Texas driver license on a visa? It costs $33 and expires with your status, not in 8 years

What is a limited term license, and what does it cost?

It is an ordinary Texas driver license whose expiry follows your lawful presence, and it costs $33, the same as a standard license rather than a surcharge. Texas issues it to temporary visitors who can document lawful presence. It expires when your period of lawful presence expires, or after one year if your status is recorded as “duration of status”, which covers most students.

In every practical respect it drives the same. The only difference is the expiry date and the need to renew it alongside your status.

Do you need adult drivers ed on a student or work visa?

Your visa does not decide it; your age and your existing license do. §521.1601 turns on two things only: whether you are under 25, and whether you hold a valid license issued by another state.

• 18 through 24, license from home country. The course applies, unless that country is France, Germany, South Korea, United Arab Emirates or Taiwan, or a U.S. territory or Canada.
• 18 through 24, no license at all. The course applies.
• 25 or older. No driver education requirement, whatever your status.

The detail of the foreign-license rule is on its own page, including the translation requirement you should handle before you travel.

Which deadlines catch international students out?

The 90-day driving window and the 30-day residency proof.

• The 90-day window. You may drive on a qualifying foreign license for 90 days after moving. Semester schedules make it easy to let that lapse.
• The 30-day residency proof. One of the two documents must show the applicant has lived in Texas for at least 30 days. A lease dated at move-in usually satisfies it; a bill that only starts after you arrive may not, if you apply too early.

Common questions