A Texas ID card example from the current design series is a polycarbonate card with laser-engraved text, a full-color photo on the left, a translucent ghost photo, microprinting, and either a horizontal or vertical layout depending on the holder’s age. Texas DPS rolled out this redesign in August 2025, replacing the older PVC-laminate cards with a tamper-resistant polycarbonate build and refreshed Texas-themed artwork.1Department of Public Safety. Texas Increases Security Features, Unveils New Design for Driver License/ID and License to Carry Cards Knowing what the card is supposed to look like helps you spot a fake, confirm your own card is current, and check whether it will get you through a TSA checkpoint.
Horizontal or Vertical: The First Thing to Notice
Orientation tells you the cardholder’s age bracket at a glance. Cards issued to people 21 and over are horizontal (landscape). Cards issued to anyone under 21 are vertical (portrait), with the dates the holder turns 18 and 21 printed prominently so a clerk can read them from across a counter. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission expects retailers to use this difference as a first-pass age check before looking at the printed birthdate.2Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Age Verification
A vertical card doesn’t flip automatically when you turn 21. You keep the portrait layout until you renew or replace the card, either online or at a DPS office.
What Appears on the Front
On a horizontal card, your full-color photograph sits on the left. The right side carries your legal name, date of birth, residential address, physical descriptors like height and eye color, and your eight-digit Texas driver license or ID number.3Texas Department of Public Safety. License Eligibility A driver license also shows a “Class” designation identifying what vehicles you’re authorized to operate; Class C is the standard designation for passenger cars and light trucks.4Department of Public Safety. Classes of Driver Licenses A non-driver ID card carries the same personal data fields but no vehicle class.
The background is Texas-themed with color gradients running behind the printed data. Certain design elements are intentionally raised, so you can feel them when you run a finger across the surface.
Security Features That Tell a Real Card From a Fake
The biggest change in the 2025 design is the material itself. Older Texas licenses were PVC with laminated layers a counterfeiter could sometimes peel apart. The current card is polycarbonate: multiple film layers fused under heat and pressure into a single solid block. Any attempt to separate the layers or alter the data leaves visible tamper evidence.1Department of Public Safety. Texas Increases Security Features, Unveils New Design for Driver License/ID and License to Carry Cards
Personal data is laser-engraved into the card body rather than printed on the surface. That’s why parts of the lettering feel raised to the touch. A smaller secondary “ghost” photograph of the holder appears in a translucent style, embedded within the card layers, which makes swapping out the primary photo without also matching the ghost image very difficult. Microprinting is scattered across the design; to the naked eye it looks like thin decorative lines, but under magnification it resolves into legible text. Additional features become visible under ultraviolet light during law enforcement inspections.
The REAL ID Star in the Upper-Right Corner
REAL ID enforcement began on May 7, 2025.5Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID If your Texas card doesn’t carry the REAL ID marking in the upper-right corner, TSA will not accept it for boarding domestic flights, and you’ll be turned away at federal facilities and military bases that require compliant credentials.
Texas started issuing REAL ID-compliant cards in October 2016 with a gold circle containing a star.6Department of Public Safety. Federal Real ID Act The 2025 redesign changed the marking to a laser-engraved black star. Either version means the same thing: the card meets the federal standards set by the REAL ID Act of 2005.7Texas.gov. Texas REAL ID Neither version, and you’ll need to visit a DPS office with the required identity, Social Security, residency, and lawful presence documents to upgrade.
Optional Markings You May See
Organ Donor Heart
Cardholders who registered as organ donors through DPS or the Donate Life Texas registry have a red “Hero’s Heart” symbol on the card. The symbol is a visual reminder of the registration; the current entry on the registry itself is what actually governs donor status.8Donate Life Texas. About Registration
Veteran Designation
Texas veterans can add a “VETERAN” designation to the card by providing proof of honorable discharge or other qualifying service at a DPS office. The designation is optional and offers a convenient way to prove veteran status without carrying a DD-214.
Keeping the Information on Your Card Accurate
An adult driver license is valid for eight years from the date of application.9State of Texas. Texas Code Transportation 521.271 – License Expiration ID cards are valid for six years.10Department of Public Safety. Driver License Beyond expiration, Texas law gives you 30 days to update the card after moving or legally changing your name. Address changes can be made online, by mail, or in person; a name change has to be handled in person at a DPS office.11Department of Public Safety. How to Change Information on Your Driver License or ID Card
Failing to report an address change is a citable offense under Texas Transportation Code Section 521.054, though a court can dismiss the charge if you fix it within 20 working days and pay a reimbursement fee of up to $20.12State of Texas. Texas Code Transportation 521.054 – Notice of Change of Address or Name If the card in your wallet doesn’t match your current address or legal name, or doesn’t carry the REAL ID star, it’s time to replace it.