To renew your Texas License to Carry, log in to the Department of Public Safety’s online portal, confirm your information, acknowledge the state’s deadly-force informational form, and pay the $40 fee by credit or debit card. There’s no classroom course, no range test, and no new fingerprints for most renewals.1State of Texas. Texas Government Code 411.185 – License Renewal Procedure You can submit any time before your expiration date, or up to one year after, and still be treated as a renewal applicant instead of starting over.
When Your License Expires and How Long You Have
Your first LTC expires on your first birthday after the fourth anniversary of the issuance date. A renewed license runs longer: it expires on your birthday five years after the previous license expired.2State of Texas. Texas Government Code 411.183 – Expiration So the first license lasts about four years, and every renewal covers roughly five.
DPS is required to mail you a written expiration notice, a renewal application, and an informational form about deadly-force law at least 60 days before your license expires.1State of Texas. Texas Government Code 411.185 – License Renewal Procedure If the notice never arrives, don’t wait. Log in to the DPS portal and check your expiration date yourself.
The statute lets you renew “on or before the first anniversary of the date the license expires.” Translated: you have up to one year after expiration to file as a renewal.1State of Texas. Texas Government Code 411.185 – License Renewal Procedure Your license is not valid during that gap, though. Between the expiration date and the day DPS issues your renewed card, you have no active LTC, so you lose reciprocity in other states, the NICS purchase exemption, and campus carry privileges. File before your expiration date if you can. Miss the one-year window entirely and you start over as a new applicant, with new fingerprinting and full initial fees.
What You Need Before You Start Online
The whole renewal runs through the DPS Regulatory Services Division portal. Have these ready:
- A valid Texas driver license or state ID card, which is your login credential.3Texas.gov. License to Carry a Handgun
- Your LTC number, printed on your physical license card.
- A credit or debit card for the non-refundable fee.
You do not need your Social Security number. The statute expressly says DPS “may not request or require” it for a renewal.1State of Texas. Texas Government Code 411.185 – License Renewal Procedure Any guidance telling you otherwise is out of date.
Inside the portal you’ll confirm personal details and residency, electronically acknowledge the deadly-force informational form and the list of places where licensed carry is prohibited, sign digitally, and pay. Save or print the confirmation page as your proof of submission.
The Renewal Fee
The standard renewal fee is $40. Several groups pay less or nothing:4Texas Department of Public Safety. LTC Fee Chart
- Senior citizens age 60 and older: $35
- Honorably discharged veterans: $25
- Active-duty military, state or federal: $0
- Active Texas peace officers: $0
- Honorably retired Texas peace officers: $0
- Indigent applicants: $35
- Active or retired judges: $25
- Correctional officers employed by TDCJ: $0
- County jailers: $0
Fees are non-refundable even if DPS denies the renewal.
How Long DPS Takes To Process It
Once DPS has your completed materials, the agency has 45 days to either issue the renewed license or send you a written denial. That’s shorter than the 60-day window for initial applications.1State of Texas. Texas Government Code 411.185 – License Renewal Procedure Straightforward renewals with clean background checks often clear faster.
You can check status by logging back into the portal.3Texas.gov. License to Carry a Handgun The physical card ships by standard mail to whatever address DPS has on file, so confirm that address is current before you submit. A stale address is one of the most common reasons a card gets delayed.
No Classroom, Range Test, Fingerprints, or Photo
House Bill 48 eliminated continuing education and the proficiency exam for renewals. You do not have to retake a course, sit through a classroom session, or pass a shooting test.5Texas Legislature Online. Texas House Bill 48 Your original training carries the license for its full life.
You also don’t submit new fingerprints or a new photo. DPS keeps your originals and resubmits them for the renewal background check.6Texas Department of Public Safety. LTC Fingerprint and Photo Information The rare exception is when your prints no longer meet state or FBI quality standards; in that case DPS contacts you with instructions. It’s not something to arrange in advance.
Non-U.S. citizens have one extra step: documentation proving lawful presence in the United States before DPS will process the renewal.7Department of Public Safety. Application FAQs
Eligibility Can Still Block a Renewal
You have to meet the same eligibility standards that qualified you originally. A criminal conviction, an active protective order, or a pending felony charge since your last issuance or renewal can stop the renewal cold. DPS runs a fresh background check every time.1State of Texas. Texas Government Code 411.185 – License Renewal Procedure
Federal law sits on top of Texas law. Under 18 U.S.C. ยง 922 you cannot possess a firearm at all if you have a felony conviction, a family violence misdemeanor conviction, a qualifying active protective order, a fugitive warrant, or a history of unlawful drug use.8Texas State Law Library. Unlawful Possession No state renewal can override those bars.
DPS will also revoke a license issued to someone who was never entitled to it, who made a material misrepresentation on the application, or who became ineligible after issuance. A bounced application fee that goes unresolved for 30 days is another revocation trigger worth flagging, because it catches people by surprise.
Update Your Address or Name First
If you’ve moved or changed your name since your last license was issued, Texas law requires you to notify DPS within 30 days. You provide your license number along with the old and new information.9State of Texas. Texas Government Code 411.181 – Notice of Change of Address or Name That obligation is separate from renewal and has its own deadline.
Changing your address on your Texas driver license does not carry over to your LTC. You submit that change separately through the handgun licensing portal.10Texas Department of Public Safety. Licensing and Registration If you’re renewing anyway, do the address update first so the new card goes to the right mailbox.
Why Keep the License at All Under Permitless Carry
Since House Bill 1927 took effect on September 1, 2021, most Texans 21 and older who can legally possess a firearm may carry a handgun without any license. The LTC program didn’t go away, though, because the license still delivers benefits permitless carry does not.11Texas Department of Public Safety. LTC Benefits
- Reciprocity in more than 35 states through formal agreements or recognition statutes. Without an active license, you have no portable proof of eligibility across state lines.12Texas Department of Public Safety. State Reciprocity Information
- Faster firearm purchases from a dealer, because a valid Texas LTC qualifies as an alternative to the federal NICS background check.13Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Brady Permit Chart
- Campus carry on public university grounds, which still requires an LTC. Permitless carry does not reach college campuses.11Texas Department of Public Safety. LTC Benefits
- Specific legal protections for license holders at government meetings and on business premises that don’t extend to permitless carriers.
- A widely accepted ID document, valid as voter identification and as personal ID at most businesses.
If you travel out of state or carry on a university campus, letting the license lapse leaves a gap that permitless carry alone will not cover. Renewing on time keeps that coverage continuous.