Texas Driver Licenses for Veterans

EligibilityTo be eligible for the veteran designation, an individual must be a veteran who was honorably discharged or has a general discharge (under honorable conditions).

For this purpose, a veteran is someone who served in the:

• U.S. Army
• Navy
• Marine Corps
• Air Force
• Coast Guard
• Texas National Guard (but not Texas State Guard), including the Texas Army and Air National Guard

Verification of Veteran and Discharge StatusTo request the Veteran designator, outside of your DL or ID renewal period, a Veteran must visit a driver license office and present one of the following:

• DD-214
• DD-215
• NGB-22
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs disability letter
• A Texas concealed handgun license (CHL) or license to carry (LTC) with a veteran designator

The document presented, may be a copy or an original AND MUST SHOW the veteran received an honorable discharge or a general discharge (under honorable conditions). To request the Veteran designator within your renewal period, the request may be made by mail or by visiting a driver license office.

*The veteran designation is free-of-charge when applying for an original/renewal driver license or when making a change to a license. Veterans who are only adding a designation must pay the required fee for a duplicate license.

Fee Exemption for Disabled Veterans

A Texas driver license or ID card may be provided free-of-charge to a veteran of the United States Armed Forces if the veteran:

1. Was honorably discharged
2. Has a service-related disability of at least 60 percent
3. Receives compensation from the United States because of the disability
4. Is not subject to sex offender registration requirements

NOTE: The driver license fee exemption does not apply to commercial driver licenses.

Verification of DisabilityTo qualify for a fee exemption, veterans must present documents to verify their disability status while at the driver license office. If renewing by mail, the verification documents must be included with the renewal invitation. Once the disability status is established, the veteran will be eligible to use online services for fee-exempt driver license transactions.

To verify the disability, please present one of the following:

1. A signed letter on disability status issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; or
2. Official documents certifying conditions 1, 2, and 3 above.*

*If a veteran receives disability compensation but does not have a letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, verification of the disability must be provided by the veteran’s branch of military service.

Residency Addresses outside of TexasMilitary personnel and the spouse or dependent of a member of the armed forces should give a complete address such as: John Henry Smith, Co. B, 25th Inf., Camp Barkley, Abilene, Texas. If a member of the armed forces or the spouse or dependent of a member of the armed forces has a residence address in Texas, it should be provided and used. A member of the armed forces and the spouse or dependent of a member of the armed forces may provide a residence address outside of Texas.

Disabled VeteransVeterans that qualify for a fee-exempt driver license as outlined in the "Fee Exemption for Disabled Veterans" section will not be charged the duplicate license fee to add the veteran designation.