Acquiring a Texas Driver's Licenses and Licenses Plates (insurance, assessor)

[lanewidick]

This is for all of you who are moving to Texas for the first time, and have no clue what you have to do to make yourself a legal driver. This is because I never could get a straight answer from anyone on the phone, and after I drove 30 minutes and waited in line about 2 hours I was told I needed additional things that I was not told on the phone I would need.

First of all: Get your car inspected first at any approved Texas Car Inspection location. This will cost you approximately $40. You MUST have Texas insurance on your vehicles. Make sure you get what they call a "Green Sheet" (even though its white), and take it to your local Tax Assessor location. You will need your title if you own the car, or registration/proof of lien holder if you do not. The cost for this depends on the car, but you will pay a one time $90 fee to transfer the car. I drive a 2001 Honda Accord, and I paid $177 total.

After you transfer ALL of your cars, and I repeat ALL OF YOUR CARS to Texas registrations, you may then proceed to the Texas Department of Highway Safety to get your Driver's License. You will need the following:

1. Registration on ALL of your cars
2. Social Security card
3. Original Birth Certificate (not a copy) OR a current Passport
4. Out of state Driver's License
5. Proof of insurance.

Don't even bother going unless you have all of these items. You may get told one thing on the phone, but they are so busy they don't have time to talk to everyone on the phone, and things slip by. I repeat: Do these things in order, and make sure you have all the items listed above, or you will be doomed to fail the process, and have to start all over.

[jfre81]

DPS phone operators suck. I had to manage getting my license unsuspended over phone/mail while in North Carolina. That was lots of fun. I want those hours back I spent on hold.

[catfancier]

I kept things simple by just saying I did not own a car. I did -- but since you can get a driver's license without owning a car, I didn't think they needed to know that. I was told to do that by someone else savvy about the system. The car dealership had taken care of the registration and inspection, so I just renewed a year later without problems.

But...I disagree about the need for the original birth certificate. My copy was accepted just fine. I'd guess 95% of the populace could not produce an ORIGINAL certificate!

[lanewidick]

Originally Posted by catfancier

I kept things simple by just saying I did not own a car. I did -- but since you can get a driver's license without owning a car, I didn't think they needed to know that. I was told to do that by someone else savvy about the system. The car dealership had taken care of the registration and inspection, so I just renewed a year later without problems.

But...I disagree about the need for the original birth certificate. My copy was accepted just fine. I'd guess 95% of the populace could not produce an ORIGINAL certificate!

I'm just saying after I waited in line for all that time, the nice (enter sarcasm here) lady behind the desk told me I had to have an original birth certificate. I'm 31, my parents live in Tennessee, and I have no clue whether or not they have the original. Hopefully a copy will work for everyone else. I fortunately, have a passport, so that's not a problem for me.

[MommiePreMed]

Maybe the OP means that the DMV will accept a certified copy from the state, but not a copy made at Kinko's.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by MommiePreMed

Maybe the OP means that the DMV will accept a certified copy from the state, but not a copy made at Kinko's.

That's what they mean. In most states, you can request it by mail. Some, online, even.

[dan1946]

First of all: Get your car inspected first at any approved Texas Car Inspection location. This will cost you approximately $40. You MUST have Texas insurance on your vehicles. Make sure you get what they call a "Green Sheet" (even though its white), and take it to your local Tax Assessor location. You will need your title if you own the car, or registration/proof of lien holder if you do not. The cost for this depends on the car, but you will pay a one time $90 fee to transfer the car. I drive a 2001 Honda Accord, and I paid $177 total.

I don't understand "Texas insurance" I have insurance through GMAC and it is valid in any state and Canada. Can anyone help me out with the "Texas insurance"?
I haven't moved yet, I am still in the north.

[TexasHorseLady]

You must have auto insurance that meets the state minimum requirements for liability, I believe is what is meant.

[lanewidick]

When I showed them my insurance issued in the state of Alabama, they said it must be Texas Insurance. That's all I can tell you. My insurance card from Alabama, although valid in any state, was not good enough.

[TexasHorseLady]

Texas Transportation Code, Title 7, Subtitle D,CHAPTER 601. MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY RESPONSIBILITY ACT, SUBCHAPTER C: FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY; Requirements:

SUBCHAPTER C. FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY; REQUIREMENTS

Sec. 601.051. REQUIREMENT OF FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. A person may not operate a motor vehicle in this state unless financial responsibility is established for that vehicle through:
(1) a motor vehicle liability insurance policy that complies with Subchapter D;

Then Section D states:

SUBCHAPTER D. ESTABLISHMENT OF FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY THROUGH MOTOR VEHICLE LIABILITY INSURANCE

Sec. 601.071. MOTOR VEHICLE LIABILITY INSURANCE; REQUIREMENTS. For purposes of this chapter, a motor vehicle liability insurance policy must be an owner's or operator's policy that:
(1) except as provided by Section 601.083, is issued by an insurance company authorized to write motor vehicle liability insurance in this state;




I'm guessing that whatever company your insurance is with is not authorized to issue automobile insurance in Texas (not all insurance companies choose to comply with the insurance regulations of all states, and sometimes companies that have done so in past will pull out of a state).

I got to this information, by the way, from the Texas Department of Public Safety site's page on Moving to Texas (http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/administration/driver_licensing_control/movingtotexas.htm - broken link).