Transient Merchant Bond - Miami, FL in Florida
Table of Contents
Brief Summary
Transient merchants in Miami can usually skip the Certificate of Use and go straight to a Business Tax Receipt, which makes the bond one of the few items standing between you and selling. Get the required amount from the City, then the bond can be issued quickly in the exact business name on your application.
The City of Miami requires a surety bond from transient merchants, meaning sellers who do business in the City without a permanent location there. The bond runs to the City of Miami and guarantees that the merchant follows City rules for transient sales. Ask the City for the current bond amount and form before the bond is issued, and plan on both a City Business Tax Receipt and a Miami-Dade County Local Business Tax Receipt.
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How to Apply for a Transient Merchant Bond:
- Ask the City of Miami for the required transient merchant bond amount and form.
- Have your Federal Employer Identification Number, or Social Security number if you use your legal name as the business name.
- Apply for the City of Miami Business Tax Receipt online, going straight to the BTR if you have no physical location in the City.
- Obtain the bond naming the City of Miami as obligee in the amount the City specifies.
- Apply separately for a Miami-Dade County Local Business Tax Receipt.
- Pay the emailed City invoice and keep the interim BTR on hand while selling.
Detailed Information About the Florida Transient Merchant Bond:
The Certificate of Use usually does not apply
Most City of Miami businesses need a Certificate of Use before they can get a Business Tax Receipt. The City makes an exception for peddlers, food trucks and businesses without a physical location in the City that still do business there. Those applicants go straight to the BTR application, which is where a transient merchant normally starts.
Two tax receipts, one bond
The City says every business operating in Miami needs a City Business Tax Receipt and a Miami-Dade County Local Business Tax Receipt. The County application is separate. The transient merchant bond is a third item, payable to the City of Miami.
What the bond guarantees
The bond promises the City that the merchant will follow its rules for transient sales and deal honestly with buyers. If the merchant does not, the City or an affected customer can pursue a claim against the bond. The surety pays a valid claim and then seeks repayment from the merchant, so the bond protects the public, not the seller.
Before you order
This listing does not show a bond amount. Ask the City of Miami for the required amount and its bond form, and make sure the name on the bond matches your BTR application exactly.
Eligibility and Requirements for a Florida Transient Merchant Bond:
- City of Miami named as obligee.
- Bond amount as set by the City of Miami.
- Principal name matching the City BTR application exactly.
- A surety company authorized to write bonds in Florida.
- A State of Florida license if the goods or services sold are State regulated.
Florida Transient Merchant Bond FAQs:
Usually not. The City sends peddlers, food trucks and businesses with no physical location in the City straight to the Business Tax Receipt application.
The amount is set by the City of Miami. Ask the City for the current figure and form before ordering so the bond is written correctly the first time.
No. The City says you also need a Miami-Dade County Local Business Tax Receipt, and the bond is a separate filing payable to the City.
You pay a premium rather than the full bond amount. The surety sets it after reviewing the application and the amount the City requires.
