When you sell a vehicle, you have an obligation to make sure the person buying the vehicle is who they say they are. One of the first requirements will be for you to verify their identity. As a dealer, you are only allowed to accept a select few documents as valid forms of identification, a driver license, identification card, or passport. Let’s take a look at each one.
You will likely find a majority of your customers have Florida issued driver licenses. However, as a dealer you can accept any U.S. driver license, including U.S. territories like American Samoa, Guam, Marianas, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Many states have increased the level of security so that false ID’s cannot easily be reproduced, so look for things like laser engraving, ghost images and fine-line or guilloche patterns.
Identification cards are commonly used by people who do not yet have a driver’s license. These cards are acceptable but only if they are government issued and from either the United States or its territories. Other licenses such as gun licenses, professional licenses or others cannot be accepted as identification.
Passport books or passport cards are also acceptable and do not need to be issued by the U.S. In addition to foreign passports, our great friends to the north can also provide their Canadian driver’s licenses or Identification cards as valid forms of ID. Be careful though, Visa’s are not an acceptable form if ID, it must be the passport book or card itself.
No matter what form of ID is submitted, always check to make sure it is not yet expired. Under no circumstances should you accept any form of identification that has already expired. Read more about when and under what circumstances you need to submit a copy of the identification to the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV).