Directions
Documents supporting the establishment of legal residence must be dated, issued, or filed 12 months before the first day of classes of the term for which a Florida residency classification is sought. View the academic calendar for the exact dates for each term. Documentation should be provided by the claimant (the person claiming Florida residency) – this will either be the independent student or the dependent student’s parent or legal guardian. For further clarification please visit our Residency Definitions page. An Independent Student under 24 years of age MUST also provide proof of income by the start of the term for which they are applying for reclassification. To qualify as “Independent”, a student must provide more than half of their cost of attendance or earn at least $11,811 for the qualifying period (12 months prior to the term) or previous tax year. All income must be verified.
If you are a current student applying for Residency Reclassification, you must provide at least three (3) of the following documents, with dates that evidence the 12-month qualifying period mentioned above.
At least one of the documents must be from Tier One shown below.
PLEASE NOTE: Sending in this information does not necessarily qualify you for Florida residency. Additional documentation may be required. All documentation is subject to verification.
Tier One:
At least one of the three documents submitted must be from this list.
- Florida Driver’s license/Florida ID
- Florida voter registration card
- Florida vehicle registration
- Proof of purchase of a permanent home in Florida which is occupied as a primary residence
- Proof of homestead exemption in florida
- Proof of permanent full-time employment in Florida (one or more jobs for at least 30 hours per week for a consecutive 12-month period)
Examples:
- First paystub and current paystub from all jobs worked.
- W-2 from all jobs worked.
- A signed letter on letterhead from your employer indicating: Your position start date and end date; whether the position is full-time or part-time; number of hours worked per week. If you have more than one job working a total of 30 hours per week for the required 12 consecutive months, then you may submit a letter from each employer.
Tier Two:
May be used in conjunction with one document from Tier One.
- A Declaration of Domicile in Florida. The date the Declaration of Domicile was executed and stamped by the Clerk of Courts must be 12 months prior to the first day of classes of the term for which Florida residency classification is sought.
- A Florida professional or occupational license, or Florida incorporation.
- Proof of membership in Florida-based charitable or professional organizations
- Utility bills and proof of 12 consecutive months of payments. Utility bills include water and electricity bills. We cannot accept bills such as cable, internet, or phone bills. You must submit: Utility bills from the consecutive 12 month period and proof of payments from the consecutive 12 month period. The bills and proof of payments must indicate the claimant’s name and address.
- Lease agreement and proof of 12 consecutive months of payments.
- State or court documents evidencing legal ties to Florida.
- Any other documentation that supports the student’s request for resident status.
Unacceptable Documents
May NOT be used for review.
- Hunting/fishing licenses
- Library cards
- Shopping club/rental cards
- Birth certificate
- Passport
- Social Security Card
- Florida Concealed Weapon Permit
- Insurance cards
- Theme Park Passes
- Time Share Rentals
- Hotel/Airbnb receipts
- Credit Card/Bank Statements