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Texas, what to bring, 18 and over

What to bring for the Texas license test if you are 18 or over

Texas splits adults into two groups, and the paperwork differs. If you are 18 to 24, Transportation Code s. 521.1601 bars TxDPS from issuing a license without a driver education certificate, so bring proof of an approved course, usually the six-hour adult course. A licensed provider may give the Class C knowledge exam inside the course under s. 521.1655, and a pass there counts, so for many adults the certificate replaces the office test rather than accompanying it. If you are 25 or over there is no driver education requirement: you take the knowledge exam at the TxDPS office unless a licensed course already gave it, and TxDPS's apply page lets you take the driving test at the office or with a DPS-certified third-party skills testing school. Either way, bring an Impact Texas Drivers certificate dated within 90 days of the driving test. The course rule does not apply to anyone holding a valid license from another state (s. 521.1601(b)), and TxDPS's Moving to Texas guide waives both exams, Impact Texas Drivers and adult driver education for an applicant 18 or older whose out-of-state license is valid or not expired over two years. Checked in September 2026.

Source: TxDPS, Apply for a Texas Driver License, Third Party Skills Testing Program and Moving to Texas; Transportation Code ss. 521.1601, 521.1655, checked September 25, 2026.

Which TX test do you needTX
EExam simulatorFull TxDPS format: 30 questions, 21 to pass, every answer keyed to a statute.1Warm up runA shorter 20 question run pulled from across the TX bank, for a first look before the full sitting.SSigns and lane markingsSigns, signals and lane markings on their own: 61 questions, the group that costs the most points.LState statute questionsThe 24 rules that belong to Texas alone, each carrying the statute number it was drafted against.
Every Texas test and ruleNo account needed

What changes at 18 to 24 versus 25 and older?

Texas splits adults by whether DPS may issue the license without a driver education certificate. Transportation Code s. 521.1601(a) bars a license for anyone younger than 25 unless you hand over a certificate for an approved course. For applicants 18 or older that can be a TDLR course under Education Code ss. 1001.101 or 1001.1015, which DPS describes as a six-hour adult course. At 25 or older the statute does not apply, and DPS's apply page says there is no driver education requirement.

The six-hour adult course has its own certificate. TDLR tells providers to build it on the ADEE-1317 model, and DPS's third-party testing page accepts ADE-1317 or ADEE-1317, or a teen DE-964 or DEE-964, from applicants 18 to 24. TDLR accepts a digital certificate, but the provider must fill in every required field and put a control number in the top right corner before issuing it.

You do not bring a parent, a VOE, or a six-month learner holding period. Those attach to applicants under 18. You do bring Impact Texas Drivers proof if you will take a driving skills test: Impact Texas Adult Drivers is the 1-hour video for ages 18 to 24 who need the adult course and for everyone 25 or older, and its certificate is valid 90 days. Form DL-33 (rev. August 2025) also lets an applicant 18 or older complete the 2-hour teen version, ITTD, instead.

What an adult actually carries into a Texas DPS office
Item18 to 24, first Texas license25 or older, first Texas license18 or older, surrendering a license from another U.S. state
Driver education certificateRequired. ADE-1317 or ADEE-1317 from the six-hour adult course, or a finished teen course.Not required.Waived for a valid license under s. 521.1601(b). DPS also waives it for one expired 2 years or less.
Class C knowledge exam at DPSOften already given by the provider under s. 521.1655.Taken at the office unless a licensed course gave it.Waived.
Driving skills testRequired on a first license.Required on a first license.Waived along with the knowledge exam.
ITD certificateITAD (1 hour) or ITTD, dated within 90 days of the skills test.Same 90-day ITAD or ITTD rule.Waived on DPS's new-resident page.
Application and fee, ages 18 to 84DL-14A. $33 including the $1 administrative fee.DL-14A. $33.DL-14A. $33.

TxDPS apply page, new-resident page, fee table, ITD page, third-party testing page, TDLR certificate page, Transportation Code ss. 521.1601 and 521.1655.

Which identity, residency, and insurance papers does the office take?

DPS's apply page and form DL-15 use the same four buckets for every original non-commercial license: U.S. citizenship or lawful presence, Texas residency, identity, and a Social Security number. DPS asks you to run its REAL ID Document Check tool before the appointment, and the tool builds a personal document list. Form DL-57 is the printed brochure of the same rules.

An unexpired U.S. passport book or card settles identity and citizenship in one document. A Texas driver license or ID card expired no more than two years is also a primary identity document. Without a primary document, DPS takes two secondary documents or one secondary plus two supporting ones, and a certified birth certificate counts as secondary only if it is not laminated. Photocopies of identity documents are refused, and if names differ you add a legal name-change paper.

For residency, DPS wants two printed papers carrying your name and Texas address, one of them proving at least 30 days in the state. Surrendering a valid, unexpired license or ID from another state waives the 30-day part but not the two papers. A current lease or mortgage, a utility or cellular bill dated within 180 days, a bank statement dated within 180 days, and a current auto insurance card all qualify. Two statements for the same service in different months do not. If you cannot produce two, use form DL-5. A host who is not related to you must come with you and show identification acceptable under 37 TAC s. 15.24, while a relative attaches proof of the family relationship instead.

If you own a vehicle, bring proof of insurance for each one, or sign a statement at the office that you own none. Texas vehicle registration for each vehicle you own is required only of new residents who are surrendering an out-of-state driver license. DL-15 says most citizenship and lawful presence documents are verified through the federal SAVE program, often instantly. When SAVE is not instant, receipt of the card may be delayed by up to 45 days.

Entrance to a Texas Department of Public Safety field office
Entrance to a Texas Department of Public Safety field office.Photo: StuckInLagToad, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

If I finished the adult course, do I still sit the knowledge exam at DPS?

Often no. Under Transportation Code s. 521.1655, a licensed driver education provider, in person or online, may test its own students on vision, highway signs, and traffic laws, the same parts DPS gives under s. 521.161, and handbook DL-7 says completing certain courses means you do not take the Class C knowledge exam at the office. When your provider gave those parts, the ADE-1317 or ADEE-1317 goes on the counter in place of the office exam.

TDLR's student FAQ will not let you mix teen hours into the adult course. If you turn 18 partway through a teen course, finish the teen program or start the adult course from hour one. At 25 or older with no course, you take the knowledge exam at the office, in English or Spanish only. DL-7 sets the pass mark at 70 percent, and DPS does not publish how many questions the Class C exam has.

I already hold a license from another state. What do I bring instead?

Bring the out-of-state license and plan to surrender it. DPS's new-resident page says that if you hold a valid license from another U.S. state, a U.S. territory, or Canada, you surrender it and are not required to take the knowledge or skills exam. For applicants 18 or older it goes further: a license that is valid or has been expired no more than two years exempts you from both exams, from Impact Texas Drivers, and from adult driver education. Transportation Code s. 521.1601(b) is the statutory base for the driver education waiver when the license is valid.

You still prove identity, citizenship or lawful presence, Texas residency, and SSN. The 30-day residency wait is waived only when the surrendered license is valid and unexpired, and the two residency documents are never waived. Bring Texas registration and insurance for each vehicle you own. If you hold licenses in more than one state, Texas's State-to-State check, in place since September 5, 2023, cancels the other cards so only the Texas card remains valid.

Foreign licenses are narrower. DPS lists reciprocity with France, Germany, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and Taiwan: a valid, unexpired license from one of those countries skips the knowledge and skills exams unless you choose to keep the foreign license. A license from any other country is not on DPS's waiver list, and a foreign license that is not in English or Spanish needs a translation from a translation service or your consulate.

Which form do I fill out, what do I pay, and what happens at the appointment?

Use DL-14A once you are 17 years and 10 months or older, and book the office visit on the Texas Scheduler. DPS's wait-time page shows, office by office, the estimated days to the next Original appointment and, on a separate row, to the next Non CDL Drive Test, using figures from the previous business day. A first-time adult needs both services, so compare both rows before choosing an office.

A new Class C license at ages 18 to 84 is $33, including a $1 administrative fee, and for a U.S. citizen or permanent resident expires on the first birthday after the eighth anniversary of the application (Transportation Code s. 521.271(a)(1)). Offices take credit cards, cash, checks, money orders, and tap-to-pay, including Apple Pay and Google Pay. Under s. 521.161(d), the fee entitles you to three attempts at each part of the exam on that application.

Published original Class C fees on the DPS table
Learner license, under 1816 USD
Expires on the 18th birthday
New Class C, ages 18 to 8433 USD
Eight-year term, expires on a birthday
New Class C, age 85 or older9 USD
Two-year term
TxDPS Driver License Fees page. Each listed amount includes a $1 administrative fee except mail transactions, where that $1 is not charged.
Office visit after the papers are in your hand
  1. 1
    Check in on the appointment

    Arrive with DL-14A completed. The specialist takes citizenship or lawful presence, residency, identity, then the SSN for SSOLV.

  2. 2
    Hand over the age-band extras

    Ages 18 to 24: adult driver education certificate. Anyone taking a skills test: ITD certificate dated within 90 days of it. New residents surrendering an out-of-state license: that license, Texas registration, and insurance.

  3. 3
    Biometrics, photo, fee, vision

    Signature, thumbprints, photograph, $33 (ages 18 to 84). Vision is examined on an original license.

  4. 4
    Knowledge exam, if it is still outstanding

    Skip this when a licensed provider already gave the s. 521.161 highway-sign and traffic-law parts, or when you surrender a qualifying out-of-state license. Otherwise you take it here, in English or Spanish only.

  5. 5
    Driving test, then the temporary license

    Handbook DL-7 issues the temporary license after you pass every exam that applies to you, so a first-time adult still needs the driving test, at DPS or at a DPS-certified driving school. DL-7 also lets an adult who wants to practice first get a Class C license with the same restrictions as a learner license. Check every line of the temporary before you leave; DPS says the card typically follows by mail within 2 to 3 weeks.

ITAD is for the skills test, not a substitute for the six-hour course

DPS states that Impact Texas Drivers does not replace the distracted-driving module in the 6-hour adult course. Finish the TDLR course first if you are 18 to 24. Complete ITAD within 90 days of the skills test and print the certificate. You cannot take the skills test without it.

Worked example

Jordan, 22, first Texas license, May 2026

  1. 1Jordan Hale is 22, lives in a rented duplex in Fort Worth, and has never held a driver license. On May 4, 2026 he finishes a TDLR-approved six-hour adult course online. The provider issues ADEE-1317 and gives him the highway-sign and traffic-law exam under Transportation Code s. 521.1655.
  2. 2On May 6 he books an Original appointment for Tuesday, May 12, 2026 on the Texas Scheduler.
  3. 3Identity and citizenship are an unexpired U.S. passport. Residency is the current lease plus a cellular bill dated within 180 days. He enters his SSN on DL-14A and signs the no-vehicle statement.
  4. 4He pays $33 and passes vision. He brings no parent, VOE, or DE-964. Because he wants to practice before the driving test, the specialist issues a Class C license carrying learner-license restrictions, which DL-7 allows for applicants 18 or older.
  5. 5He waits until July 20 to complete Impact Texas Adult Drivers, because the certificate only covers a driving test within 90 days. Printed that day, it is good for a test through October 18, 2026.

Outcome. The office accepts ADEE-1317 in place of the Class C knowledge exam, so the driving test is the one exam left. Jordan books it at a DPS-certified driving school, which DPS's third-party page allows for an applicant 18 to 24 who holds a valid restricted license, a driver education certificate, and an ITAD certificate dated within 90 days.

DPS publishes no minimum time an adult must hold that practice license before the driving test. The six-month holding period in Transportation Code s. 521.204(b) applies only to applicants under 18.

More questions about this in Texas

Do I need a parent signature on DL-14A at age 18?

No. Transportation Code s. 521.145 is written for applicants under 18. DPS's adult apply path uses form DL-14A and does not ask for a parent at the counter. You still prove identity, residency, citizenship or lawful presence, and SSN yourself. If you are 17 years and 10 months you already use DL-14A, but until the 18th birthday the under-18 signature and school-proof rules still apply.

Is the Impact Texas Adult Drivers certificate something I bring to the knowledge exam?

Bring it when you are taking a driving skills test, not as a substitute for the six-hour adult course. DPS's apply page lists the ITD certificate if you will be taking a driving test, dated within 90 days of that skills test. ITAD is 1 hour. DPS form DL-33 says applicants 18 or older may complete ITAD or ITTD. The ITD programs do not replace the distracted-driving module inside the TDLR adult course.

What if I do not own a car?

DPS still wants an answer on insurance. The apply page and forms DL-15 and DL-57 tell first-time applicants to bring proof of insurance for each vehicle they own, or to sign a statement affirming they do not own a vehicle. Texas vehicle registration is a separate item, and on the apply page it applies to new residents who are surrendering an out-of-state driver license, not to a Texas resident who owns no car.

I am 24 and I already started a teen driver education course. Can I finish it as my adult certificate?

TDLR's student FAQ says no. Teen classroom hours cannot be applied to the six-hour adult driver education requirement. You either complete the full teen program or you complete the full adult course. Transportation Code s. 521.1601 still requires a driver education certificate before DPS may issue a license to anyone younger than 25, unless you hold a valid license from another state.

Does an expired out-of-state license let me skip the Texas exams?

It can, at 18 or older. DPS's new-resident page says an applicant 18 or older whose out-of-state license is valid or has been expired no more than two years is exempt from the knowledge and skills exams, Impact Texas Drivers, and adult driver education. The 30-day residency waiver is narrower and needs a valid, unexpired license. Beyond two years expired, the only exam waivers on that page are for active duty service members and people discharged within the last 90 days, who may be exempt with a valid military ID and proof of the issuing state's military extension policy, and for members of a NATO force or its civilian component who present validating orders.

Can I take the adult course and the knowledge exam entirely at home?

The six-hour adult course may be online through a TDLR-licensed provider, and that provider may give the vision, highway-sign, and traffic-law exam parts under s. 521.1655. DPS's apply page names two places to complete testing, the DPS office or a third-party provider. Brochure DL-57 says you apply for a first Texas license in person at a driver license office, and every office visit is by appointment.

Sources

Other questions about Texas

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How this works in other states

The under-18 stack and the 18-and-over stack for Florida, Texas, California and New York, including REAL ID and name changes. Read the guide.

Written by Vikas. Checked against the source above on September 25, 2026. TxDPS does not run this site and does not endorse it.