Texas Required Identification Documents

Texas gives you three ways to prove who you are, and you satisfy any one of them: one primary document, or two secondary documents, or one secondary document plus two supporting documents. Primary documents are the strong photo IDs. A Texas driver license or ID card expired no more than two years, an unexpired U.S. passport book or card, a Certificate of Citizenship or Naturalization bearing a photograph, an unexpired military ID for active duty, reserve or retired personnel, an unexpired foreign passport with an attached visa and a valid Form I-94, or an unexpired Homeland Security or USCIS document with a photograph and verifiable data. Secondary documents are birth records and name changes: an original or certified birth certificate from a U.S. state, territory, the District of Columbia or a Canadian province, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or a certified court order showing an official change of name. Supporting documents are the everyday paperwork that backs a secondary document up, and the list is long: a Social Security card, a W-2 or 1099, an out-of-state or Canadian license unexpired or expired under two years, a Texas license expired more than two years, school records, a marriage license or divorce decree, a Texas voter registration card, a License to Carry, a Texas vehicle or boat registration or title, a Medicare or Medicaid card, a veteran's ID card, military discharge records, an insurance policy held continuously for two years, and more. Bring more than you think you need; a document that is a photocopy where the list says original will not count.

Source: Texas Department of Public Safety, Identification Requirements: "There are three ways an individual can verify his/her identity: 1. Bring one item listed in the 'Primary Identity Documents' category or 2. Bring two items listed in the 'Secondary Identity Documents' category or 3. Bring one item listed in the 'Secondary Identity Documents' category and two documents listed in the 'Supporting Identity Documents' category." · Verified Sep 2026

You need two printed documents that show your name and your Texas residential address, and one of them has to establish that you have lived in Texas for at least 30 days. Both may come from the same source only when that source is a local government or a service provider billing you for several residential services, so a water bill and a gas bill from one municipal utility work while two months of the same bill do not. The list includes a deed, mortgage statement or residential lease; a Texas voter registration card; a Texas vehicle, boat, or hunting or fishing license or title; a License to Carry; a utility or residential service bill dated within 180 days, counting electricity, water, gas, internet, cable, streaming services, lawn service and cell phone; a homeowner, renter or auto insurance policy, statement or card; a Texas school report card or transcript for the current year; a preprinted W-2, 1099 or 1098 for the most recent tax year; bank, investment or credit card statements dated within 180 days; mail from a federal, state, county or city agency dated within 180 days; a current auto payment booklet or statement; current military or Veterans Administration documents; and a preprinted paycheck or pay stub dated within 180 days. The 30-day clock is waived in two common cases: you are surrendering a valid, unexpired license or ID from another state, or you are applying for a commercial license. You still have to prove the address, just not the length of stay. Separate rules let some applicants use an alternative address rather than a residential one, among them participants in the Address Confidentiality Program, judges, active duty military, people who are incarcerated, and certain youth in foster care.

Source: Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Residency Requirement for Driver Licenses and ID Cards: "To verify Texas residency, an individual must present two printed documents from the list below." "One of the documents must verify that the individual has lived in Texas for at least 30 days." The waivers and alternative-address categories are on the same page, under Residency Requirement Waived. · Verified Sep 2026

You must give your Social Security number when you apply, or show that you are not eligible for one. That is the actual wording of the requirement, and the second half of it matters: an applicant who cannot get an SSN completes the department's Social Security Number Affidavit rather than being turned away. If you do have a number, you do not need the card itself. The department verifies the number electronically with the Social Security Administration while you are at the counter, so the transaction runs off that match.

Source: Texas Transportation Code Sec. 521.142(g): "The department shall require an applicant to provide the applicant's social security number or proof that the applicant is not eligible for a social security number." Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7), Revised January 2026, Chapter 1: Your License to Drive, Required Documents and Application Information, item 3, p. 6. · Verified Sep 2026

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Source: Texas Driver Handbook, Chapter 1: Your License to Drive, 'Examinations - Part 2: The Vision Examination', p. 7 · Verified Sep 2026