Texas Learner License Rules: Under 18 and Adults

To get a learner license in Texas (the document most people mean when they say learner's permit), you must be at least 15 and no more than 18, finish the classroom portion of driver education, and pass a vision exam and a knowledge exam before you apply. You must hold the learner license for at least six months before a provisional license can be issued, and it expires on your 18th birthday.

Texas learner license requirements for drivers under 18

Applications must be made in person, by appointment. Appointments can be booked up to six months ahead. The learner application form is DL-14B. A parent or guardian with custody must sign the application under oath. If there is no guardian, an employer or county judge may sign. DPS's teen page adds that the parent or guardian must come to the appointment or bring a notarized application signed by them.

You will need:

• Full name, residential and mailing address, and county
• Birthplace and date of birth
• Identity documents and a Social Security number, which DPS verifies electronically
• Fingerprints and a physical description
• Answers to medical questions
• Surrender of any out-of-state license
• Proof of citizenship or lawful presence

Applicants for an original license must also show financial responsibility (insurance), or a statement that they do not own a vehicle that requires it.

How long do you have to have your permit before you can get your license in Texas?

At least six months. A learner license must be held at least six months before a provisional license is issued. If the license is suspended during this first phase, the six-month period is extended by the number of suspension days. A new Texas resident with a valid out-of-state permit must hold the Texas learner license for six months from issuance before Phase Two.

The learner license does not renew online, by mail, or by phone. No driving exam is required for a learner license. The driving exam comes later, and it is given only after all other exams are passed and proof of financial responsibility is shown.

Texas permit test: cost, passing score, and retakes

• Passing score: 70%.
• Who takes it: The Class C knowledge exam is required for all original applicants. Adults 18 and older who surrender a valid out-of-state license do not need the knowledge or driving exams.
• What it covers: The test draws on the Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7), which covers road signs and traffic laws.
• Where: A knowledge test taken during the classroom portion of driver education counts. Otherwise you take it at a driver license office. Completing certain driver education courses waives the exam at the office. The handbook does not say whether an online course delivers the exam, and that is not confirmed by DPS.
• Vision exam: Given at the driver license office.
• Language: DPS offers the test in English or Spanish. You must still understand road signs written in English. Translators may help before and after the test, but not during it.
• Cost: No separate knowledge-exam fee is listed. The learner license fee covers it. The fee must be paid before any exam is given.
• Not confirmed: Third-party sites say the test has 30 questions, but DPS has not confirmed this. The time limit and how many questions you can miss are not in the handbook.
• Retakes: If you fail, DPS holds your application for 90 days. After 90 days, or after three failed exams, you need a new application and fee. The handbook does not state a separate retake fee. Claims of a free same-day retake are not confirmed.

You can practice with GetMyPermit's Texas permit practice test before your appointment.

Driver education and the Impact Texas course

Drivers under 25 need an approved driver education course for a first license. For drivers under 18, the classroom portion must be finished before you apply. The sources do not agree on how many classroom hours are required. DPS's teen page lists 6 hours for concurrent courses or 24 hours for block courses. Check the DPS teen learner page for the current figure before you enroll.

All license applicants must complete the Impact Texas course for their age group before the driving exam. The official names are Impact Texas Teen Drivers (ITTD) and Impact Texas Adult Drivers (ITAD). The name Impact Texas Young Drivers does not match DPS naming. The timing, length, and certificate validity of ITTD are not confirmed by an official source, so check the Impact Texas Drivers site.

School proof for the VOE: the handbook requires a diploma or equivalent, or enrollment with 80 days of attendance in the preceding fall or spring semester, or 45 days in a GED-prep program. DPS's teen page instead says the VOE requires at least 90% attendance in the past semester. These figures do not match, so confirm with DPS which one applies before your appointment.

The VOE may not be dated more than 30 days before your application during the school year, or more than 90 days during summer. DPS's teen page says the VOE is valid 30 days from issuance, or 90 days from issuance during June through August.

Supervising driver and phone rules

A supervising driver must be 21 or older, have at least one year of driving experience, sit in the seat beside the driver, and not be impaired, asleep, or otherwise unable to observe and respond. DPS's teen page says a licensed adult 21 or older must be in the front passenger seat when the learner drives. Restriction code B reads that a licensed driver 21 or older must be in the front seat.

Drivers under 18 may not use a wireless device, including hands-free, except in an emergency. DPS's teen page says all cell phone use is prohibited for learner holders, including hands-free, unless it is an emergency.

The handbook does not set night-driving or passenger limits for learners. Those limits appear only for provisional drivers, and they are not confirmed for learners. Required supervised driving hours, total or at night, are not in the handbook. Third-party sites cite 30 hours (10 at night), but DPS has not confirmed that, so check with DPS before counting hours.

Alcohol: for minors, any detectable alcohol while driving is a criminal offense. Administrative license revocation applies to any detectable amount for drivers under 21. A minor's driving privileges can be suspended after two or more traffic convictions within 12 months.

A parent or guardian can ask DPS in writing, under oath, to cancel the minor's license at any time before the 18th birthday.

Texas learner license rules for adults 18 and older

Adults 18 to 24 must successfully complete an approved driver education course. The handbook does not state the course hours, and the 6-hour length cited by third-party sources is not confirmed. Confirm with DPS whether the adult driver education course and the Impact Texas Adult Drivers (ITAD) course are the same step.

Adults who want to practice driving first receive a Class C license with learner restrictions, at the same $33 price. Adults 18 and older with a learner-restricted Class C license are not subject to the Phase One or Phase Two limits. Most non-commercial licenses for adults 18 and older are valid eight years.

Texas learner license fees

• Learner license, under 18 (new): $16, which is $15 plus a $1 administrative fee. The $1 fee is not charged on mail transactions.
• Adults 18 to 84 (new license): $33, which is $32 plus $1, valid eight years.
• Adults practicing first: A Class C license with learner restrictions, at the same $33 price.
• Motorcycle-only learner license, under 18: $16.
• Hardship Class C license at 15: $6, which is $5 plus $1, expiring on the next birthday.
• Provisional license, under 18: $16.
• Driving exam fee when moving up a license class or removing restrictions: $10.
• Replacement license: $11.
• Knowledge exam: No separate fee. The learner license fee covers it.

Provisional license (Phase Two), for context

A provisional license is for ages 16 to 18. To get one, you must pass driver education (classroom and behind the wheel), a vision exam, and a driving exam, and you must hold a learner license for at least six months. Phase Two allows no more than one passenger under 21 who is not a family member. You may not drive from midnight to 5:00 a.m. unless it is for work, school activities, or a medical emergency. The provisional license expires on your 18th birthday. A temporary license is valid 45 days after you pass all required exams.

Hardship license (DL-77)

Minors 15 to 18 who can show a need to drive may also be able to apply for a hardship license (DL-77). A full driver education course and exams are required. Confirm with DPS how the hardship license fits with the learner license. The hardship Class C license at 15 is listed in the fees above.

Sources

• Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7)
• DPS: Texas learner's license for teens
• DPS: Driver license fees
• DPS: Testing in other languages
• Impact Texas Drivers
• Impact Texas Adult Drivers (ITAD)