How to become an EMT in Florida

Florida certifies EMTs through the Department of Health's Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight and uses the National Registry exam. Everything below comes from the Department's EMT licensing page and Florida Administrative Code Rule 64J-1.008, checked October 18, 2026. Fees change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.

Study aid, not a protocol. Nothing on this site replaces your course, your medical director or your agency's protocols. Built by an RN and former EMT. Headed In LLC is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) or any state EMS office; their names appear here only to point you to the real thing.

The national steps, briefly

  1. A state-approved EMT course

    Every state approves its own programs, all taught to the National EMS Education Standards. Most run 150 to 300 hours over three to six months.

  2. A healthcare-provider CPR card

    AHA BLS or an equivalent your state accepts, usually before clinicals.

  3. The cognitive exam

    The National Registry (NREMT) EMT exam: 70 to 120 adaptive questions in 2 hours, $104 per attempt, six attempts within two years of your course.

  4. Your state's license or certification

    The card comes from the state, not the Registry. The state's own steps are below.

The full national walk-through: How to become an EMT.

Florida, step by step

Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight

  1. Course: an EMT program approved by the Florida Department of Health. Trained out of state or in the military? A current National Registry EMT certification takes its place.
  2. CPR card: a copy, front and back, of an American Red Cross CPR for the Professional Rescuer card, an AHA BLS for Healthcare Providers card, or an equivalent the Bureau approves.
  3. Exam: the National Registry cognitive exam, passed within two years of finishing your program. A passing score counts whether you test before or after you apply. Scores post 7 to 14 days after the test and are not mailed.
  4. Age: the Department's EMT page lists no minimum age; ask your program.
  5. Application: DH Form 1583 with a $35 application fee, non-refundable, by money order or cashier's check to the Florida Department of Health. The application stays open one year, and the certificate issues within 30 days of a passing score once everything else is in.
  6. Record: any conviction or no-contest plea means a law-enforcement background check from each state where a felony happened, the court dispositions, proof of restored civil rights if it applies, and a written explanation.
  7. Renewal: every Florida EMT certificate expires March 1 of odd-numbered years, whenever it was issued; a notice comes about 90 days before. Renew with 30 hours of refresher training including 2 hours of pediatric emergencies and a current CPR card (passing the exam again also counts). Your first renewal is exempt from the hours but still needs current CPR.
  8. From another state: a current National Registry EMT certification, before or during the application, gets you a Florida certificate.

Sources: Florida Department of Health, EMT and paramedic licensing and Fla. Admin. Code R. 64J-1.008 (Cornell LII). The Department's page still lists the Registry exam at $80; the Registry charges $104 per attempt. Checked October 18, 2026.

Practice for the exam, freeOur own questions, written to the national standards and tagged to the exam's 28 job tasks, with a Pass Meter.

Official pages