How to Fill Out and Submit the Texas DL-5 Residency Affidavit

The Texas DL-5 residency affidavit is the form you use at DPS when you can’t produce two residency documents in your own name: someone who lives with you, or a representative of a qualifying organization, completes Section B and supplies their residency documents in place of yours. The affidavit only clears the residency requirement. It does not guarantee your license or ID will be issued.¹

When You Need It

Every Texas driver license and ID applicant has to show two documents proving they live in the state. DPS lists more than 20 that qualify, from a current deed or lease to a utility bill dated within 180 days of the application.² If two of those documents aren’t in your name, the DL-5 is the workaround. It commonly comes up for adult children living with parents, a spouse whose name isn’t on household bills, and roommates who aren’t on the lease.

Who Can Complete Section B

Three categories of people qualify, and the rules differ by category.

A Related Person at Your Address

A family member who lives at your address can sign Section B without going to DPS with you. You bring the affidavit, two acceptable residency documents in that person’s name, and a document proving the family relationship, such as a marriage license, birth certificate, adoption records, or a military dependent ID card.¹

An Unrelated Person at Your Address

A roommate or other non-family member sharing your address can also sign Section B, but they have to come to the DPS office with you. They present their own valid ID and two acceptable residency documents from the approved list.³ If an unrelated person signs at home and sends you alone, the affidavit will be rejected.

An Organizational Representative

If you receive services from a governmental entity, nonprofit, homeless shelter, assisted-care facility, transitional-service provider, group home, or college, a representative of that organization can complete Section B instead of a household member. The organization provides a notarized letter confirming you receive mail or services at their location, or submits a completed DL-5 on your behalf.³

What the Section B Signer Must Bring

Whoever completes Section B has to supply two documents from the DPS list showing they live at the address on the form. Common options include:

A current deed, mortgage statement, payment booklet, or residential lease.
Utility or service bills (electric, water, gas, internet, cable, streaming service, lawn service, cell phone) dated within 180 days of your application.²
A valid, unexpired Texas motor vehicle registration, title, or voter registration card.
A current homeowner’s, renter’s, or automobile insurance policy, statement, or card.
Checking, savings, investment, or credit card statements dated within 180 days.
A preprinted W-2, 1099, or 1098 from the most recent tax year.

The full list of roughly 20 items is printed on the back of the DL-5 itself. Any two documents showing the same address on the affidavit satisfy the requirement.¹

Filling Out the Form

Download the DL-5 from dps.texas.gov or pick one up at any DPS field office. It’s a single page with two sections.

You fill out Section A with your full legal name, residential address (street, city, state, ZIP), and the date. Section B is filled out by the person vouching for you: their full name, business or residence address, city, state, and ZIP. If the signer is an organizational representative, there is a separate line for the affiliate organization’s name.¹

Complete the text fields before your visit, but leave both signature lines blank. Signing at home is the most common mistake, and a pre-signed affidavit will be rejected.

At the DPS Office

Bring the completed but unsigned form along with all supporting documents to a DPS driver license office. A Driver License specialist or a Notary Public has to watch both the applicant and the certifier sign the form.¹ That witnessed signature is what gives the affidavit legal weight.

Keep the related-versus-unrelated distinction in mind. If a family member is signing Section B, you can go to the office alone with the unsigned form, their two residency documents, and proof of the relationship. If an unrelated person is signing, they have to be there with you.³

Cost and Timing

There is no separate charge for the DL-5. You pay only the standard driver license or ID fee, which ranges from $9 for applicants 85 and older to $33 for adults under 85, with $16 for applicants under 18 and no fee for disabled veterans with a 60% or higher rating.⁴ You leave the office with a temporary paper receipt, and the card typically arrives by mail within two to three weeks.⁵

Penalties for False Information

The affidavit is signed under oath, and Texas treats false statements on it seriously. Knowingly signing false statements is perjury, a Class A misdemeanor under Texas Penal Code Section 37.02. Making a false entry on the form, or presenting it knowing the information is wrong, can also be tampering with a governmental record under Section 37.10, generally a Class A misdemeanor but elevated to a state jail felony if the intent is to defraud or harm someone. Because a driver license is a government-issued document, the tampering charge can reach a third-degree felony in certain circumstances. The person signing Section B is certifying that you actually live at their address; treat it that way.

1
Texas Department of Public Safety. Texas Residency Affidavit (DL-5)
2
Department of Public Safety. Texas Residency Requirement for Driver Licenses and ID Cards
3
Legal Information Institute. 37 Tex. Admin. Code 15.49 – Proof of Domicile
4
Department of Public Safety. Driver License Fees
5
Department of Public Safety. Apply for a Texas Driver License