Can you take the Florida permit test in Spanish?

By the Permito team · Facts checked against the FLHSMV release of January 30, 2026 and the 2026 Florida Statutes · Updated November 9, 2026 · Sources checked November 9, 2026 · How we check facts

What changed on February 6, 2026?

On January 30, 2026, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) announced that, starting Friday, February 6, all driver license knowledge and skills exams would be given only in English (FLHSMV news release). The release says the change applies to all license classes, including exams given orally.

Before that date, the knowledge exam for most non-commercial licenses was offered in several languages, while the Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP) and Commercial Driver License (CDL) knowledge exams were available in English and Spanish only. Language translation services are no longer permitted for knowledge or skills exams, and printed exams in other languages were removed from use (FLHSMV news release).

At least one office that gives the test repeats the rule on its own page. The Palm Beach County Tax Collector, which runs driver license services in that county, states that exams are conducted in English only and that external translation services are no longer permitted (Palm Beach County Tax Collector).

What is on the Florida knowledge exam?

The exam for a learner’s license is the Class E Knowledge Exam: 50 multiple-choice questions on Florida traffic laws, safe driving practices and identifying traffic controls. You need at least 40 correct, so you can miss up to 10 (Palm Beach County Tax Collector).

Florida law says the knowledge part must test your ability to read and understand road signs that regulate, warn and direct traffic; your knowledge of Florida traffic laws, including the laws on driving under the influence and with an unlawful blood-alcohol level; and what alcohol and controlled substances do to a driver (Fla. Stat. 322.12). The same statute requires at least 25 questions on bicycle and pedestrian safety in the bank of test questions. It does not say how many of them appear on one exam, so expect questions about sharing the road with people on bikes and on foot (Fla. Stat. 322.12).

Florida’s test facts and a set of state-specific rules are in our Florida permit test guide; other states are in the Questions and pass mark by state, with sources.

Does the English-only rule apply to the online permit test?

Plan on English there too. Florida law lets approved providers of online traffic law and substance abuse education courses give the learner’s license exams online, with a parent, guardian or other responsible adult who certifies that they will monitor the applicant and, afterward, that they did (Fla. Stat. 322.56). The FLHSMV release covers all driver license knowledge exams and lists no exception (FLHSMV news release), and Florida law says a test given by a third-party administrator under contract with the state must match the one the state would otherwise give (Fla. Stat. 322.56).

The adult’s role in the law is to monitor you (Fla. Stat. 322.56), and FLHSMV’s rule is that exams are taken in English and without an interpreter (FLHSMV news release). Do not count on help with the wording.

Can you bring an interpreter or ask for a translated test?

No. Since February 6, 2026, language translation services are not permitted for knowledge or skills exams, and printed exams in other languages are no longer used (FLHSMV news release). That includes the driving test: the release names both kinds of exam.

The release does not address accommodations for applicants with disabilities, such as a deaf applicant who uses sign language. If that is your situation, ask the office where you will test before you book, and ask for the answer in writing.

How can a Spanish speaker prepare for an English-only test?

The rules of the road do not change with the language of the test, and the release says nothing about the language you study in (FLHSMV news release). Many people find it easiest to learn a rule in the language they think in, then learn how the same rule is worded in English. That second step is easy to skip, and on an English-only test it is the step that counts.

1. Learn each rule in your own language first, including why it exists.
2. Then read the same rule in English and notice the exact words: a question about “yield” and one about “stop” have different right answers.
3. Keep a short word list of the English terms you meet while you study. The table below is a start.
4. Practice reading questions in English only, without a translation, until you can read a question once and know what it asks.
5. Learn signs by shape and color. An eight-sided sign is always a stop sign, and a downward-pointing triangle is always a yield sign (MUTCD Section 2A.05). Our Road signs: every sign with its name and meaning shows every sign with its English and Spanish name.

In the Permito app, Florida’s questions are in English and Spanish and you can show both languages side by side, so you can check your understanding in Spanish and then answer in English.

What else do you need for a Florida learner’s license?

Under Florida law, FLHSMV may issue a learner’s license to someone who is at least 15, has passed the written exam and the vision and hearing exam, and has completed an approved driver education course (Fla. Stat. 322.1615). Applicants 18 or older must complete a traffic law and substance abuse education course, unless they were licensed in another jurisdiction or completed a Department of Education driver education course (Fla. Stat. 322.095). With the learner’s license, a licensed driver who is at least 21 must ride in the seat closest to your right, and you may drive only in daylight for the first 3 months, then until 10 p.m. (Fla. Stat. 322.1615). Parents can find how the app works for families on our page For parents.

What happens if you fail, or already have a license?

You can take the knowledge test again; Florida law charges $10 for each knowledge test after a failed first attempt (Fla. Stat. 322.12). Now that the test is only in English, a missed question may come from the wording rather than the rule, so check both when you review.

If you hold a valid license from another U.S. state, a Canadian province or the U.S. Armed Forces, Florida law lets FLHSMV waive the knowledge, endorsement and skills tests for a license of an equal or lower class (Fla. Stat. 322.12). A license from another country is not on that list: the statute says the department examines every applicant, including one licensed in another country, except as the law provides otherwise (Fla. Stat. 322.12). If you are moving to Florida from abroad, plan to take the knowledge exam, in English.

The bottom line

Since February 6, 2026, Florida’s knowledge test is in English only, with no interpreter and no translated version (FLHSMV news release). The exam is 50 questions, with 40 correct needed to pass (Palm Beach County Tax Collector). Study in whatever language helps you understand the rules, then finish your preparation in English.

Related guides

• Do you have to get every road sign question right on the permit test?
• What if the driver handbook and the law disagree?

Keep going

• Florida permit test guide: question count, pass mark and state rules
• Florida practice test: ten questions with explanations
• Regulatory signs
• Warning signs
• Permit test by state
• Questions and pass mark by state, with sources
• All permit test guides

Sources

Sources checked on November 9, 2026.

1. Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV): FLHSMV Announces Driver License Exams to Be Administered in English Only (news release, January 30, 2026).
2. Palm Beach County Tax Collector: Knowledge Exam (web page, read November 9, 2026).
3. The Florida Legislature: Florida Statutes 322.12, Examination of applicants (2026 Florida Statutes).
4. The Florida Legislature: Florida Statutes 322.1615, Learner’s driver license (2026 Florida Statutes).
5. The Florida Legislature: Florida Statutes 322.095, Traffic law and substance abuse education program for driver license applicants (2026 Florida Statutes).
6. The Florida Legislature: Florida Statutes 322.56, Contracts for administration of driver license examination (2026 Florida Statutes).
7. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA): Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, Section 2A.05 Shapes (Table 2A-1) (11th Edition with Revision 1 (December 2025)).

Rules change. Check your state’s official handbook before your test. Permito is a private study app, not affiliated with any DMV or government agency. Found a mistake? Write to support@permito.app and we will check it against the source. How we check facts.