Texas learner permit documents checklist

Drivoku is not connected to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), which runs the driver license offices, or to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). The list below comes from TDLR pages, checked on November 3, 2026. DPS runs the offices and has the final list, so check DPS’s teen learner license page before your visit.

What documents do you need for a Texas learner permit?

Nothing you pick or check is saved or sent anywhere.

The completed driver license application.
Parental authorization: a parent or legal guardian comes with you, or you bring the application signed by a parent and notarized, or you bring evidence that parental authorization is waived.
Proof of identity.
Your Social Security number.
Proof of U.S. citizenship, or evidence of lawful presence if you are not a U.S. citizen.
Proof of Texas residency.
Your driver education certificate: a DE-964 or DEE-964 from a certified driving school, or a DE-964E from a public-school driver education course.
Your driver education certificate (DE-964 or DEE-964) from your parent-taught course provider.
A Verification of Enrollment and Attendance (VOE) form signed by a school official, or a high school diploma or GED. A VOE is valid for 30 days, or 90 days from June to August.
The application fee for the learner license.
Parent-taught only: the parent instructor on record comes with the student.
Parent-taught only: the receipt from the parent-taught instructor designation.
Parent-taught only: proof of Texas vehicle registration.
Parent-taught only: proof of vehicle insurance. Without a vehicle, you sign a statement instead.

The parental authorization and the certificate types for school courses come from DPS’s teen learner license page; the other lines follow TDLR’s list.

The learner license is for teens: you can get one from 15 and under 18 (see the Texas permit test page). TDLR puts it this way: “Anyone between the ages of 14 and 25 who wants to apply for a driver license in Texas must complete a driver education course before receiving a license.” Check the age rule for adults with DPS. Hours from a teen course do not count toward the 6-hour adult course.

What do you need to finish before you go to DPS?

TDLR’s summary of the rules says that to get a learner license, a student must be 15 or older, have finished the first 6 hours of driver education or all 24 hours of classroom instruction, and have the DE-964 certificate. DPS’s teen page also lists the DEE-964, and the DE-964E for public-school courses. The classroom part of a driver education course is at least 24 hours (TDLR, Driver Education and Safety at a glance, December 2025).

A student under 18 must be enrolled in school and attending as a condition of being licensed, unless they already have a high school diploma or GED. That is what the VOE form shows (TDLR, student questions). Ask the school office for the form close to your visit, because it is valid for only 30 days, or 90 days from June to August.

What extra does a parent-taught student bring?

For parent-taught driver education, TDLR says the parent instructor on record must come to DPS with the student. Also bring the receipt from the parent-taught instructor designation, proof of Texas vehicle registration and proof of vehicle insurance. If you have no vehicle, you sign a statement instead (TDLR).

See every step from the TDLR application to the provisional license in our parent-taught driver ed roadmap.

Do you take the permit test at DPS?

Only if you have not passed it yet. TDLR says the written exam is given at the driver license office if the student did not take it during the classroom part of the course. You need 70 percent to pass. See how many questions you can miss, and practice with the 40-question Texas practice test.

Common questions

What documents do I need for a Texas learner permit?

The application, proof of identity, your Social Security number, proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful presence, proof of Texas residency, your driver education certificate (DE-964 or DEE-964, or DE-964E from a public school), a VOE form or a diploma or GED, the fee and parental authorization. Parent-taught students also bring the parent instructor, the designation receipt, and vehicle registration and insurance.

How long is a VOE form valid?

30 days, or 90 days from June to August, according to TDLR.

Does the parent have to come to DPS?

For parent-taught driver education, yes: TDLR says the parent instructor on record must come with the student. For a driving school or public-school course, DPS needs parental authorization: a parent or legal guardian comes along, or you bring the application signed by a parent and notarized, or evidence that parental authorization is waived.

Which driver education certificate do I bring?

A DE-964 or DEE-964 from a certified driving school or a parent-taught course provider, or a DE-964E from a public-school driver education course.

How many classroom hours do I need before the learner license?

TDLR’s summary says the first 6 hours of driver education or all 24 hours of classroom instruction, plus the DE-964 certificate. Check the number with your course provider.

More for Texas families

Sources

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Getting the learner license (parent-taught), TDLR. Checked November 3, 2026.
Driver Education and Safety at a glance (TDLR AAG FORM-032, December 2025). Checked November 3, 2026.
Frequently asked questions for students, TDLR. Checked November 3, 2026.
Texas learner license as a teen, Texas DPS. Checked November 3, 2026, for the parental authorization and the certificate types. DPS has the final list, so check it before your visit.