How to Renew Your Texas Driver’s License Online or In Person

You can renew your Texas driver’s license online, by phone, by mail, or in person at a Department of Public Safety office. Most drivers between 18 and 78 pay $33 for an eight-year license and can finish an online renewal through Texas.gov in about ten minutes. Your renewal window opens two years before the expiration date printed on your card and stays open until two years after that date. Once a license has been expired for more than two years, renewal is no longer an option and you have to start over as a new applicant with full testing.¹

When You Can Renew

A standard Texas license expires on your birthday following the eighth anniversary of your application date.² You can begin renewing up to 24 months before the expiration date. That window is shorter for some groups: drivers 85 and older can renew only within 180 days of expiration, and provisional license holders get a 60-day window.³

To qualify for renewal rather than a fresh application, you need all of these:

Your license is not suspended, revoked, canceled, denied, or disqualified, and you have no outstanding warrants or tickets.
Your license either expires within two years or has been expired for less than two years.
Your vision, physical health, and mental health have not significantly changed since your last renewal.

Who Can Renew Online, by Phone, or by Mail

Remote renewal is open to most Texans between 18 and 78, but only every other cycle. DPS requires an in-person visit every second renewal to update your photo and reverify your identity. To use online, phone, or mail renewal you also need to be a U.S. citizen with a Social Security number on file, hold a Class C, M, or CM license (or a CDL without a hazmat endorsement), and have a license in good standing.¹

Online

The Texas.gov renewal portal asks for your driver license number and the audit number printed on your current card. You confirm your personal information and pay by credit card or electronic check. Once the transaction clears, you can print or email yourself a temporary license that covers you until the plastic card arrives.¹

By Phone

Call 1-866-357-3639 (1-866-DL-RENEW) and follow the automated prompts. Have your license number and payment ready. The phone system does not print a temporary license, so hold on to your existing card and the payment confirmation while you wait for the new one.¹

By Mail

If you receive a renewal notice, you can return the completed Form DL-14A with a check or money order payable to the Texas Department of Public Safety.⁴ The $1 administrative fee is waived for mail renewals, so a standard renewal check is $32. The new card typically arrives within two to three weeks of processing.⁵

When You Have to Renew in Person

A DPS office visit is required if you are 79 or older, if your last renewal was done remotely, if you are upgrading to a REAL ID for the first time, or if your license status does not meet online eligibility rules.⁶

DPS offices work by appointment. You can book one through the DPS website, or use the self-service kiosk in the lobby to grab a same-day slot if any are open.⁷ At the appointment, staff take a new photo and fingerprints and hand you a temporary paper permit for use while your card is manufactured. The plastic card arrives by mail in about two to three weeks.⁵

Documents to Bring

For an in-person renewal, especially a first-time REAL ID upgrade, bring:

Your current driver license with its audit number.
Proof of your Social Security number if it’s not already on file, such as your Social Security card or a W-2.⁸
Proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful presence, such as a U.S. passport, birth certificate, or immigration document.⁹
Two documents proving Texas residency, such as utility bills, bank statements, or mortgage documents showing your current address.

Online and phone renewals skip most of that because DPS already has your information. You just need your license number and audit number.

Fees

Ages 18 to 84: $33 for an eight-year license.
Ages 85 and older: $9 for a two-year license.

A $1 administrative fee is built into those amounts and waived for mail-in renewals. DPS offices take credit cards, cash, checks, and money orders. Online renewals accept credit cards and electronic checks.¹⁰

REAL ID at Renewal

Since May 7, 2025, TSA and other federal agencies require a REAL ID-compliant license or another acceptable ID to board domestic flights and enter certain federal facilities.¹¹ A Texas license is compliant if it shows a gold star in the upper right corner. If your card lacks the star, you will receive a compliant one at your next renewal or replacement.¹²

Getting a REAL ID card requires proof of identity, date of birth, Social Security number, lawful immigration status, and Texas residency. If those documents were already verified during a prior in-person visit, an online renewal should produce a compliant card automatically.¹³ One thing to watch if you fly: the temporary paper license printed at renewal is not accepted at TSA checkpoints, so time your renewal around any upcoming trips.¹⁴

Vision Screening

Every in-person renewal includes a vision test. Texas uses tiered thresholds rather than a single pass-fail line:

20/40 or better in each eye without corrective lenses: no restriction.
20/50 or better with corrective lenses: pass with a corrective-lens restriction.
20/60 to 20/70 with corrective lenses: pass with daytime-only driving and a 45-mph speed limit.
Worse than 20/70 with best correction: fail, and you cannot renew until an eye specialist provides documentation.

These thresholds apply to both two-eyed and one-eyed drivers, though one-eyed applicants need 20/25 or better without correction for an unrestricted pass.¹⁵

Drivers 79 and Older

Texas law does not allow remote renewal at 79 or above. You have to visit a DPS office in person every time.¹⁶ The visit includes a vision exam and a review of the medical history section of your application. If anything raises concerns about your ability to drive safely, DPS may request a skills evaluation or additional medical documentation from your doctor.¹⁷

There is no mandatory road test based on age alone. Drivers 85 and older pay the reduced $9 fee, but the license is only good for two years instead of eight, which means more frequent vision checks.¹⁰

Military Members and Their Families

Active-duty service members stationed outside Texas can renew electronically no matter when their license expires. The same flexibility extends to their spouse and dependent children.¹⁶

CDL Holders

Commercial license renewals follow the same channels with extra requirements on top. If you drive in interstate or certain intrastate commerce, you have to keep a valid federal Medical Examiner’s Certificate on file with DPS; if it lapses, DPS will downgrade your commercial privileges automatically.¹⁸ A CDL with a hazmat endorsement cannot be renewed online and requires an in-person visit.¹

Updating Your Address

Texas law requires you to notify DPS of an address change within 30 days of moving and apply for a duplicate license showing the new address.¹⁹ Renewal is the easiest time to handle it, because the system asks you to confirm your address anyway. An address change submitted with a driver license transaction also counts as a change of address for voter registration under federal law, unless you opt out on the form.²⁰

Driving on an Expired License

Texas treats driving with an expired license as a misdemeanor under the same statute that covers driving without a license at all. Penalties escalate with repeat offenses:

First offense: a fine of up to $200.
Second offense within a year: a fine between $25 and $200.
Third or subsequent offense within a year: a fine of $25 to $500, jail time of 72 hours to six months, or both.

Causing a collision that results in serious injury or death while driving without a valid license raises the charge to a Class A misdemeanor.²¹ A traffic stop with an expired license often ends with the vehicle towed at the scene. The two-year post-expiration renewal window exists, but the penalties for driving on an expired card apply the day after it lapses.

1
Department of Public Safety. Renew Your Texas DL, CDL, Motorcycle License or ID
2
Texas Statutes. Texas Code Transportation Code 521.271 – License Expiration
3
Legal Information Institute. 37 Texas Admin Code 15.34 – Renewal Period Prior to Expiration
4
Department of Public Safety. Texas Driver License or Identification Card Application
5
Department of Public Safety. Apply for a Texas Driver License
6
Texas.gov. Online Services Eligibility for Texas Driver License and ID Cards
7
Department of Public Safety. Driver License Services – Appointments
8
Department of Public Safety. Social Security Number (SSN)
9
Texas Public Law. Texas Code Transportation Code 521.142 – Application for Original License
10
Department of Public Safety. Driver License Fees
11
Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID
12
Texas.gov. Texas REAL ID
13
Department of Public Safety. Federal Real ID Act
14
Transportation Security Administration. Acceptable Identification at the TSA Checkpoint
15
Legal Information Institute. 37 Texas Admin Code 15.51 – Vision Tests
16
State of Texas. Texas Code Transportation Code 521.274 – Renewal by Mail or Electronic Means
17
Department of Public Safety. Senior Drivers – Age 79 or Older
18
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical
19
State of Texas. Texas Code Transportation Code 521.054 – Change of Address or Name
20
U.S. Department of Justice. The National Voter Registration Act Of 1993
21
State of Texas. Texas Code Transportation Code 521.025 – License to Be Carried and Exhibited on Demand