Texas Drivers Education — 18 to 24 — Identity Verification
According to the current law in Texas, drivers license applicants between 18 and 24 years of age must participate in a 6 hour Texas drivers education course. Just like parent taught drivers ed courses for Texas, the 6 hour driver education class can be completed online, however there's a catch there. Even though you will be taking the drivers education class online, the state requires you to verify your identity. There is a number of ways the identify verification can be done and you can always check the details with your online Texas drivers education course provider.
Texas Drivers Education Requirements
Until recently, only teenage drivers license applicants were required to take a drivers education class. However, recent changes to the driving laws in Texas have reshaped the licensing procedure for applicants between 18 and 24 years of age. If you are of this age and would like to get a Texas drivers license, you will need to follow these steps:
- Sign up for and complete a 6 hour Texas drivers education course
- Obtain your certificate of completion
- Visit a local DPS office, have your picture taken, receive your Texas drivers permit
- Practice driving
- Schedule the road test with the DPS
- Pass your Texas driving test
- Receive your drivers license in the mail
Those who complete a six hour adult drivers education course usually take the Texas DPS permit test at the end of the course, so they do not need to take it again at the office. Some of the online drivers education course providers will also supply you with free Texas practice permit tests that can help you prepare for the real thing.
Online Texas Drivers Ed
Texas drivers education requirements can be met either by going through a conventional driving school or taking a Texas online drivers education class. Each way has its own advantages and disadvantages, but we'll be concentrating on the online drivers education course here.
The main convenience of the Texas online driver's education class is the fact that you can complete it from your house. Sounds good, doesn't it? However, there's a catch here. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) requires that every student who chooses to meet drivers education requirements online verifies his or her identity before a certificate of completion can be issued.
What this means is that you will not be able to complete your 6 hour Texas driver's education class without leaving your house. Either at the end of the course or even before you start the online lessons, you will be required to go somewhere, present an ID and only then the certificate of completion will be sent.
Identity Verification - Different Types
We know of two different types of identity verification that is currently used by companies that provide online drivers education in Texas.
- Notary public
- UPS / USPS / MBE
Most of the Texas drivers ed course providers use notary services to meet the TEA identity verification requirements. If your course provider uses this option, then once you are done with the online lessons, you will have to visit a local notary public who will sign an affidavit that needs to be faxed or mailed back to your drivers ed school. In some cases, you may even have to take the final test there at notary's. Once your school receives your notarized affidavit, they will mail you the certificate.
The other option is very similar, the only difference is that instead of using notary services, your drivers ed provider signs a contract with postal offices and you have to go down to a local postal office to have your identity verified.
There is really not much difference between these two methods, but what you have to watch out for are the fees the company may charge you for these services. You have to realize that when you show up at notary's or a UPS store, they will want to charge you for the service provided. Hence, you should be clear on who is covering these charges before you pay for the course. Make sure to ask your Texas drivers education course provider what's included in the price that you pay, whether you'll have to pay anything extra for identity verification.
Parent Taught Drivers Education
You have to keep in mind that everything stated above concerns only the 6 hour Texas adult drivers ed course and does not apply to parent taught drivers ed course in Texas. If you are going through one of the state-approved Texas parent taught drivers education classes, you should just follow the course curriculum provided to you by the school.
