TxDMV Votes to Tighten Registration ID Requirements

In the midst of a large registration and titling IT project, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) board voted Feb. 12 to adopt amended rules tightening requirements for vehicle registrations, changes the agency said will require updates to renewal workflows and internal systems.

The rule package traces back to guidance TxDMV issued in November 2025 and later advanced as amendments to Chapter 217 of the Texas Administrative Code, which the agency said is meant to align registration identification practices with Texas Transportation Code 502.040.

At the Jan. 21 hearing, county officials, dealer representatives and members of the public pressed TxDMV on renewals in particular, raising concerns about consistency across counties and the risks of transmitting or storing copies of identification for mail and online transactions.

At a Feb. 12 meeting, Vehicle Titles and Registration Division Director Annette Quintero told board members the agency received 268 public comments and 12 supportive comments, with staff summarizing issues that included administrative burden, verification questions and data security. Staff also tied the rollout timeline to the need to update programming and business processes and to prepare counties and dealers for implementation.

TxDMV’s adopted approach keeps the tightening of identification standards for certain registration transactions but separates initial registrations from renewals on the effective-date timeline, and staff described adjustments intended to preserve some renewal pathways.

For initial registrations, TxDMV staff described the rule as requiring valid, unexpired identification documents issued to people legally eligible to reside in the U.S. In explaining acceptable pathways, TxDMV said an unexpired foreign passport could be used if supported by federal immigration documentation, giving Form I-94 and a permanent resident card as examples.

Renewals were the dominant operational flashpoint in public input and TxDMV’s response was to delay the renewal-related provisions until Jan. 1, 2027, to update internal systems and programming, adjust business processes and conduct training and communications across TxDMV, county offices and the dealer community. The initial registration-related provisions were set to take effect March 5.

Public feedback highlighted the risk that requiring personal identification at each renewal could prevent use of existing online renewal processes. In response, TxDMV recommended allowing renewals without presentation of personal identification for specified registration types, framing the change as a way to preserve online renewal functionality for certain commercial registrants.

TxDMV paired the adopted rules with an implementation plan described during the board meeting. Staff said the agency scheduled a series of webinars for TxDMV internal staff, county tax offices and the dealer community and planned to distribute supporting guidance through GovDelivery alongside tools such as checklists and questions and answers.

After public testimony and board discussion, the board adopted the amended rules unanimously.

While the policy debate has centered on eligibility, documentation and renewal logistics, it is unfolding alongside TxDMV’s broader push to modernize the technology foundation behind title and registration services. In a Feb. 5 Industry Insider — Texas interview, TxDMV CIO Wendy Barron said the agency’s top budget priority is continued execution of its Registration and Title System Modernization project, describing it as a multiyear overhaul of a core legacy system.

Barron said the modernization effort is expected to generate procurement activity, including a large-scale request for proposals for the core solution and additional Deliverables-Based Information Technology statements of work supporting readiness work tied to the modernization.