What to Bring to Your Texas Driver’s Test: Documents and Vehicle

For your Texas driving test, bring your appointment confirmation, original identity and residency documents, your Social Security verification, both required driver education certificates, a registered and insured vehicle in safe working order, your glasses or contacts if you wear them, and payment for the license fee. That is the short list of what to bring to a Texas driving test, and missing a single item usually means being turned away and rescheduling.

Your Appointment Confirmation

Every Texas DPS driver license office operates by appointment for driving tests. Walk-ins are not guaranteed a slot, though self-service kiosks at the office can show whether a same-day opening exists.¹ Book online through the DPS website and bring your confirmation number or a printout on test day.

Identity, Citizenship, SSN, and Residency Documents

DPS requires original or certified copies in four document categories: proof of identity, proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful presence, Social Security number verification, and Texas residency. Photocopies and laminated documents are not accepted.²

For identity, one primary document such as an unexpired U.S. passport will do, or you can combine two secondary documents like a certified birth certificate and a Social Security card. The DPS website lists every accepted document and offers an interactive checklist you can run through before leaving home.²

Texas residency needs two documents from different sources. A water bill and an electric bill count only if they come from different companies. Acceptable items include utility bills dated within 90 days, a mortgage statement, a current homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy, and a residential lease.²

For your Social Security number, bring a Social Security card, a W-2, or a pay stub showing the full SSN. If you are not eligible for an SSN, you can complete a Social Security Number Affidavit (Form DL-13) at the office, certifying under penalty of criminal charges that you have never been assigned one. The affidavit is not available for commercial driver license applicants.³

Both Driver Education Certificates

Texas requires two education certificates, and their timing rules trip people up.

The Impact Texas Drivers (ITD) certificate comes from a video course on distracted driving. Teens aged 15 to 17 take a two-hour version (ITTD); drivers 18 to 24 take a one-hour version (ITAD). Drivers 25 and older also take the one-hour version. The ITD certificate is valid for only 90 days and must be completed after your behind-the-wheel training but before your skills test. If 90 days lapse, you retake the course.⁴

You also need your driver education course certificate: a DE-964 for teen programs or an ADE-1317 for adult programs.⁵ The certificate itself does not expire, but the written knowledge test score tied to the course expires two years after you passed it. If more than two years have gone by, plan to retake the knowledge exam at the DPS office before you drive.

A Vehicle That Will Pass Inspection

You can use any vehicle for the test, borrowed or your own, as long as it is registered, insured, and in safe working order. The examiner checks every vehicle before the test, and a surprising number of people get turned away at this step.

Vehicle Documents

Bring proof of current registration and unexpired insurance. An insurance card or a digital policy on your phone is fine. If someone else owns the car, confirm you are not listed as an excluded driver on their policy.⁶

What the Examiner Checks

Two permanently affixed license plates, front and rear. Single plates are accepted only for out-of-state or temporary tags. Dealership plates are not allowed.
Working headlights, taillights, brake lights, and front and rear turn signals.
A functioning horn, at least one rearview mirror, working windshield wipers, and functioning seatbelts.
An operational speedometer.
Driver and front passenger doors that open normally, with a working outside handle on the passenger side so the examiner can get in and out.
A clear front passenger seat. Remove car seats, boxes, or anything else in the examiner’s way.

A brake warning light illuminated on the dashboard will get the vehicle rejected. An ABS light on its own will not.⁶

If your vehicle is registered in one of the 17 Texas emissions counties (including Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Travis, and El Paso, with Bexar joining November 1, 2026), make sure it has a current passing emissions test.⁷

Glasses or Contacts for the Vision Test

DPS gives you a vision screening at the office before the driving test. If you wear corrective lenses, bring them. Needing them to pass the screening is not a problem; your license will simply carry a Restriction A code requiring you to wear them whenever you drive.⁸

Payment for the License Fee

Bring money for the license itself. Applicants under 18 pay $16, with the license expiring on their 18th birthday. Adults 18 to 84 pay $33 for a license valid for eight years.⁹ DPS offices accept cash, credit cards, checks, and money orders.

Extra Items If You Are Under 18

Minors have two additional requirements on test day.

A parent, legal guardian, or another authorized person must be present to sign the application. If neither parent has custody, the signer can be the minor’s guardian, an agent with power of attorney, the minor’s employer, or the county judge.¹⁰

You also need a Verification of Enrollment and Attendance (VOE) form from your school. The VOE confirms current enrollment and the 90% attendance requirement under Texas Education Code Section 25.092 for the prior semester. It expires 30 days after issue during the school year; a VOE issued in the last five days of the school year is good through the first day of the next school year.¹¹ Time the request so it does not expire before your test date.

Translators Are Allowed Before the Test, Not During

If you do not speak English, you can bring a translator to help you understand the examiner’s hand signals and instructions beforehand. No translator is allowed inside the vehicle or in contact with you during the drive itself; the examiner uses hand signals and other non-verbal cues to direct you.¹² A foreign license not in English or Spanish must be translated by a professional service or your country’s consulate before you arrive.

If You Already Have an Out-of-State License

Adults 18 and older who surrender a valid or recently expired (within two years) license from another U.S. state, U.S. territory, or Canada are exempt from both the knowledge and skills exams, as well as the ITD and driver education requirements. You still bring the standard ID and residency documents, pay the $33 fee, and pass the vision screening, but the vehicle checklist above does not apply because there is no road test. Minors under 18 transferring from out of state must still take the skills exam. Holders of valid, unexpired licenses from France, Germany, South Korea, Taiwan, or the United Arab Emirates may also have both exams waived under reciprocity agreements.¹³

1
Department of Public Safety. Driver License Services – Appointments
2
Texas Department of Public Safety. Driver License/Identification Card and REAL ID Checklist
3
Department of Public Safety. Social Security Number (SSN)
4
Department of Public Safety. Impact Texas Drivers (ITD) Program
5
Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. TDLR Driver Education and Safety Certificates – Course Certificates Ordering Page
6
Texas Department of Public Safety. Driver License (DL) How to Prepare for a Drive Test
7
Department of Public Safety. DPS Reminds Texans of Upcoming Emissions Test Requirement in Bexar Co.
8
Cornell Law School. 37 Texas Admin Code 15.51 – Vision Tests
9
Department of Public Safety. Driver License Fees
10
Cornell Law School. 37 Texas Admin Code 15.27 – Issuance Requirements for Minor Driver License Applicants
11
Texas Department of Public Safety. Verification of Enrollment and Attendance (VOE) Form
12
Department of Public Safety. Testing in Other Languages
13
Department of Public Safety. Moving to Texas: A Guide to Driver Licenses and IDs