Lawful Presence

Daytona State College is required to verify the lawful presence of all new and returning adult education, degree-seeking, non-degree seeking, transient, and dual enrollment students. The State of Florida requires that a student must be a U.S. citizen or lawfully present in the U.S. before they can register for classes at a Florida College System institution.

Lawful Presence Verification
Lawful Presence Verification is the process to document that a student is in the country legally. Students who require verification will have a registration hold placed on their account (as shown in the student portal) until their documents are received and verified. Verification is separate from admission, residency classification, and financial aid eligibility. Completing Lawful Presence Verification meets the requirement to enroll in classes, but it does not automatically establish eligibility for any other benefit. Additional requirements may apply depending on the benefit.

Lawful Presence vs. Residency
Lawful Presence Verification is separate from the process of establishing Florida residency for tuition purposes, but they are related and can be done at the same time. Students seeking in-state tuition classification must be lawfully present, but they must also submit a Residency Declaration and meet the requirements to qualify for Florida’s in-state tuition rate.

FAFSA Eligibility
If the U.S. Department of Education determines that the student is eligible to receive federal student aid, they will be automatically verified, and no further action is required.

U.S. Citizens
Submit one of the following documents to an Enrollment Services office on the Daytona Beach, DeLand, Deltona, Flagler/Palm Coast, or New Smyrna Beach campus or email to Admissions@DaytonaState.edu. Please submit your information only once and allow up to 6 weeks to process and verify your documents. We will reach out to you if additional information is needed. Once we process your documents, we will remove the registration hold on your account.

Current driver’s license/ID issued by the state of Florida after January 1, 2027 indicating “Citizen” status. A temporary or limited license is not acceptable.
Valid U.S. passport that has been signed by the student. Both the information page and the signature page need to be submitted.
U.S. Certificate of Naturalization, form N-550 or form N-570.
U.S. Certificate of Citizenship, form N-560 or form N-561.
U.S. Certificate of Birth Abroad issued by the Department of State (DS1350).
Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240).
Military ID (service member only, not dependent). Photocopies are not acceptable; military IDs must be submitted in person.
U.S. certified birth certificate. Photocopies are not acceptable; birth certificates must be submitted in person.
- Only a birth certificate issued by a county health department or the CDC Bureau of Vital Statistics will be accepted.
- Hospital birth certificates are not considered a certified document and will not be accepted.
- Must have the applicant’s full name, date of birth, and place of birth
- Must have the applicant’s parent(s)' full names
- Must have the seal or stamp from the city, county, or state of birth that issued it.

Lawfully Present or Non-U.S. Citizens
Submit one of the following documents to an Enrollment Services office on the Daytona Beach, DeLand, Deltona, Flagler/Palm Coast, or New Smyrna Beach campus or email to Admissions@DaytonaState.edu. Please submit your information only once and allow up to 6 weeks to process and verify your documents. We will reach out to you if additional information is needed. Once we process your documents, we will remove the registration hold on your account.

A current Driver’s License issued by a U.S. state that issues REAL ID compliant licenses. Only unexpired licenses with the REAL ID symbol may be accepted. A temporary or limited license is not acceptable.
Current, valid Permanent Resident Card (USCIS form I-151 or I-551) – front and back. It must not expire before the first day of class of the term.
Students with certain student visas (F-1, M-1) may be verified through SEVIS and do not need to submit additional documentation unless requested by the Admissions office.
Non-U.S. citizen holding a valid visa that is eligible to study. Include a copy of current immigration and visa documentation.

Many statuses are not considered lawfully present including but not limited to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Pending Asylum, any status that is not “Approved,” expired visas, etc.

B1/B2, C1/C2C/C3/C4, D1/D2, G1, H, WB, WT visas are not eligible to enroll in higher education programs.