Get Your Texas Driver’s License – Step-by-Step Guide for Teens & Adults

Welcome to your one-stop guide for getting your learner’s permit and driver’s license in Texas! Whether you're a teen or an adult, we’ll walk you through what documents and supplies you'll need—and give you helpful links, including where to watch the required Impact Texas Videos.

🧑‍🎓 TEENS: Getting Your Learner’s Permit (Ages 15–17)

To get your Texas learner’s permit (also called a learner license), you must bring the following to the DPS:

✅ DE-964 Certificate from a licensed Parent Taught or Instructor Taught course (must show “Permit Portion Completed”)
✅ Proof of Texas residency (2 bills in your parents' names)
✅ Proof of identity (original birth certificate, passport, etc.)
✅ Social Security card
✅ Verification of Enrollment (VOE) from school or high school diploma
✅ Parent/legal guardian with ID for signature

🧑‍💼 ADULTS AGE 18–24: Getting a Learner’s Permit

To drive legally in Texas before taking the driving test, adults must first obtain a learner license, unless they pass the written and skills test on their first try.

✅ ADE-1317 Certificate from a state-approved 6-hour Adult Driver Education course (required by law)
✅ Proof of Texas residency (2 items)
✅ Proof of identity
✅ Social Security card
✅ Pay required DPS fees and pass the written knowledge exam

🎓 Most adults choose to take the written exam as part of their online 6-hour course to avoid testing at DPS.

👩‍🦳 ADULTS AGE 25 AND OVER: Permit Options Explained

While the 6-hour adult education course is not required by law for those 25+, a learner permit is still required to legally practice driving before the driving test as well as to actually take the test.

You have two options:

🔹 Option 1:
Make an appointment at the DPS to take the written knowledge exam and apply for a learner’s permit.

🔹 Option 2 (Recommended):
Take the 6-hour Adult Driver Ed course, which includes the written exam. You’ll earn an ADE-1317 Certificate and can skip the written test at DPS.

✅ Either way, you'll need:

🚘 Final Drive Test: What You Need

🧒 TEENS (Under 18)

✅ Valid learner license (that you've held for 6 months or longer)
✅ Completed DE-964 Certificate (showing full course completion of classroom, behind the wheel 14 hours and the additional 30 hours of behind the wheel)
✅ Impact Texas Teen Drivers (ITTD) Certificate – must be completed after course completion and within 90 days of the drive test
👉 Watch the Teen IMPACT Video
✅ Parent/guardian present
✅ Proof of insurance and registration and a safe car for the test (if testing at a facility not using a facility owned vehicle)

👨‍💼 ADULTS (18 and Over)

✅ Valid learner license
✅ ADE-1317 Certificate (if you are under 25)
✅ Impact Texas Adult Drivers (ITAD) Certificate – must be completed within 90 days of the drive test
👉 Watch the Adult IMPACT Video
✅ Proof of insurance and registration and a safe car for the test (if testing at a facility not using a facility owned vehicle)

🏁 Drive Test Locations: DPS or Third Party

You may schedule your driving test at a Texas DPS location, but these appointments can often be booked out for weeks.

✅ Want to get in faster?

You can take your official drive test at a Third Party Skills Testing (TPST) provider, like Central Texas Driving School in Waco, for a fee. These licensed driving schools are authorized by the State of Texas to give the same drive test with:

  • Shorter wait times

  • Flexible hours

  • Friendly, familiar environments