If any one of these situations applies to you:

• You are staying in a home that is not yours or your parent’s (or legal guardian’s) because you had to leave your home
• You are in an unstable living situation, without a safe or steady home
• You are sleeping in a motel, car, tent, abandoned building, or public place
• You are staying in a shelter or transitional living program OR
• You are in foster care

1. Then it’s easier than ever to get your birth certificate (if you were born in Texas)! You don’t have to pay for it, and you don’t need a parent’s signature. You can do this on your own, even if you’re under 18.

• Fill out this application form.
• Get this form completed by your school counselor (or if you are in a shelter or program for youth experiencing homelessness, someone at the program can complete the form).
• Mail those two forms with a copy of your ID* (click here to see what IDs are accepted) to this address. Or bring the forms to a local office with your ID and turn them in right there.

2. And then, it’s easier than ever to get your ID or driver’s license! You don’t have to pay for it, and you don’t need a parent’s signature. You can do this on your own, even if you’re under 18.

• Fill out this application form.
• Get this form completed by your school counselor (or if you are in a shelter or program for youth experiencing homelessness, someone at the program can complete the form).
• Get proof of your identity (check here for the different ways to prove your identity).
• Get proof of your Social Security number (check here for ways to prove that).
• Grab your original birth certificate (not a copy).
• Make an appointment to bring everything to your local DMV office. 

* You can use one of these IDs:

1. Driver’s license from a U.S. state 
2. Federal or state ID card 
3. Military ID card 
4. U.S. passport 

OR, you will need a combination of IDs. You will need one of these:

1. Current School or Work ID 
2. Social Security – Must be Signed 
3. Medicaid card 
4. Health Insurance card 

AND two of these:

1. Official School Transcript
2. Library Card
3. Social Security Letter
4. Recent Medical Record or Bill
5. Recent Paycheck Stub 
6. Recent Cell Phone Bill with Current Address
7. Public Benefits Letters or Applications (like SNAP (Food Stamps), Medicaid, TANF)
8. Voter Registration Card
9. Bank Account Statement
10. Lease Agreement or Recent Rent Receipt 

Texas state laws give children and youth experiencing homelessness or foster care the right to get their birth certificates and IDs at no cost and without the signature of a parent or guardian. They also can get a driver’s license at no cost.

BIRTH RECORD ISSUED TO FOSTER CHILD OR YOUTH OR HOMELESS CHILD OR YOUTH

On request of a child or youth described by this section, the state registrar, a local registrar, or a county clerk shall issue, without fee or parental consent, a certified copy of the child’s or youth’s birth record to: 

(1) a homeless child or youth as defined by 42 U.S.C. Section 11434a; 
(2) a child in the managing conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services; and 
(3) a young adult who: 

• (A) is at least 18 years of age, but younger than 21 years of age; and 
• (B) resides in a foster care placement, the cost of which is paid by the Department of Family and Protective Services.

Tex. Health and Safety Code § 191.0049

PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION CERTIFICATE ISSUED TO FOSTER CHILD OR YOUTH OR HOMELESS CHILD OR YOUTH

(a) In this section: 

• (1) “Foster child or youth” means:
  • (A) a child in the managing conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services; or 
  • (B) a young adult who:
    • (i) is at least 18 years of age, but younger than 21 years of age; and 
    • (ii) resides in a foster care placement, the cost of which is paid by the Department of Family and Protective Services. 
• (2) “Homeless child or youth” has the meaning assigned by 42 U.S.C. Section 11434a.
  • (b) This section applies to the application for a personal identification certificate only for a foster child or youth or a homeless child or youth. 
  • (c) Notwithstanding Section 521.101 (Personal Identification Certificate), Section 521.1426 (Domicile Requirement; Verification), or any other provision of this chapter, a child or youth described by Subsection (b) may, in applying for a personal identification certificate:
    • (1) provide a copy of the child’s or youth’s birth certificate as proof of the child’s or youth’s identity and United States citizenship, as applicable; and 
    • (2) if the child or youth does not have a residence or domicile:
      • (A) provide a letter certifying the child or youth is a homeless child or youth issued by:
        • (i) the school district in which the child or youth is enrolled; 
        • (ii) the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development; or 
        • (iii) the director of:
          • a basic center for runaway and homeless youth; or 
          • (b) a transitional living program; or 
      • (B) use the address of the regional office where the Department of Family and Protective Services caseworker for the child or youth is based. 
  • (d) A child or youth described by Subsection (b) may apply for and the department may issue a personal identification certificate without the signature or presence of or permission from a parent or guardian of the child or youth. 
  • (e) The department shall exempt a child or youth described by Subsection (b) from the payment of any fee for the issuance of a personal identification certificate under this chapter, subject to Section 521.4265 (Identification Fee Exemption Account).

Tex. Transp. Code § 521.1015

WAIVER OF FEES FOR FOSTER CHILD OR YOUTH, HOMELESS CHILD OR YOUTH, OR VICTIM OR CHILD OF VICTIM OF DATING OR FAMILY VIOLENCE

A person is exempt from the payment of any fee for the issuance of a driver’s license, as provided under this chapter, if that person is: 

(1) younger than 18 years of age and in the managing conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services;
(2) at least 18 years of age, but younger than 21 years of age, and resides in a foster care placement, the cost of which is paid by the Department of Family and Protective Services;
(3) a homeless child or youth as defined by 42 U.S.C. Section 11434a;
(4) a victim of dating violence as defined by Section 71.0021, Family Code;
(5) a victim of family violence as defined by Section 51.002, Human Resources Code; or
(6) a child of a victim described by Subdivision (4) or (5). 

Tex. Transp. Code § 521.1811