Driver license Houston Texas

[sidelcampeador 18]

Hi. I have the green card and the drivers online course certificate since im not 25 yet. Do i need to take the skill exam? i have my valid foreign license and I've been driving for 5 years. would it be dangerous to go by myself to the dps with my wife's car?

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

Hi. I have the green card and the drivers online course certificate since im not 25 yet. Do i need to take the skill exam? i have my valid foreign license and I've been driving for 5 years. would it be dangerous to go by myself to the dps with my wife's car?

For a Texas Driver license, you will take a written test (multiple choice questions on a computer) and a driving test in your vehicle with a DPS Highway patrolman aka State Trooper. The written test will get you a learner's permit where you can drive with a licensed driver. If you feel okay with your skills, you can sign up for the driving test as soon as you wish. Most of the Houston DPS Offices have you make an appointment online for the driving test, rather than walk in and ask to take it. Look up the requirements of documents you need to bring with you in order to take the written test.

I wouldn't personally drive myself to the road test. Going to the written test, nobody sees how you got there so it doesn't matter too much. Taking the road test you have the officer sitting in your front seat who can ask how you got there. Then he might ask how long you have lived in Texas. If more than 90 days, then they say you only have 90 days to get a TX license. Believe me, they do not understand immigration laws and if you can or can't get a license within 90 days. So to avoid the hassle, I would have somebody drive me.

[Owen_London 65]

Where do you live in Houston? Most, if not all, of the test centers in the city itself have online booking, but the next tests available are often some time away. I just checked the one I used, at Grant Road, off 249, and the next available is Friday 16th. I was expecting it to be worse than that. Driving tests are sometimes available as a walk-in, but numbers are limited.

If you can't find an appointment quickly enough, it is possible to drive out to the immediately surrounding area, say in Hempstead. However, this isn't a great choice for tests, since you need to appear in person to make the booking, in order to prevent city people doing exactly that. If you're not too far away, though, this is a decent option for paperwork needs like getting your first learner license or renewing your license.

Find your local test center(s) here and work out your best option.

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/administration/driver_licensing_control/rolodex/search.asp

Make sure you take your passport and green card and other information as required when you go to see them. Look here:

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/internetforms/Forms/DL-57.pdf

Edited December 18, 2014 by Owen_London

[sidelcampeador 18]

Ok so yesterday i went to the dps near i-10 and beltway. Only had 5 people ahead of me. After doing some paperwork and taking photo and fingerprints, the agent told me that i had to wait for a letter to be delivered to my house, which could take up to two weeks, beacuse my immigration status or somtehing was now pending. I didn't really understand 100% of that but i guess patience is what i need now. She said that after that i have to go back, bring all the papers again and take the real world exam (aka on the road test) and I shouldn't be driving till then.

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

Ok so yesterday i went to the dps near i-10 and beltway. Only had 5 people ahead of me. After doing some paperwork and taking photo and fingerprints, the agent told me that i had to wait for a letter to be delivered to my house, which could take up to two weeks, beacuse my immigration status or somtehing was now pending. I didn't really understand 100% of that but i guess patience is what i need now. She said that after that i have to go back, bring all the papers again and take the real world exam (aka on the road test) and I shouldn't be driving till then.

The DPS uses the same database that Social Security does to find your status. If they couldn't find your name as it appears on your greencard, then they have to manually verify USCIS has issued you a greencard and you are a permanent resident. They could have just missed it or USCIS might not have the name in there correctly. No telling.

That was amazing that only 5 people were ahead of you.

[sidelcampeador 18]

So.After a long wait i got the letter and it said that i have to wait another 20 days for them to get the response from USCIS because they couldn't verify my lawfull presence with the passport. Yeah, PASSPORT. I couldn't believe it, so the next day i went to the dps again, waited 2 painful hours and explained to the officer there and showed him my green card. And i got a test day scheduled. I cant believe they made me wait for a month almost, just because they used the wrong document.

[TBoneTX 43,043]

Yes, this is painful, but you'll feel better when it's all over.

[seanjoe 1]

So does this mean that i cannot drive with a New Zealand or UK license for a period of 1 year after arrival for the first time in Houston?

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

So does this mean that i cannot drive with a New Zealand or UK license for a period of 1 year after arrival for the first time in Houston?

Visitors can drive with a foreign license. I wouldn't try to play visitor for a full year if you actually take up residence in Texas and have a greencard.

[seanjoe 1]

Not at all. My intention is not to dodge the US license; rather when I get there first, my first aim is to get a low cost car as I've checked the public transport in Houston, and its not that great; so I need to be mobile; and at that time, I don't want from a legal point of view to not be able to drive.

[Owen_London 65]

Not at all. My intention is not to dodge the US license; rather when I get there first, my first aim is to get a low cost car as I've checked the public transport in Houston, and its not that great; so I need to be mobile; and at that time, I don't want from a legal point of view to not be able to drive.

You are expected to get a Texas license within 90 days. Bear in mind that in the big cities you sometimes need to book your driving test well over a month in advance.

An individual can legally drive with a valid, unexpired driver license from another state or country for up to 90 days after moving to Texas.

NOTE: The individual must apply in person at any driver license office for a Texas driver license within those 90 days to continue driving legally. An unexpired driver license from another U.S. state, U.S. territory or a Canadian province must be surrendered to DPS when applying for a Texas driver license.

Look at this link: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverLicense/movingtotexas.htm

Here is the process:

Individuals applying for their first Texas driver license must:

• Gather documents that verify their identity, Social Security Number, U.S. citizenship or lawful presence status, and Texas residency.
• Complete the application. (This form is also available at any driver license office.)
• Present either:
  1. Proof of Texas vehicle registration (only if a new Texas resident) and evidence of financial responsibility for each vehicle owned by the applicant or
  2. A statement affirming that the applicant does not own a motor vehicle.
• Apply in person at any driver license office and bring the required documents and fees.
• Pass the knowledge and driving tests, unless exempt. (Read about testing in other languages.)
• Complete Impact Texas Teen Driver (ITTD) requirements for individuals completing a teen driver education course.

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverLicense/ApplyforLicense.htm

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

Not at all. My intention is not to dodge the US license; rather when I get there first, my first aim is to get a low cost car as I've checked the public transport in Houston, and its not that great; so I need to be mobile; and at that time, I don't want from a legal point of view to not be able to drive.

When my fiancé arrived in 2008 the rule was you had to get a TX license within 30 days of moving to the state. That was impossible on a K1 visa because he couldn't have had the documents required to get a license that quickly. He drove on his UK license about 4 months. He got stopped by the highway patrol for speeding. His biggest mistake was when he was asked "are you visiting or something?" was to say "I moved here three months ago." In hindsight it would have been so much easier to say, "yes I am visiting" and not get into a 30 minute discussion on the side of the highway. It took a lot of explaining of immigration law to the officer as to why it was impossible to get a license and get him to scratch out "failure to have valid license." He was given the speeding ticket on his UK license. If we could have a re-do of that situation, he would have been a "visitor". Not saying that is right or wrong, but just an experience to tell.

[sidelcampeador 18]

when i was in the office i asked if there was a possibility to drive with my foreign license but they said no. But i think it's impossible not to be driving, specially in Houston area. Even the car rent companies let you rent a car with a foreign license, and you can take the car to the driving test. All of that does not make sense.

[Owen_London 65]

when i was in the office i asked if there was a possibility to drive with my foreign license but they said no. But i think it's impossible not to be driving, specially in Houston area. Even the car rent companies let you rent a car with a foreign license, and you can take the car to the driving test. All of that does not make sense.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. You are supposed to get a Texas license within 90 days of arriving in state. You can drive on your foreign license until then.

However, I have seen reports that once you have a Texas learner permit, you are only allowed to drive on that, not your foreign license. This means that once you have a learner permit, you cannot drive alone, you must drive using your permit, and therefore you must be accompanied by a driver with a US license until you pass your Texas driving test. How true that is, though, I don't know. I haven't seen anything that says that officially.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Owen_London

[sidelcampeador 18]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. You are supposed to get a Texas license within 90 days of arriving in state. You can drive on your foreign license until then.

However, I have seen reports that once you have a Texas learner permit, you are only allowed to drive on that, not your foreign license. This means that once you have a learner permit, you cannot drive alone, you must drive using your permit, and therefore you must be accompanied by a driver with a US license until you pass your Texas driving test. How true that is, though, I don't know. I haven't seen anything that says that officially.

Yeah i read that too. But how was I supposed to get the learners permit with only my passport. It didn't make sense to me. My green card came after four months. But before that i went to ask to the dps and they said that i had to wait for the green card.

But now it doesn't matter. I have the test this friday