Texas Department Of Public Safety

Went to DMV today (8^th Feb 2016). The reason for 5 stars is excellent service by Mr. Gary Herr. When I went to him he couldn’t pull my information based on my visa. When I told him that I was in and out of country he pulled my recent I-​94 based on my info and provided me paper license straight away. A different lady provided service to my husband and she sent him away telling that come after secondary inspection letter from Austin even though our visa paper is from 2015 to 2017. She was slightly rude. Then I went to Mr. Gary and he pulled info based on our travel and got latest I94 and helped my husband get license then and there. He was very KIND, HELPFUL and POLITE. This Plano location needs people like him who listens to people and try to help people. Because of people like him wait time of 1+ hours becomes worthwhile as this Parker Road location was extremely crowded and we had to wait 1 hr 15 min. for our turn as it was Monday.
Since I forgot to ask his name and couldn’t make out from his signature, I called Austin office to find out his name so that I could write in this review.

A haiku about my experience at the Texas Department of Public Safety:
I waited three hours
Next to a farting Santa
To get my license
And there you have it.

Watch out for BS reviews. How can anyone leave five stars for a place that takes an hour and nine minutes when you are the first person in line. How can anyone leave five stars for a place that conducts monetary transactions, requires exact change when using cash, and charges you an additional fee when using a card? How can anyone leave five stars for a place that has NEVER had every booth with an attendant, despite a consistent line forming out the door before opening.
If this was a business, no one would ever go. I cannot in my right mind figure out how anyone could leave five stars for this place. I would rather drive to another city and use a different DPS than try and get something done there. Please take a hint from Indiana’s DPS and hire a legitimate and real consulting firm and get this known problem handled. It is a fixable problem, it HAS been for as long as I have been driving, but it needs to happen.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to do clerical beurocratic work. It can’t be a fun job to have. This is why people have made computers. Kiosks would do just fine, and be as convenient as an ATM.

I know this place has a bunch of bad reviews, but for a DPS office, I haven’t had a bad experience, and I’ve been here twice in the past year (name change, then replacement today due to missing wallet). I usually get to the office about an hour before it opens, and wait in my car until 7:20am when the line starts to form. Today I was first in line, doors opened at 7:53am, and I was out of the office by 8:09am. The staff has always been kind and courteous. I’ve seen numerous reviews about rude staff here, but if you had to deal with people who don’t bring the right documents, argue, and complain about the wait, you’d be pretty tired of it by the end of the day. It’s a DPS, what do you expect?
The gentleman at the front door who opened this morning was sweet, and answered questions before letting people in, and while he was blunt, he joked with the people in line as well (with a smile). The guy I talked with at the counter was exceptionally friendly, and didn’t complain about my passport having my maiden name since I had a marriage license. He apologized about my wallet going missing, and let me know he’d make sure to expedite the process at the office so I could enjoy my day off.
Both times I’ve come here, I’ve been treated respectfully. My tips: go early in the morning, midweek and be prepared for a wait if you’re in the back of the line. Don’t get angry about waiting if you have to. The people working here are trying to help you. Bring a book of you have to. If you’re paying with cash, being exact change ($ 11 for a replacement).
This is one of the friendlier offices I’ve visited over the years.

Very badly organized, staff is rude
Very long wait. Took me 4 hours to reach the counter

This place is awful!
Fiancé and I came in early Friday morning for him to renew his license and get a new picture taken. Should have been a very quick simple thing. Instead, what we found was that the line went outside the door and the security guy was only letting people in depending on how may seats available. So, make sure to bring water because you’ll be standing outside in the heat. Once we got to the front of the line, I was told I could not go in because I was not getting anything done, instead I was told to either wait outside for my fiancé to finish or go wait in the car. Apparently there weren’t enough seats for me. Deciding to wait in the car and away from the heat, I sat there for a good two hours before the fiancé showed back up with his renewed license. Note, he told me there was an open seat next to him the entire time. Thanks for making a 5’3″ girl wait outside alone for 2 hours.
Just go to the Garland location, seriously the longest I’ve waited there was 15 minutes.

If I were able to give negative stars I would. What the hell is the problem TX? Why should getting a drivers license be so painful? I came in with ALL of my documents (you almost need a blood sample) ready to go. I was given a number and told to take a seat. The number has a time stamp — 10:08 & now it is 12:25pm and we were told the system is down. Wth? Really? I hope this thing never expires… I would hope & pray I never have to come back here again. If there is ANY way you can avoid this place DO it.

Spoiler Alert: Government processes take time. A lot of people have become accustom to instant gratification and if you fall into this group you’re going to have a bad time. I will tell you how to have the most efficient experience at the DMV through a short list (because people nowadays only read things if they’re in list form):
1. Search online about whatever process you are wanting to complete. The DMV has every form online.
2. Fill out the form prior to showing up at the DMV.
3. Show up 30 minutes early. You will have to wait in line. Deal with it. I shower up 15 minutes early and was about 20^th in line.
4. Make sure you have the correct forms of ID. The necessary IDs are listed online.
5. Receive your number while waiting in line. One of the representatives shows up 5 minutes before the doors open and hands out a number.
6. Don’t be rude to the people that work there. These are people with families and friends just like you.
I showed up 15 minutes before the doors opened and had the one form required for my desired task filled out before I showed up. The total process (DL replacement) took me 45 minutes and the representative that helped me was quick and kind.

They complete everything so slow. You will sit for hours. Terrible service. Everyone that we spoke to was very rude.

If you avoid the miserable, overweight, wrinkled, brownish old woman at the front desk, you might have a pleasant experience. Most likely not.
Just do yourself a favor and go to the Garland location. Incredibly more efficient and less depressing of a vibe.

Terrible numerical waiting system! Waited for an hour while I see others who came later than I already had their turn. Terribly inefficient and in addition to that, they staff are absolutely rude.

I went to this DMP for road test. With all the documents handy my visit was painless and fast. Staff were patient and friendly. Always had a pleasant experience here !!

Well organized but always super busy. Just plan on time sitting but try online first if at all possible.

This place is completely awful. The African guy that works there.. avoid at all costs unless you have good patience. He’s the soup nazi reborn. Not a bad guy, but lacks tact and patience which may get you riled up. People working there except for the troopers and one clerk look miserable. As I always say why do a job that you hate in the first place?
Had to go back and pick up my passport, even though they say you should be able to use any other two documents for proof of citizenship.
If you just migrated to this country, good luck. Whatever bad reviews you’ve read here and from Google is pretty much accurate.

Went on February 10^th to renew DL. Got there prior to office opening. Naturally, there was a lengthy line, which is fine, I fully expected that. However, upon opening, a gentleman came out and informed us the internet was down and they can’t do anything. I don’t know if it will be 5 minutes or all day.
Outages happen, I understand that. But, you could have let us know it was down a little earlier, or at least given us a little more information.
Oh well, will try again at a Megacenter, only went here because I was working at an office nearby that day.

I expected the worst! but I was wrong. I got in at exactly 8am, given a number at 8:09am and was out there by 8:41am. There were a lot of people but somehow the line moved quick. You just need to be organized and have your documents/​papers ready and you will be swiftly out of there. The lady who helped me was very pleasant. If you are paying with cash, have an exact change.

Rudest attitude I have ever encountered… If all our tax dollars are paying for your salaries. The least you can do is be civil!!!

Wonderful service, quick, and helpful all around!
Seriously, the issues people are complaining about in their reviews are ALL things that they could have avoided. If you go online BEFORE arriving, every form you need and every item you need to bring is clearly, and easily, laid out. So if you stand in line for hours only to find out you are missing something, that’s NOT the Dept. of Public Safety’s fault, it’s yours!
The first time I arrived, the line moved quickly and when I reached the counter realized I’d forgotten my SS card at home (MY fault, NOT theirs). So after a quick jaunt back home, and a nap for my little one, we returned a couple of hours later. The line was longer, but still moved with decent speed (there was only one person at the desk this time). I had all my paperwork and was given a number. I came prepared to wait, it is a «DMV-​like» place after all, expect a wait people! I had toys and snacks for my little guy and I brought the stroller to keep him some-​what contained. From the time I arrived till the time I was seen was just under 1hr, not bad.
Mitchell Jordan was the delightful and friendly man who helped me get my new TX drivers license. He was patient as I maneuvered my son and getting the paperwork I needed to surrender. I asked him about horrible license photos and we laughed for a second. He rounded out my visit with a pleasant smile, a «welcome to Texas» and sent me on my day with a wish of a good day.
Seriously one of the best experiences I’ve had at a «DMV».

Purpose of my visit: surrender my out of state license for a TXDL and take the motorcycle exam. Everything went smoothly, efficiently and the 3 people who helped me were courteous, professional and friendly.
I received terrific customer service from the nice women who checked me in to the clerk who checked me out after I completed my motorcycle exam. Garret took care of the transactions for my TXDL and motorcycle endorsements. He was very helpful, patient with the few mistakes I made on my forms (oops) and even put up with me when I explained to him that I didn’t want to touch other peoples nasty germs from the fingerprint machine — he let me use his hand sanitizer when I was finished with my prints. He gave me good instructions on how to take the motorcycle exam on the computers (the computers are a little quirky), let me know what I’d need to do if I didn’t pass the exam on my first test but then told me I wouldn’t have to worry about it and that I’d do just fine. He was right. I passed!
Here’s the deal. Make sure you have what you need before going to the DPS office by visiting their website. When you get there, be nice to the staff and they (should) be nice back!

Tried to go here the day after a 3 day weekend. Big mistake! Not sure if this is how it normally is, but the line was around the corner 15 minutes before it opened. I had to wait 2 hours only to find that I was missing a document, which was not clearly stated as a requirement.
They do do spot checks of the people waiting to make sure they have the stuff, they need, but I wasn’t checked. the staff does make the best of it tough and they were able to give me anew ticket so my wait the second time would not be as long. In sum, 5 hours later, I got my stuff done.