Driving privilege reciprocity allows a person to use a valid, unexpired foreign license to operate a motor vehicle in Texas for up to one year or until a person becomes a Texas resident, whichever date is sooner. Once a person becomes a new Texas resident, they must apply for a Texas license within 90 days to continue to drive legally. For more information, please review the Moving to Texas page.
Noncommercial licenses:
The state’s recognition of driving privilege reciprocity is governed by the following international agreements coordinated and signed by the federal government. To see a list of countries for each agreement, click the link provided.
- 1943 Inter-American Convention on the Regulation of Inter-American Automotive Traffic (PDF)
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) agreement and countries
- Per U.S. State Department consideration: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, and Yugoslavia.
General Provisions of International Agreements:
- Reciprocal privileges are limited to persons ages 18 to 75 for up to one year from the date of entry into the United States.
- Reciprocal privileges are limited to private vehicles.
- Every vehicle must have a registration certificate issued in accordance with the laws of the country of residence identifying the vehicle and owner and be displayed on the rear of the vehicle or on a plate attached to the rear.
- Every vehicle must have an oval sign or plaque displayed on the rear of the vehicle to indicate the country of origin.
- Every driver must have a valid driver permit, license, or international permit issued by an authorized authority and be translated into English.
Note: These are general provisions only. For the complete text of an agreement, click the links provided.
Commercial licenses:
Only commercial driver licenses from Canada and Mexico are recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation as having full reciprocity for driving privileges in the state of Texas.