer to file the form.
The insurance company will complete the form with your information and the insurer’s and submit the form to the DMV (Virginia) or Division of Motorist Services (Florida).
The insurance company will likely charge you a small fee for filing the form.
How long will you need to file an FR-44?
In both Florida and Virginia, FR-44 requirements usually last three years, during which you’ll have to maintain your insurance coverage with no lapses. If coverage lapses, your license could be suspended again.
While you can’t end your FR-44 requirement early, you can prevent it from being extended beyond three years by:
Avoiding further violations
Paying your insurance bill on time to avoid a lapse in coverage
FR-44s for non-owner car insurance
If you drive someone else’s car instead of one you own and need to file an FR-44, you’ll have to purchase operator’s insurance instead of insurance for a vehicle owner.
Whether you live in Florida or Virginia, your FR-44 will indicate that your insurance coverage is a non-owner’s car insurance policy that covers you while driving any vehicle not registered or titled to you.
FR-44 insurance FAQs
It’s important to understand the ins and outs of form FR-44. Otherwise, you risk making a mistake that could cause your driving privileges to be revoked again.
What does FR-44 insurance cover?
FR-44 is not insurance, so it doesn’t provide coverage. It’s a form that verifies your insurance coverage so you can get your license reinstated after it’s been suspended for a major violation.
Who has the cheapest FR-44 insurance?
State Farm, GEICO, Safeco, and Allstate have the lowest average rates. However, the cheapest auto insurer for one driver might not be the cheapest for another. The rate quotes you receive are based on your unique rating factors.
How is FR-44 coverage different from standard auto insurance?
Because FR-44 is proof of coverage, not a type of insurance policy, it’s not possible to compare it to an insurance policy. But drivers who are required to file form FR-44 have special insurance coverage requirements that exceed the requirements for other drivers. Rates for drivers who need an FR-44 are typically double the averages for drivers with clean records because FR-44 drivers are considered very high risk.
How can you get rid of an FR-44 requirement?
You can’t end your FR-44 requirement — it remains in place for whatever length of time the court or DMV mandated unless you end your insurance coverage, in which case you’d likely lose your license again. Typically, Florida and Virginia require it for three years. The best way to avoid having your FR-44 requirement extended is by maintaining a clean driving record and keeping your insurance policy active and in good standing.
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