I have just completed my online purchase of my five year Florida freshwater and saltwater licenses, and snook stamp, through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission site.
The entire process took less than fifteen minutes. The License & Permit Information page provides the information for you to determine what recreational licenses are available, as well as eligibility requirements.
I already knew that I wanted to get the five year licenses for freshwater and saltwater, and the five year snook stamp, so I went directly to the How to Order section and clicked on the link “Follow this link to buy your license online. *(A $2.25 + 2.5% surcharge of total sale per person will be added to your purchase.)”
I was immediately taken to the secure “Total Licensing System (TLS) Online License & Permit Sales Site”, where I selected the option “Fishing and Hunting Licenses and Permits (Freshwater, Saltwater, Hunting, Trapping, etc.)”, clicked on the “Start Now” button, and indicated that I was a Florida resident, entered my driver’s license number and date of birth. I followed the prompts, adding information as necessary, added the licenses to “checkout”, and when all three were selected completed the checkout process, using my credit card.
As I had provided an email address during the processing, I received an immediate confirmation. Also at the end of the process you can print your “receipt confirmation”, which gives you a temporary authorization number, so you can fish right away, as it takes five to seven business days for the actual license to arrive.
I thought this was very convenient. For those outside of Florida, check out your state’s ability to get your license online.
I have renewed my driver’s license and vehicle registration online also. I think that this is very convenient, and am willing to pay the convenience charges, rather than having to go stand in line.
Let me know what you think about using your state government’s online purchasing.