From Puerto Rico to Florida: what changes when you move

If you were born in Puerto Rico, you are a U.S. citizen by birth,¹ and moving to Florida is moving within the country: it does not change your citizenship, your Social Security number or your credit history. What changes are rules that touch housing directly: which documents are accepted, how long you have for the license and plates, how the homestead exemption works, what home insurance brings in a hurricane state, when you have to carry flood coverage and what happens with taxes in the year of the move. This guide gathers them with their sources; prices and rents for each Florida county are under Places.

To get a Florida driver license after establishing residency

30 days³

To title and register your car in Florida, with Florida insurance

10 days³

Deadline to apply for the homestead exemption with the county property appraiser

March 1⁹

Maximum homestead exemption on the assessed value of your main home

$50,000⁶

Before you leave: the birth certificate and the papers

The filing most families discover late: certified copies of birth certificates issued in Puerto Rico before July 1, 2010, became invalid under Puerto Rico law, and since October 31, 2010, Social Security only accepts island certificates issued on or after July 1, 2010; the new one is requested from Puerto Rico’s Demographic Registry.² You will need it for the license, for the children’s school and for almost any filing with a photo. Order it before you move, one for each family member, and keep your Puerto Rico tax returns for the last two years: the year of the move will need them.

Your move, step by step

Florida’s deadlines are short and start counting when you establish residency. This is the order the official sources follow, from packing your bags to your first tax return as a Florida resident.

From Puerto Rico to Florida, in order

1. 1. Order the new birth certificates

   Before you move

   Certificates issued before July 1, 2010 are no longer valid; the new one comes from the Demographic Registry.²

2. 2. Insure and register your car in Florida

   Within 10 days

   You need Florida insurance, the original title, proof of identity and a VIN inspection.³³

3. 3. Get your Florida license

   Within 30 days

   You apply in person; you will take a vision test and may not need a written or road test.³³

4. 4. Register to vote in Florida

   At least 29 days before an election

   If you are a citizen, you register online at RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov or at a tax collector's office that issues licenses.⁵

5. 5. If you bought, apply for homestead

   By March 1

   You file with the county property appraiser; after that, they mail you a renewal every year.⁹

6. 6. File for the year of the move

   The next tax season

   Puerto Rico income earned before you moved can stay off the federal return if you meet the IRS rules for the year of the move.¹⁹¹⁹

If you hire a moving company, the housing scams guide explains what to check before you hire and how much they can charge you at delivery.

The first weeks: license, plates and residency

Florida sets short deadlines. Florida’s motor vehicle department tells new residents to obtain the Florida driver license within 30 days of establishing residency, and to title and register vehicles within 10 days, with insurance bought from an agent licensed in Florida; the official page has a Spanish version and the list of documents depends on your status.³ The law sets that 30-day deadline for anyone who accepts a job or enrolls children in a public school, and extends it to the spouse and dependent children.⁴

When do you become a resident for the motor vehicle office? Its page mentions, for example, starting work in Florida, enrolling your children in a public school, registering to vote, filing for homestead or living in the state for more than six consecutive months. You apply for the license in person: you will take a vision test, and you may be able to get it without a written or road test. The same page lists the fee for an initial Class E license ($48.00) and the $6.25 service fee most tax collector offices charge.³

For the car, if it has no lien, the page asks for proof of identity for all owners, proof of Florida insurance, the original title and form HSMV 82040 signed by all of them. The VIN is inspected in person; among others, a law enforcement officer, a licensed Florida dealer or a county tax collector employee can verify it. If you still owe on the car and the lender holds the title, ask them to transfer it to Florida: you have to register it either way.³

“Residency” for tax purposes is something else, and it pays to understand it from the start: according to the Florida Department of Revenue, you are a resident when your true, fixed and permanent home is in Florida; filing a declaration of domicile, qualifying for homestead or registering to vote can establish residency, while getting the license only indicates intent.⁶ If you bring a car, the 6% use tax applies to vehicles brought into the state within six months of purchase, with credit for a similar tax paid to another state or territory; vehicles used six months or longer elsewhere are presumed not purchased for Florida, and that use has to be documented.⁶

To vote in Florida you must be a U.S. citizen, a Florida resident and at least 18 years old. You register online or at a tax collector’s office that issues licenses, no later than 29 days before the election. If you get a new Florida license number after registering, let your Supervisor of Elections know.⁵

Puerto Rico and Florida: what changes

Some things you took for granted on the island work differently in Florida. This comparison gathers the ones that touch your home and your money the most.

Puerto Rico and Florida, side by side

The island

In Puerto Rico

• As a bona fide resident, you pay tax to Puerto Rico on your worldwide income and exclude island-source income from the federal return.¹⁹
• A notario is an attorney authorized by the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico.²¹
• Birth certificates issued before July 1, 2010 are no longer valid.²

Your new state

In Florida

• There is no state personal income tax, but there is a 6% sales tax plus the county surtax.⁶
• A notary who is not an attorney cannot give legal advice, and must say so when advertising in Spanish.²²
• You have 30 days for the license and 10 to register the car.³
• If you own and live in your home, you can apply for homestead by March 1.⁹

What changes most is the calendar: write down the license, car and homestead dates from day one.³

The notary part matters more than it seems. If you look for help with paperwork in Florida, the “notario” in the ad is not the attorney you knew on the island. The guide Notario is not a lawyer explains who can actually give you legal advice.

What housing costs in Florida

Before deciding where to live, compare. The two charts show the typical home value and the typical rent in Florida next to other states. The data come from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, and each chart names its source.

Within Florida, prices change a lot from county to county. Buying a home in Florida and renting in Florida have the numbers for each county. With those numbers, the how much rent can I afford and how much house can I afford calculators help you see what fits your budget.

Your credit travels with you: check it

Your credit history does not stay on the island, but it pays to check. Request your free credit reportcredit reportA credit report is a statement that has information about your credit activity and current credit situation: your loans and cards, the balances, whether you have paid on time, accounts in collection and who has checked your credit. Credit reporting companies, also called credit bureaus, compile it from what banks and creditors report; your credit score is computed from it. When you apply for a mortgage, the lender pulls your report from the three bureaus. You have the right to see it for free and to dispute anything that is wrong.See the full definitionClose from each of the three agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion), which you can do once a week at AnnualCreditReport.com or by calling (877) 322-8228,⁷ and check that your Puerto Rico accounts appear and that your new address is on file. If a landlord or a lender says they “see no history”, those reports are your proof; if something is missing or wrong, the credit from zero guide explains how to keep building, and how to dispute credit report errors how to fix them.

Homestead: the exemption you have to claim

If you buy a home in Florida, the homestead exemptionhomestead exemptionA homestead exemption is a legal protection for the home where you and your family live. It can keep certain creditors from collecting your debts out of your main home, and it can also lower the property tax on that home. In Texas, for example, the residence homestead exemption removes part of your home's value from the tax calculation; to get it you must own the home, live there as your principal residence and apply. State laws vary widely: some cap the amount protected and others depend on the size of the property or the owner's age.See the full definitionClose is the difference between a reasonable property tax bill and one that surprises you. By law, a person who on January 1 holds title to real property in Florida and in good faith makes it their permanent residence is entitled to an exemption of up to $25,000 of assessed value, and to an additional one of up to $25,000 on the value above $50,000, except for school levies;⁸ the Department of Revenue sums it up as an exemption of up to $50,000 that also limits how much the assessment can rise each year.⁶ It does not apply on its own: the application is filed with the county property appraiser by March 1, and the appraiser then mails you a renewal every year.⁹ The annual cap is the lower of 3 percent or inflation, and the home is reassessed at just value on the January 1 after a change of ownership: that is why the seller’s bill does not tell you what you will pay.¹⁰

The property tax guide explains how it is calculated and paid through escrow; your county’s figures are under property tax in Florida.

Home insurance in Florida: hurricanes and deductibles

Home insurance in Florida has two words that did not exist in your island policy in the same way: hurricane deductibledeductibleA deductible is the part of an insurance claim you pay yourself. When you have a covered loss, the insurance company subtracts the deductible from the claim amount and pays you the rest. You may have a different deductible for each type of coverage. You will find it on the first page of your policy, called the declarations page, along with your coverages and limits. In taxes, the word "deductible" means something else: an expense that can lower the taxes you owe.See the full definitionClose and mitigation. By law, the insurer must offer you hurricane deductibles equal to $500, 2, 5 or 10 percent of the dwelling coverage limit, and that deductible applies on an annual basis: if a hurricane loss already happened in the year, a second hurricane is subject only to the remaining deductible.¹¹ A “hurricane”, for the policy, is a storm system declared a hurricane by the National Hurricane Center, from the moment a hurricane warning is issued for any part of Florida until 72 hours after the last watch or warning ends.¹²

The good news is mitigation: rates must include actuarially reasonable discounts or deductible reductions for homes with features that reduce wind losses, such as roof strength, roof covering, roof-to-wall attachment and opening protection.¹³ Ask about the wind mitigation inspection before you buy. And remember what the NAIC notes: you are not required to buy the insurance your lender recommends, and the state insurance department is an unbiased source for comparing prices.¹⁴ The basics of any policy are in Home insurance explained.

Flood: almost always separate, and sometimes required

The typical homeowners policyhomeowners insuranceHomeowners insurance pays for losses and damage to your property if something unexpected happens, like a fire or a burglary, and usually includes liability coverage if someone is hurt at your home. Lenders require it as long as you have a mortgage, because the home is their collateral, and almost always collect it inside your monthly payment through the escrow account. The price depends on the location, the rebuilding cost, the deductible and your history. A standard policy does not cover floods or, in many states, earthquakes: those risks are insured separately.See the full definitionClose does not cover flood, and in Florida that matters at almost any address. FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program provides that insurance; most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage, homes in high-risk areas with a government-backed mortgage must have it and the policy typically takes 30 days to go into effect.¹⁵ The official map for your address is at FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center.¹⁶ The federal requirement is clear: a regulated lender cannot give you a loan on a home in a special flood hazard area unless it has flood insuranceflood insuranceFlood insurance is a separate policy that can cover a building, its contents, or both, when flood water causes damage. Most homeowners insurance policies do not cover that damage. Most of these policies are backed by FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and bought through insurers and agents. If your home is in a high-risk flood area and your mortgage is backed by the federal government, the lender is required to demand it; outside those areas it is optional, but floods happen there too.See the full definitionClose for the loan balance or the maximum available.¹⁷

Florida added a rule of its own. Citizens, the insurer created by the state, explains that the law requires most of its residential policies with wind coverage to have flood insurance by January 1, 2027. It comes in stages: homes in a special flood hazard area must have it; outside that area, homes with dwelling coverage of $600,000 or more since 2024, $500,000 since 2025, $400,000 since 2026 and all of them from January 1, 2027, regardless of value. Condo unit-owner policies, renters’ contents policies and policies without wind coverage are not required to carry it.¹⁸ If your wind policy ends up with Citizens, count flood as part of the cost from the start.

Taxes: what changes when you stop being an island resident

While you were a bona fide resident of Puerto Rico, you paid tax to Puerto Rico and could exclude island-source income from the federal return; if all your income was from Puerto Rico, you did not have to file a federal return (U.S. Government wages are the exception). The year of the move has its own rule: a person who was a bona fide resident for at least 2 years before moving can exclude Puerto Rico source income earned before the date they changed residence, and Form 8898 is filed when you stop being a bona fide resident of a territory and your worldwide gross income for the year is more than $75,000.¹⁹

Publication 570 spells out who counts as a bona fide resident for the part of the year before the move: citizens who were residents for at least the 2 prior tax years, who stop having their tax home on the island that year and who, until the move, kept a closer connection to Puerto Rico. If you have to file Form 8898 and do not, you may owe a $1,000 penalty unless there is reasonable cause.¹⁹ After the move you file with the IRS like any Florida resident, and Florida imposes no personal income tax, though it does charge a 6% sales tax plus the county surtax and documentary stamp tax on deeds and mortgages when you buy.⁶

You do not have to do it alone: the VITAVITA (free tax preparation)VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) and TCE (Tax Counseling for the Elderly) are IRS programs that offer free basic tax return preparation by IRS-certified volunteers. They are meant for people with moderate income, people with disabilities and limited-English speakers; TCE focuses on people sixty and older. The IRS sets no program-wide income limit, but individual sites may set their own. Many sites serve in Spanish and help with ITIN applications and renewals. Filing taxes every year builds the record lenders ask for.See the full definitionClose and TCE programs prepare basic tax returnstax returnA tax return is the yearly form you use to report your income to the IRS and figure the tax you owe, so you can pay what is due or get a refund. The federal return for individuals is Form 1040. In general you must file if your gross income is above the minimum the IRS sets for your filing status, or if you had a certain amount of net earnings from self-employment; even when you do not have to, filing can pay off. You need your SSN or ITIN, and those of everyone else on the return, plus documents such as your W-2s and 1099s.See the full definitionClose for free for people who generally make about $70,244 or less, persons with disabilities and limited English speakers; find a site with the IRS locator or by calling 800-906-9887.²⁰ Bring your island returns and ask whether the site has volunteers who know the Puerto Rico rules.

If this is you

The move is not the same for everyone. These are the most common situations and what the official sources say for each.

What matters most for your situation

You are moving with your family

Order a new certificate for each person,² and remember the 30-day license deadline also covers your spouse and dependent children who drive.⁴

You will rent when you arrive

Bring your three credit reports to show the landlord.⁷ If your renters policy is with Citizens, that contents policy is not required to carry flood.¹⁸

You are going to buy a home

Apply for homestead by March 1⁹ and compare the hurricane deductible in dollars before you sign the insurance.¹¹

You want free help with the numbers

A VITA site prepares your basic return for free if you qualify,²⁰ and a HUD-approved housing counselor guides you on renting or buying, often for free.²³

Costly mistakes

The mistake and what you do instead

• Mistake: Arriving in Florida with the old birth certificate.

  Instead: Before you leave, order the certificate issued on or after July 1, 2010.²

• Mistake: Leaving the car registration until after you get the license.

  Instead: The car comes first: you have 10 days to insure it in Florida, title it and register it.³

• Mistake: Buying a home and not applying for homestead.

  Instead: It does not apply on its own: file with the county property appraiser by March 1.⁹

• Mistake: Comparing insurance by the monthly premium alone.

  Instead: Also look at the hurricane deductible, which is a percentage of coverage.¹¹

• Mistake: Assuming home insurance covers flood.

  Instead: Most does not; look your address up on FEMA's map and quote flood separately.¹⁵

What to do this week

1. Order the new birth certificates (issued on or after July 1, 2010) for the whole family before you move.²
2. On arrival, book the license within 30 days and the car registration within 10, with Florida insurance.³
3. Download the three free credit reports and check that your Puerto Rico accounts appear.⁷
4. If you buy, mark March 1 for homestead and ask the county what the home would pay with the reset value.⁹
5. Get insurance quotes with the hurricane deductible in dollars and the mitigation inspection, and look your address up on FEMA’s map.¹¹
6. For the year of the move, find a VITA site and bring your island returns.²⁰ If you are going to buy or rent and want to sort it all out with someone, a HUD-approved housing counselorHUD-approved housing counselorA HUD-approved housing counselor works at an agency HUD has approved to provide housing counseling: independent, expert advice customized to your situation about buying a home, renting, a missed mortgage payment, a foreclosure or credit problems. The agencies usually charge little or nothing; many serve in Spanish and offer the homebuyer education course several assistance programs require. They are not lenders or real estate agents and sell you nothing. Your county page lists the official agencies with phone numbers.See the full definitionClose will do it with you, often for free.²³