What to Bring to the Texas DMV

Texas gives you three ways to prove who you are, and you satisfy any one of them: one primary document, or two secondary documents, or one secondary document plus two supporting documents. Primary documents are the strong photo IDs. A Texas driver license or ID card expired no more than two years, an unexpired U.S. passport book or card, a Certificate of Citizenship or Naturalization bearing a photograph, an unexpired military ID for active duty, reserve or retired personnel, an unexpired foreign passport with an attached visa and a valid Form I-94, or an unexpired Homeland Security or USCIS document with a photograph and verifiable data. Secondary documents are birth records and name changes: an original or certified birth certificate from a U.S. state, territory, the District of Columbia or a Canadian province, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or a certified court order showing an official change of name. Supporting documents are the everyday paperwork that backs a secondary document up, and the list is long: a Social Security card, a W-2 or 1099, an out-of-state or Canadian license unexpired or expired under two years, a Texas license expired more than two years, school records, a marriage license or divorce decree, a Texas voter registration card, a License to Carry, a Texas vehicle or boat registration or title, a Medicare or Medicaid card, a veteran's ID card, military discharge records, an insurance policy held continuously for two years, and more. Bring more than you think you need; a document that is a photocopy where the list says original will not count.

Source: Texas Department of Public Safety, Identification Requirements: "There are three ways an individual can verify his/her identity: 1. Bring one item listed in the 'Primary Identity Documents' category or 2. Bring two items listed in the 'Secondary Identity Documents' category or 3. Bring one item listed in the 'Secondary Identity Documents' category and two documents listed in the 'Supporting Identity Documents' category."

You need two printed documents that show your name and your Texas residential address, and one of them has to establish that you have lived in Texas for at least 30 days. Both may come from the same source only when that source is a local government or a service provider billing you for several residential services, so a water bill and a gas bill from one municipal utility work while two months of the same bill do not. The list includes a deed, mortgage statement or residential lease; a Texas voter registration card; a Texas vehicle, boat, or hunting or fishing license or title; a License to Carry; a utility or residential service bill dated within 180 days, counting electricity, water, gas, internet, cable, streaming services, lawn service and cell phone; a homeowner, renter or auto insurance policy, statement or card; a Texas school report card or transcript for the current year; a preprinted W-2, 1099 or 1098 for the most recent tax year; bank, investment or credit card statements dated within 180 days; mail from a federal, state, county or city agency dated within 180 days; a current auto payment booklet or statement; current military or Veterans Administration documents; and a preprinted paycheck or pay stub dated within 180 days. The 30-day clock is waived in two common cases: you are surrendering a valid, unexpired license or ID from another state, or you are applying for a commercial license. You still have to prove the address, just not the length of stay. Separate rules let some applicants use an alternative address rather than a residential one, among them participants in the Address Confidentiality Program, judges, active duty military, people who are incarcerated, and certain youth in foster care.

Source: Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Residency Requirement for Driver Licenses and ID Cards: "To verify Texas residency, an individual must present two printed documents from the list below." "One of the documents must verify that the individual has lived in Texas for at least 30 days." The waivers and alternative-address categories are on the same page, under Residency Requirement Waived.

You must give your Social Security number when you apply, or show that you are not eligible for one. That is the actual wording of the requirement, and the second half of it matters: an applicant who cannot get an SSN completes the department's Social Security Number Affidavit rather than being turned away. If you do have a number, you do not need the card itself. The department verifies the number electronically with the Social Security Administration while you are at the counter, so the transaction runs off that match.

Source: Texas Transportation Code Sec. 521.142(g): "The department shall require an applicant to provide the applicant's social security number or proof that the applicant is not eligible for a social security number." Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7), Revised January 2026, Chapter 1: Your License to Drive, Required Documents and Application Information, item 3, p. 6.

yes

Source: Texas Driver Handbook, Chapter 1: Your License to Drive, 'Examinations - Part 2: The Vision Examination', p. 7

$16

Source: Texas Driver Handbook (rev. Jan. 2026), Appendix D: Fees – Learner license under 18 (new: $16); confirmed in Chapter 1, Table 1: Learner License ($15 for license + $1 fee = $16)

Texas does not charge a separate fee for the Class C knowledge (written) exam. The test is bundled into the driver license application fee, which is $16 for a learner license under 18 and $33 for a Class C license at age 18 or older. If you fail on your first attempt, your application is held for 90 days at no additional cost; after three failed exams or 90 days a new application and fee are required. A $10 exam fee applies only when you add a higher class or remove restrictions from an existing license.

Source: Texas Driver Handbook (rev. Jan. 2026), Appendix D: Fees; Chapter 1, 'How to Obtain a Texas Driver License' – Examinations (Part 1: The Knowledge Exam and Part 3: The Driving Exam) Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7), Revised January 2026, Chapter 1, Examinations: "Before any exams are given, you must pay the required fee." The exams carry no fee of their own; the learner license ($16) or Class C license ($33) fee covers them.

Texas charges no separate state fee for the Class C driving (skills) exam. It is covered by the driver license application fee: $16 for a learner license under 18, or $33 for a Class C license at age 18 or older. If you do not pass on the first attempt, your application is held for 90 days at no additional charge; after three failed exams or 90 days you must submit a new application and pay the fee again. A $10 exam fee applies only when moving from a lower to a higher class of license, or when removing restrictions from an existing one. One caveat on "free": the driving exam can be taken at a driver license office or through a third party skills testing (TPST) school, and a TPST school is a private provider whose charge is not part of the state fee schedule. No state fee does not mean no cost if you test through a school.

Source: Texas Driver Handbook (rev. Jan. 2026), Appendix D: Fees; Chapter 1 'How to Obtain a Texas Driver License', Part 3: The Driving Exam (driver license office or third party skills testing school; $10 exam fee to change class or remove restrictions).

$33

Source: Texas Driver Handbook (rev. Jan. 2026), Appendix D: Fees – Driver license (Class A, B or C), Age 18 to 84: new ($33); confirmed in Chapter 1, Classes of Driver Licenses ($32 for license + $1 administrative fee)

$33

Source: Texas Driver Handbook (rev. Jan. 2026), Appendix D: Fees – Driver license (Class A, B or C), Age 18 to 84: renewal ($33); Age 85 and older renewal is $9

$16

Source: Texas Driver Handbook (rev. Jan. 2026), Appendix D: Fees – Identification (ID) card, Age 59 and younger: new/renewal ($16); Age 60 and older: $6. Confirmed in Chapter 1, Table 6 ($15 card + $1 fee = $16 for 59 or younger)

The application fee paid before testing covers the exams; the application is held for 90 days, and after 90 days or three failed exams a new application and fee are required. (The original Class C fee is $33 ages 18-84, $16 under 18 learner license, per Appendix D.)

Source: Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7), Revised January 2026, Chapter 1 'Examinations', p. 7: "your application will be held for 90 days. After 90 days or three failed exams, a new application and fee will be required."