How to Get Your Texas Driver License - Texas Foster Youth Justice Project

You must have a driver license to drive a car. The car you drive must have insurance. It is illegal to drive without a driver license or car insurance and you can get expensive tickets and could even get arrested.

To get a driver license, you will need all the same documents that you need for a Texas identification card. Review carefully Get a DFPS Form 2042 Foster Care Residency Verification Form from Your CPS Caseworker and How to Get Your Texas ID. But there are many other requirements for a driver license, so be sure you review all the information about getting your license.

If you are in foster care and under 18, you must have permission from CPS to have a license. To show the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) you have permission, your caseworker must fill out and sign a DFPS Form 2042 Foster Care Residency Verification. If your caseworker will not go to DPS with you, they must sign both the verification form and the driver license application before a notary public. If you are over 18, you don’t need permission to get a license. But it is still helpful to have the verification form filled out and signed by your caseworker so you don’t have to pay the fee for the license and so you don’t have to prove your Texas residency.

You should take a caring older adult with you to the DPS office; you will need them with you to help explain that you are in foster care and that there are laws that make it simpler for you to get your driver license. Print out and take with you or have ready on your phone a copy of the DPS Foster Youth Driver License Fact Sheet.

If there are problems with your identification documents and fee waiver, show them the DPS Foster Youth Driver License Fact Sheet and the information about the laws on DFPS Form 2042 Foster Care Residency Verification. If there are still problems, ask to speak to a supervisor. If you are still denied, ask them to write down why you were denied, the name of the person you talked to, and the date. If you think you were wrongly denied your license, you can contact the Texas Foster Youth Justice Project at (877) 313-3688 or info@texasfosteryouth.org for advice and possible free legal assistance from a lawyer.

General Requirements for Getting a Driver License

Besides all the identification documents required, when you apply for a driver license you will need to:

Provide proof that you completed the required driver education
Pass a rules test and a signs test
Pass a vision examination
Pass a driving test
If you are under 25 years old, meet the other requirements based on your age (see below for more details)
Have a car to take the driving test that has current registration and insurance
Provide a certificate showing you have completed the Impact Texas Drivers (ITD) video program within 90 days of the date you take your driving skills test

Visit Impact Texas Drivers to watch the ITD video. The video program will only work on a desktop or laptop computer and not on a cell phone or tablet. There are different videos based on how old you are and whether you took a teen driver education class or the adult driver education course, so be sure to review the information carefully.

Carefully review the details about getting a driver license in this section and on the DPS website.

Driving Test

You can either take your driving test at DPS or at an authorized driving school. It may be much quicker to get an appointment for the driving test at a driving school. If you pass the test at a driving school, you will still need to go to DPS to show your identification documents to get your license, but the school can help you deal with all the other requirements. For a fee, most schools have a car you can use for the test and you can even schedule a few hours of practice driving to prepare for the test.

For more information about the Third-Party Skills Testing Program see the DPS website here. See Free Program to Pay for Driver Education for more information about FREE testing, driving practice, and driver education for current and former foster youth.

Getting a Driver License if You Are Under 18

You need to take a teen driver education course and provide proof that you successfully completed it before you can apply for a driver license.

Teens must also have proof of being enrolled in and attending school, which is called a Verification of Enrollment (VOE) form filled out by their school. Or you must show that you have graduated from high school or have a GED certificate. You will need this proof when you apply for your learner license and provisional license. It can take several days to get the VOE from your school, but it must be filled out and signed within 30 days of your application for a license, except in the summer. You may not be able to request it from your school during the summer, so you should request it before summer break if you plan to apply for a license before school starts again in the fall. You should ask your school’s office staff about who can fill out and sign the form for you. You may need to provide a copy of the form for them to fill out.

A learner license, often called a learner permit, is the first type of license you get when you are under the age of 18. You cannot apply for a learner license until you are at least 15 years old. With a learner license, you can only drive if you follow these rules:

You must drive in a car that has car insurance;
You must drive with a licensed driver who is 21 or older in the car with you; and
You drive with only one other person who is not a family member in the car with you.

You don’t have to pass the driving test to get the learner license, but you do have to complete the first six hours of driver education and pass a written test and an eye exam when you go to DPS to get it. A learner license expires when you turn 18 and you need to apply for a driver license or another learner license if you are not ready to take the driving test. While you have your learner license you should complete the driving practice part of your driver education course and the rest of the “classroom” part of driver education.

You can apply for your driver license once you have had a learner license for at least six months, completed the classroom driver education, and completed at least 30 hours of driving practice. If you pass the driving test, you will get a provisional license. It is like a driver license for people over 18 but with a few restrictions. With a provisional license, you can drive by yourself, but you must follow these rules:

You can only have one person under the age of 21 in the car with you who is not a family member.
You cannot drive between midnight and 5:00 a.m. unless it is for work, school activities, or medical emergencies.

Your learner license or provisional driver license will expire when you turn 18. You need to renew it within 30 days of your 18th birthday. You can use a completed DFPS Form 2042 Foster Care Residency Verification to waive the fees if you go in person to renew the license. Once you renew it and you are 18, you have no more driving restrictions!

You can find more information about getting a driver license when you are under 18:

Getting a Driver License If You are Between the Ages of 18-24

If you are between the ages of 18-24 and did not complete a teen driver education course, you must complete a 6-hour Texas adult driver education course. Many places offer this course, often online. Once you complete the driver education course, you can go to DPS to obtain a learner license so you can legally practice driving. With a learner license, you can only drive if you follow these rules:

You drive in a car that has insurance
You drive with a licensed driver who is 21 or older in the car with you

Or, if you already have good driving skills and think you can pass a driving test, you can apply for an unrestricted driver license. Be sure to review the detailed information about getting a driver license on the DPS website.