DPS Adds Online Appointment Portal To Renew Driver Licenses

AUSTIN, TX – Texas residents will soon be able to make appointments to renewed  a driver's license. The Texas Department of Public Safety has an appointment system set up it is currently working to release.

A DPS spokesperson said, "This has been in the works for a while now, and we continue to work on getting this appointment solution ready to implement in our offices when they reopen."

This new system will allow customers to book appointments up to six months in advance. Customers that do not have an appointment scheduled can wait until the day-of for “standby” appointments at local offices. A team member can also help customers schedule an appointment for another day as well. 

“We are hopeful that this will help reduce the number of people who spend hours waiting in line at DL offices, as it will give them the option to make their appointment online and come in to the DL office on a specific day at a specific time.”

If your license expires on or after March 13, 2020, it falls under the period that covers the State of Disaster Declaration because of COVID-19. DPS says anyone worried about their license expiring right now, do not worry because you have extra time to renew.  There are also new extensions for Texas identification cards, driver’s licenses, commercial DLs and election identification certificates. 

DPS will be issuing notices when the extension period has been lifted meaning residents will have 60 days to get it renewed before facing any penalty. Extensions do not apply if your license has previously been suspended or revoked. DPS encourages drivers to check to see if they’re eligible to renew online first, before coming into public offices. According to the agency, last year 3.2 million people didn’t have to go into one of the offices to renew their license.