TexasCHLforum.com

JALLEN wrote:Well, I can tell you our cars are not titled in the exact same name as the passports, or birth certificate. They may not be in exactly the same name, counting middle initial and Srs, etc. between the three of them, and my D/L! My wife's birth certificate is French; at least mine is Texan. I haven't seen my original SS card in decades, maybe since the Nixon Administration. I don't think I will need one as I will be surrendering a valid CA D/L, if I read the site correctly.

Yeah, it's frustrating.

I went to the titling office in Ohio before moving and had all my cars re-titled in the name that matches our documents. It was a $5 fee per car, IIRC. My birth certificate & passport had "Jr.", but I dropped the "Jr." 25 years ago when my dad died. My wife did not have a middle name at birth, but had used her confirmation name on her drivers license, marriage license, etc for the previous 40 years.

Her Texas driver license does not include the middle name and my DL now says "Jr."

Here are the documents required for a drivers license:

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/driverlice ... ements.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you do not have a passport, surrendering your CA DL will be a "Supporting Document". From the website:

An applicant must present either: two secondary documents or one secondary and two supporting documents to establish identity

You'll still need your birth certificate and one other supporting document. See the list of acceptable documents linked above.

As far as the SS card, you must prove your social security number. Since that is one of the supporting documents accepted above, it is convenient to kill two birs with one stone. However, if you do not have one there are other documents proving your SSN that are accepted, such as a DD-214, Medicare/Medicaid card, etc. Here is the list you can use when you prove your SSN:

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverLice ... number.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

seamusTX wrote:It has been a while since I've done this, but it's complicated. IIRC the steps are:

1. Move to Texas (physically).
2. Get car insurance.
3. Get a Texas driver license.
4. Get the vehicle inspected.
5. Get the title transfer.

Each of these steps is a prerequisite for the next one. In other words, you can't do anything else until you show proof of insurance.

http://www.txdmv.gov/vehicles/registration/faq.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This process is expensive—hundreds of dollars. When we moved here in 1995 I laid down at least two grand for fees, deposits, and miscellaneous extortion.

A little confusion on the order. Titling/registration must come before driver license.

I moved three cars to Texas and got a Texas DL within the last 12 months.

1. Close on a house or sign a lease, i.e., know what your new Texas address will be.
2. Have the vehicles physically present in Texas..
3. Get the vehicle inspected.
4. Get car insurance. (inspected and insurance can be in either order).
5. Go to County Tax office and get vehicle titled, registered and new plates.
6. Depending upon county, it will cost approx $120 to title the out-of-state vehicle and about $60 to register it.
7. After you have your vehicles titled, registered and plated, then get the Texas driver license. You have to provide proof of registration and insurance for all your vehicles to get a driver license.
8. The Texas Driver License in this post-9/11 has stringent identification document requirements that are adhered to within the letter of the law. Easiest for you if you have a US Passport and Social Security card. Otherwise, you'll need original birth certificate or certified copy, plus Social Security card, plus one other secondary document. Plus, you need to prove your residency in Texas with two documents.

Some pertinent links:

http://www.txdmv.gov/vehicles/drivers/new_residents.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverLice ... icense.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverLice ... NonCDL.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Look, you are an attorney so you are used to getting documentation to meet legal requirements. If you are precise about getting and presenting the correct documents on the first try, then figure it will take part of 3 different days to complete all this. One for inspection, one for titling/registration, and one for driver license. Show up any any of these places and stand in line for 2 hours to find your documentation isn't acceptable is a royal pain in the derriere.

I was lucky in that I owned all three vehicles outright, with no liens, and had a clean title for each. Also, make sure your California titles are in the exact same name as the name on your passport or original birth certificate. There are a lot of people who drop a "Jr." or add a middle name, for example. If you have a spouse who has taken your surname, she'll need a copy of the marriage license showing the new name and her maiden name to match against the birth certificate when proving citizenship.

Good luck.