Driving in the U.S.

Insurance requirements vary by state. Your insurance must meet the requirements for the state in which you reside. If you own a vehicle, there are additional requirements.

Fast Facts

• In Texas, driver’s licenses are managed by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
• The Texas Department of Public Safety’s webpage indicates that F-1 students granted immigration status for “duration of status” will be given a driver’s license with an expiration within one year. The license would then need to be renewed on a yearly basis.
• In the past, F-1 students may have been issued a license with a longer expiration date. If you were previously issued a license with a duration of longer than one year, this license is still valid until the expiration date issued on the card.
• If you have a valid license from your home country and your country recognizes an equivalent U.S. license as valid, you may drive up to one year on the out-of-country license.
• To get a Texas driver’s license you will take written and driving exams and show proof of insurance.

NOTE: F-1 students with an expired Employment Authorization Document (EAD) for OPT, who are pending approval of either a STEM OPT Extension or H-1B Cap-Gap Relief, will be unable to renew their license until the new status is approved.