Texas driver license and ID for new residents

Step 1 — Know your 90-day window

Visitors may drive in Texas on a valid, unexpired foreign license for up to one year, or until they become Texas residents, whichever comes first (DPS — Reciprocity).

New residents can drive on a valid, unexpired license from another U.S. state, a U.S. territory, a Canadian province or a “qualifying country” for up to 90 days after moving (DPS — Moving to Texas). To keep driving legally, apply for your Texas license within those 90 days (DPS — Reciprocity). If you’re not sure when you became a resident, ask DPS.

Plan backwards. One of your residency papers must show that you’ve lived in Texas for at least 30 days (DPS — Residency), and appointments can be booked up to six months ahead (DPS — Appointments). So book early, then gather your papers while you wait.

Step 2 — Choose a license or an ID card

• Driver license: valid for up to eight years (DPS).
• ID card: a photo ID that proves who you are (DPS), valid for up to six years (DPS — ID card).
• Not both. Texas law lets you hold one or the other (DPS — REAL ID); a Texas ID is surrendered when you apply for a license (DPS — Apply).
• REAL ID. Texas has issued REAL ID-compliant cards since October 10, 2016, marked with a star inside a circle in the upper right corner (DPS — REAL ID). Texas doesn’t issue “enhanced” cards with a chip (DPS — REAL ID).

Step 3 — Check which tests you need

• License from another U.S. state, a U.S. territory or Canada: you surrender it and skip the knowledge and skills tests (DPS — Moving to Texas).
• License from France, Germany, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates or Taiwan: Texas has reciprocity with these countries. With a valid, unexpired license, you don’t take the knowledge or skills test, unless you choose to keep your out-of-country license (DPS — Moving to Texas).
• Any other license, or none: expect a written knowledge test and a driving skills test (DPS — Apply). Before the driving test, you need an Impact Texas Drivers (ITD) certificate dated within 90 days (DPS — Apply); for adults, ITD is a 1-hour online video about distracted driving (DPS — ITD). If you’re 18 to 24, a first Texas license also requires a six-hour adult driver education course (DPS — Apply).
• Translation: a foreign license not in English or Spanish must be translated by a translation service or your consulate before you arrive (DPS — Moving to Texas).

Step 4 — Gather your documents

DPS’s online REAL ID Document Check builds your personal list (DPS — Apply). Build your file in this order:

1. Lawful presence (if you’re not a U.S. citizen). Bring one document from the DPS list, such as a valid green card, an unexpired Employment Authorization Document (EAD), or an unexpired foreign passport with a visa and a valid I-94 (DPS — DL-57). DPS can’t issue a card until the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) verifies your period of lawful presence (DPS — Lawful Presence). The DPS Verifying Lawful Presence guide shows which immigration statuses can get a card, and with which documents (DPS — Lawful Presence).

If you’re not a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, permanent resident, refugee or asylee, DPS calls you a “temporary visitor.” Your card says “Limited Term” and expires when your period of lawful presence ends, or after one year if it is “duration of status” (DPS — Temporary Visitors). Status questions: see free immigration legal help.

2. Identity. Bring one “primary” document, two “secondary” ones, or one secondary plus two “supporting” ones, as originals or certified copies only (DPS — Identification; DPS — DL-57). Primary documents include a green card, an EAD, or an unexpired foreign passport with an attached visa and a valid I-94; a foreign passport alone is only a supporting document (DPS — Identification). A foreign marriage or divorce document that explains a name change needs a certified English translation (DPS — Identification).

3. Two proofs of Texas residency. Both must be printed and show your name and Texas home address. One must show that you’ve lived in Texas for at least 30 days, unless you surrender a valid license or ID from another state (DPS — Residency). Accepted papers include (DPS — Residency):

• a residential rental or lease agreement;
• a utility, internet or cell phone bill from the last 180 days;
• a bank or credit card statement from the last 180 days;
• a current renter’s or car insurance policy, statement or card;
• a pay stub from the last 180 days;
• a current Form DS-2019, or a document issued by USCIS (not for commercial licenses).

Only residency papers may be photocopies, and mail with a forwarding or adhesive address label isn’t accepted (DPS — DL-57). If you can’t provide two, ask about a Texas Residency Affidavit (DPS — Residency). See also renting your first apartment and opening a bank account.

4. Your SSN. Give your SSN unless you’re not eligible for one. DPS checks it with the Social Security Administration (SSA), and if it doesn’t verify, you must fix it with SSA first (DPS — SSN). If you’re not eligible, you sign a Social Security Number Affidavit (Form DL-13) at the office; a false statement cancels the card and may lead to criminal charges (DPS — SSN). See getting a Social Security number.

5. Car papers. First-time applicants bring proof of insurance for each vehicle they own, or sign a statement that they don’t own one (DPS — DL-57). If you surrender an out-of-state license, you also need Texas registration for each vehicle (DPS — Apply). TxDMV gives you 30 days from your move to register a vehicle, sooner than your license deadline (TxDMV). Some counties require a passing emissions inspection first; then you register at your county tax assessor-collector’s office (TxDMV). See buying and insuring a car.

Step 5 — Book your appointment

• Appointments only. All in-office services are by appointment, on the DPS scheduler (DPS — Appointments). You can book even if you’ve never had a Texas card (DPS — Appointments).
• No date near you? Try the next closest office, or watch for the few same-day slots most offices offer (DPS — Appointments).
• Timing. Arrive no earlier than 30 minutes before; appointments are cancelled after 30 minutes (DPS — Appointments).
• The form. Fill in Form DL-14A before you go or at the office (DPS — Apply). DPS says paper forms will soon be replaced by an online application that you complete before booking (DPS — Online Application).

Step 6 — At the office: documents and tests

You hand in your documents, give your signature and thumbprints, have your photo taken, pay the fee, pass a vision exam and take any required tests, at DPS or with a third-party provider (DPS — Apply). Study with the Texas Driver’s Handbook (DPS — Apply).

Language. DPS offers the knowledge test only in English or Spanish, and you must understand road signs written in English (DPS — Languages). A translator may help you only before and after the tests; during the driving test, the examiner uses hand signals (DPS — Languages).

The driving test. To schedule it, you need the driver license number DPS assigns you (DPS — Driving Test). Bring your ITD certificate, proof of driver education if you’re under 25, and proof of liability insurance for a vehicle with a current registration sticker and front and rear plates; no passengers may ride along (DPS — Driving Test). In a rental car, you must be an authorized driver, and the company must allow driving tests (DPS — Driving Test).

Step 7 — Get your card and keep it current

• Temporary license first. Check it for mistakes before you leave (DPS — Apply).
• Slow status check? The License Eligibility page shows whether DPS has received the DHS response (DPS — Lawful Presence).
• New address? Change it on your card within 30 days of moving (DPS — Change Information). USCIS has its own rule: see change of address for USCIS and USPS.
• Limited Term card? Renew in person with proof of your current lawful presence (DPS — Temporary Visitors), ideally at least 30 days before it expires (DPS — Lawful Presence).