FR-44 Insurance: What It Means
An FR-44 is a financial-responsibility certificate that only Florida and Virginia use, filed by your insurer with the state to prove you carry liability limits well above the ordinary minimum. It is typically required after a DUI or another serious alcohol-related conviction.
An FR-44 works like an SR-22 - your insurer certifies your coverage to the state and must notify it if the policy lapses - but it demands much higher liability limits. In Virginia the FR-44 requires double the state minimum: with today's 50/100/25 minimum, that is 100/200/50 (Code of Virginia 46.2-316(C)). In Florida an FR-44 after a DUI requires 100/300/50 and must be maintained for three years (Florida Statutes 324.023).
FR-44 vs. SR-22
The mechanics are the same; the difference is the limits and the cost. Because an FR-44 forces higher liability limits on top of the surcharge from the underlying conviction, it usually costs more than an SR-22, so comparing high-risk carriers matters even more. If you need one, it is almost always tied to a DUI - see our guide to car insurance after a DUI for how long it lasts and how to cut the cost.
A real example of an FR-44's cost
Before a DUI, a Virginia driver carried the 25/50/25 minimum for about $1,300 a year. The FR-44 after conviction forces coverage up to 100/200/50 — double the state minimum — and layers the DUI surcharge on top, so the same driver can end up paying two to three times as much for three years. The higher limits are not optional here: the state will not accept the FR-44 filing unless the policy actually carries them.
What happens after the FR-44 period
An FR-44 must stay in force for three years in both Florida and Virginia, and letting it lapse can restart that clock or suspend your license. Once the term ends and your record is clean, you are no longer required to carry the doubled limits — though many drivers keep higher-than-minimum liability anyway, because by then the extra protection is cheap relative to the exposure it removes. The filing requirement ends; the habit of carrying real limits is worth keeping.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an FR-44 and an SR-22?
Both are filings your insurer makes to prove you carry required coverage. An SR-22 certifies at least the standard minimum limits; an FR-44, used only in Florida and Virginia, requires much higher limits (in Virginia, double the minimum, currently 100/200/50; in Florida, 100/300/50).
Which states use an FR-44?
Only Florida and Virginia. Every other state uses an SR-22 for the same purpose, at the standard minimum liability limits rather than the doubled FR-44 limits.
