How to become a travel agent in Florida

Yes. Florida requires sellers of travel to register with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) every year, pay $300 and post a surety bond, unless they're exempt. Hosted advisors who meet the state's "independent agent" test file a cheaper $50 annual form instead. Selling without the right filing can cost up to $5,000 per violation.

Here is who files what, what it costs, how to set up the business and the steps to your first Florida booking.

Do you need a license to be a travel agent in Florida?

Not a license, but a registration. Florida requires any seller or promoter of travel-related services to register annually with FDACS, unless exempt. That covers businesses with a Florida location and those that offer travel services to individuals or groups in Florida.

There is no general US travel agent license. What people call a "license" is usually a state registration like Florida's, plus a regular business license. How to get a travel agent license compares the states that have one.

Florida seller of travel rules

The rules sit in Florida Statutes, sections 559.926–559.939, and FDACS runs the program. This is a summary, not legal advice. As checked October 2026:

How to apply. Register or renew online through the FDACS consumer compliance portal. The application needs your business details, officers, independent agents and proof of the bond. FDACS must tell you about any deficiencies within 30 days.

Fee tiers. The $300 is the standard tier. The statute sets $1,000 or $2,500 for sellers that certify they sell travel to a "terrorist state", with much larger bonds.

Bond waiver. After 5 or more consecutive years of compliant selling in Florida, FDACS may waive the bond each year. You also need a satisfactory complaint history and no government enforcement actions against you in the travel business. Sellers in the terrorist-state tiers can't get the waiver.

Fee waivers. Honorably discharged veterans, active-duty service members, their spouses and surviving spouses can get the initial registration fee waived. The renewal fee waiver is narrower: it covers active-duty members and their spouses, and veterans or surviving spouses only within 2 years of leaving active duty or the member's death. FDACS says independent sales agents aren't eligible.

What must your ads and contracts say?

Your registration number goes on everything. Each contract, advertisement, certificate or travel document must include the phrase "(NAME OF FIRM) is registered with the State of Florida as a Seller of Travel. Registration No." FDACS also asks for "Fla. Seller of Travel Reg. No." in each advertisement. Display the certificate at your main place of business and at any branch.

Who is exempt in Florida?

Florida's exemptions list is narrow. The ones that matter most to advisors:

• Employees. Bona fide employees of a seller of travel, working solely for their employer.
• Established ticketing agencies. Sellers that issue airline tickets directly and have contracted with the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) for at least 3 consecutive years under the same ownership. They must offer no vacation certificates and certify each year. Vacation certificate sellers need 5 years.
• Others. Carriers, hotels making in-state arrangements, rental and real estate businesses, timeshare developers under chapter 721, dive operators, and people booking for themselves or their own staff.

An ARC-exempt business still needs an FDACS exemption letter to get its local business license. Nonprofits aren't exempt as a group.

How hosting changes what you file

You may file as an independent agent instead of registering. Florida defines an independent agent as someone who solicits travelers on behalf of a registered seller of travel under a written contract. All of these must be true:

1. You have a written contract with a registered seller of travel.
2. You take no fee or commission directly from the traveler.
3. You hold no unissued tickets or travel documents, and can't issue tickets or vacation certificates.

If you qualify, you file every year before doing business, pay $50, list each seller of travel you represent, and display your proof-of-filing letter. FDACS lists the independent sales agent application on its forms page.

Practical guidance, not a stated rule: if travelers pay you directly, you fail the second test, so expect to need your own $300 registration and bond. Ask your host which filings are its and which are yours. See what a host agency does.

Selling to travelers in other states

Florida's rules reach out-of-state sellers too: a seller of travel can be any resident or nonresident. The reverse is also true. California, Washington and Hawaii have their own rules, and California applies to sellers who solicit its residents. If you market nationally, check each state's requirements before you sell there.

Setting up your business in Florida

Form an entity or register a trade name. Both are filed with the Florida Department of State's Division of Corporations (Sunbiz). An LLC costs $100 for the articles of organization plus $25 to designate a registered agent. If you sell under a name other than your own, you must register it as a fictitious name first. That costs $50 and lasts until December 31 of the fifth calendar year, counting the year you register.

Get your local business tax receipt. Florida cities and counties call the local license a business tax receipt. To get or renew one as a seller of travel, you must show your current FDACS registration certificate. Orlando, for example, says all businesses must have both city and county business tax receipts, which expire September 30.

Know the sales tax rule for packages. Florida's sales tax law says no additional tax is due on components of a package sold by a travel agent in one case. The package has two or more components, you bought each from other parties with any sales tax due paid, and you don't itemize them. Ask the Florida Department of Revenue or an accountant how it applies to you.

For the rest of the setup, including EIN and bank account, see how to start a travel agency.

Steps to become a travel agent in Florida

1. Choose your route. Work for an agency, join a host or go independent. How to become a travel agent compares all three.
2. Get trained. No certification is legally required, but a foundation course shortens the learning curve.
3. File with FDACS before you sell. Register as a seller of travel with your bond, or file as an independent agent if you meet all three tests.
4. Set up the business. File your LLC or fictitious name on Sunbiz, then get your city and county business tax receipts.
5. Pick a niche and your tools. Choose what you know best, and check whether your host's errors and omissions insurance covers you.
6. Add your registration number to your marketing. Every ad, contract and travel document carries the Florida phrase.
7. Find your first clients and book. Start with your network, collect a deposit, then book with the supplier.

Travel agent jobs and pay in Florida

Florida had 9,430 travel agents employed in May 2025, with an annual median wage of $50,060, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data for SOC 41-3041. Those figures cover employees only. The BLS survey doesn't include the self-employed, so advisors who work for themselves aren't in these numbers.

Training and community in Florida

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) lists four chapters covering Florida: South Florida, Central Florida, North Florida and Suncoast. Local chapters are a good place to meet suppliers and other advisors. For courses and credentials, see travel agent certification.

How Tripdash helps advisors in Florida

Tripdash is the host agency platform that certifies travel advisors, sends qualified leads and includes flight and hotel booking systems, and you keep 80%+ of every booking. Florida's seller of travel filings are still yours to check before you sell. See Tripdash for Advisors.

Sources

1. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Sellers of Travel, accessed October 21, 2026. Consumer compliance portal.
2. Florida Legislature. Part XI, chapter 559, sections 559.926–559.939, 2026 Florida Statutes, including § 559.927, § 559.928, § 559.9285, § 559.929 and § 559.935.
3. Florida Legislature. § 605.0213, fees for limited liability companies, 2026 Florida Statutes.
4. Florida Legislature. § 865.09, Fictitious Name Act, 2026 Florida Statutes.
5. Florida Legislature. § 212.04, admissions tax, 2026 Florida Statutes.
6. City of Orlando. Get a Business Tax Receipt, accessed October 2026.
7. American Society of Travel Advisors. Chapters and Committees, accessed October 2026.
8. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2025 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates: Florida, and OEWS overview.