Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 991, known as the Florida SAVE Act, on April 1. Beginning January 1, 2027, all new, renewed and replacement driver’s licenses and state ID cards will include a citizenship designation: citizen or other legal status.
The Republican-controlled legislature passed the bill along party lines. The state Senate voted 27-12 and the House 77-28. DeSantis signed the measure at a ceremony in The Villages, a retirement community in central Florida.
Voting requirements
The license designation is part of broader election changes. The law requires documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote: a valid U.S. passport, birth certificate, naturalization certificate or REAL ID-compliant driver’s license. Student IDs and retirement community cards are no longer accepted as voter identification at polling places.
The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles will share citizenship data weekly with the Department of State to cross-check against voter rolls. Voters whose status cannot be confirmed may cast provisional ballots, but votes will only count after providing required documentation.
Current licenses and IDs remain valid until expiration. Naturalized citizens can update their licenses at no charge. The law takes effect after the 2026 midterm elections.
Additional provisions target candidates. All candidates must disclose dual citizenship. Congressional candidates must report securities transactions.
Lawsuits filed within minutes
DeSantis predicted litigation at the signing ceremony. Two federal lawsuits were filed within minutes of his signature.
A coalition including the League of Women Voters of Florida, Florida Rising Together, Florida Immigrant Coalition and Common Cause sued in the Southern District of Florida. The Elias Law Group filed a separate suit on behalf of the Florida NAACP and Florida Alliance for Retired Americans in the Northern District. Both lawsuits cite violations of the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
Abha Khanna from Elias Law Group estimates more than one million registered Florida voters will need to provide a passport or original birth certificate or face removal from voter rolls within 30 days. Supporters counter that more than 90% of state residents already have REAL ID-compliant licenses.
198 out of 13 million
Non-citizen voting is already prohibited under federal law. Florida added this ban to the state constitution in 2020. In 2025, the Office of Election Crimes and Security identified 198 probable non-citizens among more than 13 million registered voters. Some had never voted.
Critics warn of consequences beyond elections. Thomas Kennedy, an analyst with the Florida Immigrant Coalition, said driver’s licenses are requested everywhere: for housing rentals, employment, banking and bar entry. Visible status markers on everyday documents could discourage non-citizens from renewing licenses, potentially increasing uninsured drivers on roads, he said.
DeSantis predicted the law will survive court challenges. At the ceremony, he described the familiar pattern: he signs legislation, opponents sue, a liberal judge blocks it, then an appeals court reverses. The case will likely reach the Eleventh Circuit, one of the nation’s most conservative appeals courts.
The Florida SAVE Act mirrors the federal SAVE America Act that Trump is pushing through Congress. The federal bill remains stalled in the Senate. Florida became the first state to pass its own version. If courts do not block implementation, every new driver’s license in Florida starting January 2027 will display information previously known only to immigration databases.