How Do You Get a Texas Driver's License?
New Texas residents must obtain a Texas driver's license within 90 days of establishing residency. This is not optional, and the deadline is enforced. Failure to obtain a Texas license within 90 days means you are driving without a valid license in the state.
Exam exemption for valid out-of-state license holders. Texas generally waives the written knowledge and driving skills exams for applicants who hold a valid, unexpired out-of-state driver license. You will still need to pass a vision screening and provide the required documentation. Most California drivers find the process straightforward, though Texas rules of the road differ in areas such as right turns on red, railroad crossings, and move-over laws.
Start by scheduling an appointment at your nearest Texas DPS (Department of Public Safety) office. Not all DPS locations accept walk-ins, and wait times at offices without appointments can exceed two hours. Use the online appointment scheduler at dps.texas.gov/section/driver-license/apply-texas-driver-license to find a location near you and book a time slot.
What to bring:
- Your current California driver's license (you will surrender this at the DPS office when your Texas license is issued)
- Proof of identity and citizenship or lawful presence: a valid U.S. passport or certified birth certificate
- Proof of Social Security number: your Social Security card, a W-2, or a pay stub with your full SSN
- Two documents proving Texas residency: recent utility bills, a lease agreement, or a mortgage statement showing your new Texas address
- The application fee ($33 for a Class C license, valid for 8 years)
After completing the vision screening and submitting your documents, you will receive a temporary paper license. Your permanent Texas license will arrive by mail within two to three weeks. Your California license is surrendered and is no longer valid once your Texas license is issued.
Texas licenses are REAL ID compliant, and your new Texas license will carry the REAL ID star marking. This satisfies federal identification requirements for domestic air travel and entering federal buildings. There is no need for a separate passport or federal ID for domestic travel.
What Are the Steps to Register Your Vehicle in Texas?
You must title and register your vehicle within 30 days of establishing residency in Texas. This deadline is shorter than the driver's license deadline, so handle vehicle registration first.
Step a: Obtain Texas auto-insurance coverage. Before you can register your vehicle, you need auto insurance that meets Texas minimum liability requirements: $30,000 for bodily injury per person, $60,000 for bodily injury per accident, and $25,000 for property damage. Contact your insurance carrier to confirm whether your current policy extends to Texas and meets these minimums. You may need to switch to a Texas-based policy or update your coverage. Many California insurers operate in Texas and can transfer your policy smoothly.
Step b: Complete any required vehicle inspection for your registration county. Noncommercial safety inspections ended statewide in 2025. Emissions inspections remain required in certain urban counties, including Bexar County (San Antonio). Kendall County and Comal County do not require emissions testing. If you are registering in an emissions-required county, expect a cost of approximately $25. Find inspection stations at txdmv.gov/motorists/new-to-texas.
Step c: Title and register your vehicle at the county tax assessor-collector within 30 days. For Kendall County, this is the Kendall County Tax Office in Boerne. For Bexar County, visit any Bexar County Tax Office location. Bring the following:
- Your current out-of-state (California) vehicle title
- A valid Texas driver's license or Texas ID card
- Proof of Texas auto insurance
- The completed Application for Texas Title (Form 130-U), available at the tax office or online at txdmv.gov
- Payment for fees: registration fee, title fee, and local county fees
Step d: Budget for the $90 new-resident motor-vehicle tax (if applicable), plus registration and title fees. Texas assesses a motor-vehicle sales tax of 6.25% on the standard presumptive value of a vehicle brought into the state by a new resident, but a $90 flat tax may apply instead if the vehicle was owned and used outside Texas before your move. Registration and title fees typically run about $75 to $150 for a standard passenger vehicle in total. Verify current fees at your county tax office.
If you still owe money on your vehicle (a lien), the process is slightly different. Your lienholder will need to send the title to the Texas DMV. Your lienholder can provide the necessary documentation, and the tax office can guide you through the process. Do not delay registration because of a lien; contact your lienholder early.
Once complete, you will receive Texas license plates and a registration sticker. Your registration sticker is renewed annually. If you are registering in an emissions-county, you must pass an emissions inspection at the time of renewal. In non-emissions counties, no inspection is required for renewal.
Annual Vehicle Registration Cost: California vs. Texas
Based on a $50,000 vehicle — what you pay every year
| Vehicle License Fee (0.65% of value) | $325.00 |
| Base Registration Fee | $60.00 |
| Highway Patrol Fee | $30.00 |
| County Registration Fee | $20.00 |
| Smog Abatement Fee | $30.00 |
| Total Estimated Annual Cost | $465.00 |
| Base Registration Fee (1-year renewal) | $51.75 |
| Emissions Inspection (Bexar County) | $25.75 |
| Vehicle License Fee | $0.00 |
| Total Estimated Annual Cost | $77.50 |
A California registrant paying roughly $465/year on a $50,000 car pays about six times what a Texas registrant pays — a savings of approximately $387 per year. Over five years, that adds up to nearly $2,000 in registration savings alone.
California VLF rates apply to the vehicle's assessed value and decrease slightly each year as the vehicle depreciates. The figure above reflects a newer vehicle assessed at $50,000. Texas registration fees are flat regardless of vehicle value — a $25,000 car and a $100,000 truck pay the same base fee. County surcharges, special plate fees, and other optional charges may add small amounts in either state. Both states require timely renewal; late fees apply. Figures are approximate and based on current published schedules. Verify exact amounts at the California DMV and Texas DMV before making financial decisions.
How Do You Claim Your Texas Homestead Exemption?
The Texas homestead exemption is one of the most significant financial advantages of owning a home in Texas, and it is the task most frequently missed by new homeowners. Your title company will not file it for you. Your lender will not file it for you. It is your responsibility, and failing to file means you overpay your property taxes.
What the exemption does: The general homestead exemption reduces the taxable value of your primary residence for school district property taxes by up to $140,000. This $140,000 exemption applies to school district taxable value only. Other taxing units, such as counties, cities, and special districts, may offer separate optional exemptions but set their own policies. On a $500,000 home, you pay school taxes on $360,000. On a $750,000 home, you pay school taxes on $610,000. At typical Hill Country school tax rates of roughly $1.00 to $1.15 per $100 of assessed value, this exemption saves you $1,400 to $1,610 per year on school taxes alone. Texas workers pay $0 in state income tax compared to up to 13.3% in California, so the combined savings from the homestead exemption and zero income tax create a meaningful financial advantage for relocators.
For homeowners age 65 or older (or those who qualify as disabled), there is an additional $60,000 exemption on top of the general $140,000 — bringing the total school district homestead exemption to $200,000 — plus a tax ceiling that locks your school tax rate at the level it was when you turned 65 or became disabled. This ceiling stays with the property and can significantly reduce long-term tax liability.
How to file: File with your county appraisal district. For Boerne and Fair Oaks Ranch properties in Kendall County, file with the Kendall County Appraisal District. For San Antonio properties in Bexar County, file with the Bexar County Appraisal District. You can file online through the appraisal district's website or in person.
What to bring: Your closing documents (deed or settlement statement), your Texas driver's license or Texas ID, and proof of residency at the property (utility bill, lease, or mortgage statement). You will also need to complete the homestead exemption application, which is available on the appraisal district's website.
When to file: File as soon as possible after closing. You can file up to two years after acquiring the property, but the exemption is prorated to your date of ownership. If you close on March 15 and file on April 1, you receive the exemption for only a portion of that tax year. If you close in March and file in March, you receive the full year. Every month you wait costs you money.
The exemption applies for the tax year in which you file and every subsequent year, as long as you occupy the home as your primary residence. You do not need to refile annually, but if you move out, change the property to a rental, or sell the home, you are responsible for notifying the appraisal district.
This is not automatic. Most new Texas homeowners do not know about this requirement and overpay their first year of property taxes by $1,400 or more. Do not assume someone else handles it. File it yourself, as soon as you have your Texas driver's license and your closing documents in hand.
How Do You Update Your Address After Moving to Texas?
File a Change of Address with USPS at usps.com — this forwards your mail for 12 months (extendable). The online service costs $1.10 for identity verification.
Update your address with these critical accounts within 30 days of moving — these are the ones people most frequently forget:
- Banks and credit cards
- IRS (Form 8822, or update when filing your next return)
- Social Security Administration (ssa.gov)
- Your employer / payroll
- Health, auto, and life insurance providers
- Investment and retirement accounts
- Subscription services and online shopping accounts
- Student loan servicers
Update your vehicle registration and driver's license with your new Texas address — both are required by law.
If you are moving from California, cancel or redirect your California vehicle registration once your Texas registration is active. California does not automatically deregister your vehicle when you obtain plates in another state.
Notify your California landlord or property manager if renting — give proper notice per your lease. Texas has no statewide rent control or standardized notice requirements, but California does, and your California lease governs that obligation.
How Do You Register to Vote in Texas?
To register to vote in Texas, you must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of the county where you are applying, and at least 18 years old on Election Day.
How to register. You can apply to register to vote when you get your Texas driver license at DPS — the application is integrated into the driver license process. You can also register or update your registration online at votetexas.gov if you already have a Texas driver license or Texas ID.
Important deadlines. Registration must be completed at least 30 days before an election to be eligible to vote in that election. New registrations and updates to existing registrations are different processes — if you already have a Texas ID and have moved within Texas, you can update your registration online; if you are registering for the first time in Texas, submit a new application.
Bring your Texas driver's license or ID when you vote. Texas has a strict voter ID law. Acceptable forms of identification:
- Texas driver's license
- Texas personal ID
- Texas election ID certificate
- Texas handgun license
- U.S. military ID with photo
- U.S. citizenship certificate with photo
- U.S. passport
If you do not have one of these forms of ID, Texas offers a reasonable impediment declaration — but having valid photo ID eliminates that extra step.
Kendall County elections are administered by the Kendall County Elections Office. Bexar County elections are administered by the Bexar County Elections Department. Both maintain websites with polling locations, sample ballots, and early voting schedules.
Navigating a cross-state move is a lot of paperwork. If you have questions about any of these steps — or want help coordinating the full relocation — reach out to Bill Ross at Hill Country Homesteads Group.
Bill Ross, Hill Country Homesteads Group
Have questions about your specific move? Reach out for a no-pressure conversation about your situation.