Department of Public Safety

Appointment was made at 9:30 and stated 55 minute wait. It is now 12:35 and have 40 minute wait…

I visited on Monday, December 14. The staffer at the kiosks where you get in queue was very helpful. I’m in a wheelchair and the kiosk has an ADA option, fyi if that applies to you. You can also join the queue on the internet if you like. They will text your status to you. We had to go back to the house to get address documentation but were able to return to our window to complete the transaction. TIP: just to be prepared, take at least two documents (bills, bank statements a month or two old), voter registration card etc to verify your address just in case there’s any need for that. It doesn’t hurt to have your Social Security card with you, either, if you have one. The person at our window was very helpful and postponed her lunch break to take care of my situation.

I would give it zero stars if that were an option. I just had the WORST, most stereotypical DMV /​DPS experience at this office. The woman who «helped» me was Kristan Harris. I walked up, said good morning and she immediately started barking at me, without even looking in my direction, let alone AT me. The Texas DPS processes are so antiquated and complicated that it takes a stroke of luck to fill out the right form and register under the correct process. I moved from out of state and was getting a Texas Drivers License. Apparently, according to this horrible woman Kristan, I checked in under the wrong process. So then, again with the barking, she proceeds to start spouting off the list of things I need, all of which were sitting on the counter in front of her… me, standing there with a stupid smile on my face, her, not even looking in my general direction. I brought a copy of my lease provided directly from my apartment complex to prove my residence and she «had an issue» with it because page one said «Summary of lease» and that’s where it showed the address. She kept asking for things I already presented, more copies of my address even though she had more than the website told me I had to bring. It appeared that she was just looking for a reason to send me away rather than give me my new drivers license. I don’t understand people who make it their mission to ruin your day.
You all need to get your stuff together. This was by far the WORST DMV /​DPS experience I have EVER had… and I have lived in five states! Kristan Harris needs to be taken off the floor until she learns some manners and customer service.
Ridiculous.

Would give 0 stars if possible. Immediately after entering, you will be promptly greeted by an employee barking irrelevant instructions.
Although it wasn’t even a large crowd, it took about 4 hours in total. When my number was finally called up, the employee put me back into the queue because it was her lunch break. How professional!
Other employees I encountered were rude, disrespectful and seemed to make the process as miserable and inefficient as humanly possible.
Had documents organized in an envelope. Employee stared at me asking «what is this… do you expect me to sort through it?»
Moral of the story: go to a different DPS/​DMV.
Only positive is the mobile notification system.

Great experience! You HAVE to «Get in line» online. Follow this link:
I got in line before leaving my apartment. They send you text alerts and if you are driving over there you can reply with «M» and it gives you more time. I was in the waiting room for about 2 minutes and in under 10 minutes I was on my way home!
*Make sure you have all your documents ready to go!*

Hard to explain
Went on a Friday… signed in on my phone at 2pm. Arrived at DPS at around 3:45… Saw a clerk at 5pm. Hey it was Friday.
The girl who waited on me, seemed nice, never really looked at me… BUT
Asked for:
1 Birth Certificate
2 Social Security Card
3 Vehicle Insurance
4 and my OUT OF STATE LICENSE
She went ahead and processed everything and then took my thumb prints and asked me to sign on an electronic signature pad.
Ok, I was like this was easy… I had brought a WHOLE BRIEFCASE of W-​2s, my HS Diploma, my Baptismal Certificate, my birth certificate with my foot print, my insurance declaration page & my apartment lease.
Easy right? She only asked for the above 1 – 4.
Haha, I walk to the exit and look at the copy of my new TEXAS Drivers License… AND SHE HAS ALL THE NAME WRONG. My middle name is my last name. WTF? She has the application, my certified birth certificate and my social security card… AND MY NAME IS WRONG ON THE LICENSE. ???$&@&$)&)??
So I proceeded back and she was gone
They called her out the back, and she never batted an eye or gave any expression. She just handed it to another woman and this other woman started all over again.
Haha …the reason I gave 3 stars is because the second woman was awesome, amazing. I totally enjoyed her service.
The moral, … Check the temporary while at the clerk… They aren’t paying attention. They are more worried about getting out of there, then being accurate.
Check their work !!! It will save you a trip
CHECK THEIR WORK!!!
Finally I have my TEXAS DRIVERS LICENSE.
DONE !!!

I came here on Friday, November 13^th. I know what you’re thinking, why would this girl go to the DPS office on Friday the 13^th?! DUN DUN DUN DUNNN. Truth be told, this DPS office is not as bad as you may think. What’s the «secret?» CHECK IN ONLINE. It literally takes less than 3 minutes. Don’t forget to fill out any required documents and print it before you check in online so that you can be ready as you walk in!
1. Google «DPS Houston Gessner»
2. Click on the website
3. Click «Houston-​Gessner Mega Center»
4. Click «get in line online»
5. Click whatever service that you need (renew/​replace drivers license, change address/​name etc)
6. Click «put me in line»
7. From there you will enter your phone number and you will receive a text from the DPS office saying how long your wait would be
You can also receive status updates on how much longer your wait will be by texting «S» or if you want to leave the line, then text «L» if you need more time you can text «M»
I did this right before I left my house. By the time I was walking into the building, I already received a text saying «You are ready. Go to station 28.» I did not even wait for a second. This was the fastest I’ve ever been in and out of the DPS office to renew my license.

I’m going to not curse them out, I’m still so freaking mad about my experience there. The worst thing about this place for me was that it made me wait 6 freaking hours to get my license. Usually they would be doing their work fast, however today, they thought why not just let them wait until closing time to work faster. And people waited longer than 6 hour that day. The last straw was when I went to apply at the station, this lady told me that my documents aren’t right. Lady!!! It freaking said my address and name. What more do you want! I had all my documents, but she refuse to look them over and just told me to get more documents. AND TO COME BACK LATER, after 6 freaking hour!!! Of waiting!!! I’m done with this place forever. I rather go to Rosenberg than this one.

Well it was finally time to renew my driver license IN PERSON, which is usually a horrible nightmare. I decided to go to the Gessner megacenter even though it was further from my office since you could queue into the line via the internet. I got ‘in line’ online and got a ½ hour wait, so took off in the car for the 25 minute drive there. I arrived and went to area B where I waited another five minutes and then was called. I had the picture and vision test and paperwork handled in less than 5 minutes and paid the $ 25 and was out. This is the shortest time I have ever spent at a DPS. The last time I was at the DPS in Alvin, TX with my son we waited literally like 2.5 hours to get waited on. The queue/​online getting in line is a great system!

This is by far the worst agency I’ve ever been to in my LIFE.
I came here to change me license from out of state and it took 4 visits. Every. Single. Time. I waited the when I got to the desk they needed something else. Not to mention that two of the visits has 8 – 10 hours waits, even after «getting in line» remotely.
After requesting my original Birth Certificate… which i furnished… I was told it was too old. Not sure how a birth certificate that’s over 3 decades is supposed to look… but I have a hunch it won’t be «new».
Just about every employee here is incompetent.
After much frustration and finally receiving my ID, the date of Birth is wrong. I must go back a 5^th time. As someone who has lived in 5 different states and has had to perform this ID change procedure many times… I’ve never in my life experienced anything as miserable as DPS.
If you are looking for a place to go lose your faith in humanity and wonder how humans have existed this long. This is it.

On Monday, we waited forever, well it was a 30 minutes though it felt like forever. We even signed up online before we arrived. The place had their A/​C turned up and it was about 90 degrees. A few times throughout the number calling the tv screens went blank. probably because it was so smoking hot in there.
When our number finally showed up after counting down from 50+ numbers, it almost felt like New Years except not as fun or nice, we walked over to the counter. They told my relative unfortunately they would not able to give an id because there was 1 item missing out of all the documents and id shown.
The place is extremely close to like a 3^rd world country. As we tried to exit, they had secured the front doors. The employee pointed to side doors to exit. We walked over and there over 100 people in another waiting area.
The employee pushed the door open, and someone was trying to get back in and said I have my missing document please let me in. He told him «NO» in an extremely serious tone and said return tomorrow. Meanwhile we were still blocked in and we try to go around the employee while the guy tried to squeeze in. We finally managed to escape, I mean exit without getting locked in.
Next time we will try the new location in another city which we heard is faster than this place.

I arrived around 7:15 a.m. to renew license and change it to my married name. Line was long and I assumed I’d be in for a long wait. At exactly 7:30, a woman came out, asked who was there for renewals, handed out forms (I already had mine printed & completed), led us inside to the proper section, handed out numbers (I was A20) and within 5 minutes, I was at a counter getting everything done. The computer station I was at did crash halfway through, but once it rebooted, it was fine. I was done and in my car at 7:45 a.m. Really easy process, but definitely make sure you go online the night before and print the forms and make sure you have the supporting documents (I took my marriage certificate and social security card).

This location doesn’t exist typed it into the GPS and it took me to an abandoned building next to best buy. It’s Actually on the other side of gessner when you pass 59 past the post office. I went to this one because I saw the pictures of the potholes and thought it was the same one lol.
Don’t remember the address. Someone please comment below if you know it.

Worst. Office. Ever.
Waited for 3 hours then they stopped going by number. Well what was the point of getting a number? People who just walked in got service before me WTF

I had to get a duplicate driver’s license made since I seem to have lost mine at FPSF this year. Typically the wait to get a new license takes forever. However, with this location, you are able to sign in online. This makes it so that you do not have to wait more than a few minutes, if you plan it out correctly. Never go to DPS again without «getting in line» via their website first.

The wait isn’t long if you register on DPS mega online to text you. I was going to give all three DPS/​Drivers license offices I’ve been to today, a 1 star, but when I got turned down from here, a gentleman was giving clear directions by the front door when I was waiting at the back of the line again to speak to a supervisor. That gentleman might have not solved a problem but he linked me to the person who can help me and I was able to fill in the gap of information needed for me to get a Texas drivers license.
I’m pretty organized but just to prove my current status is alot which the website should include. This facility out of 3 I have been today looks most organized, and I’m glad the supervisor and the gentleman took care of me, hoping that maybe more state workers would give attention or even care to understand the procedures for active military or recently discharged military instead of brushing us off like we are nothing. How would you feel if us the Department of Defense brushed you off like you mean nothing?

I know, I know, you’re probably thinking, «What?! How could this possibly be?» Here are a couple of tips to make your experience superb as well:
Since I am applying for a new TX driver’s license, my experience may be a bit different than yours. Nevertheless, the tips still apply.
1. Check out their website for all the facts and paperwork you will need to bring:
Collect all your paperwork, ID cards, proof of insurance, etc and double-​check you have the specific ones they need.
2. Highly, highly, highly recommend using the Que Up or «get in line» feature. Do this right before you leave. Print out the confirmation that is sent to you and bring it along. The que system will require your cell phone number so they can text you about where you are in line and how long you need to wait.
3. Be courteous, be patient, be polite!
I had a folder with all my docs ready to go. I went on a Thursday morning around 10ish. My phone let me know that there was 18 minutes before I was up next. Just in time for me to get there since I lived 15 mins away.
I arrived, parked, and just as I reached the front counter, a lady directed me to where I needed to go because I told her what I was there for, had my forms pre-​filled, and had already been qued since leaving home. Having barely sat down to watch the TV monitors for my number and listening to who was up next, I was called to the next counter. That’s 1.5 minutes. You read correctly… a minute and a half wait even though the waiting area was full.
The lady at counter 11, Shuronda, was the most pleasant, warm, and helpful person on earth! She was so patient with me when I had to call home to send a document I forgot (even with my preparedness beforehand!) The printer jammed and took an extra 5 minutes of our time, but Shuronda was professional and smiled the whole time. From beginning to finish of the paperwork, picture, fingerprinting, and pay, total time was 20 minutes.
I am one happy camper with a temporary TX driver’s license! So it would behoove you to make a little preparation ahead of time and go with a lot of good attitude. For the love of humanity and all that is good, please do.

I showed up around 7:40am to trade in my CA license for a TX one :-(There was NO line! Amazing. If you have to go, go first thing in the morning. Also, make sure you have EVERYTHING you might possibly need. Texas requires proof of SSN which is something I’ve never had to provide in other states. If you are using a W2 or 1099 to establish your identity or address, you need the most recent year’s form.
The attitude of some of the employees was… well, on par with other DMV experiences.
The online system is very cool. I tried to use it but at 7:30 as soon as I got in line I got a text saying my wait was 0 minutes and to proceed to a station so I left the line since I was still 10 minutes away. If that happens to you, just press «m» for more time. Ashley Y. has the run down on all of the text commands.
Do whatever you can to avoid having to go in the first place. But, all things considered I got what I needed in a timely manner with limited hassle.

Line up online with the DPS kiosk first. Make sure it is the right DPS (Gessner-​Mega DPS). When you get here, it’ll be chaos! When you ask the staff for help… it’s normal to get confused with their instructions, reiterate what they tell you to them because sometimes they don’t really listen to your questions. They talk to you like you know the norm (as if you go here all the time and you should know how things are run). Anyway, when you get in they will call you by the last 4 digits of your cell #. An automated text will be sent to the phone number you entered at the kiosk. Before you see the person at your designated station fill out the form for your specific need so that your time will be used wisely.
Tip: If you want to avoid chaoticness… Go to Rosenberg DPS! It’s 15 mins away and wait time is low, staff is much nicer, less people, less stress. You’ll be in and out quicker than a corner store trip. Your day will not be wasted! You will leave with a smile :)… and you’re welcome!

Who knew that Id ever be reviewing a DPS, much less giving it 5 stars? But this is well worth the review.
As everyone has mentioned, they have this awesome check in process! After you sign up online or by phone, they send you a text with your estimated wait time and the number of people in front of you.
You can send then back a text with:
«S» for status update — which tells you again how many people are ahead of you and how many minutes until you get to the front of the line
«M» for more time — which lets you add 10 more minutes of time if you need it. Also, if you need even more time, just reply with «M» followed by the # of additional minutes you need (for example, «M 20» if you need 20 additional minutes.)
«L» for leaving the line
«J» for rejoining the line if you’re late
«H» for help
They’ll also send you an update when you’re 20 min away from the front. When you get there, just skip the line and sit down to wait for your number. Your number is the last four digits of the phone number you signed up with to checkin.
I literally sat down for 20 seconds and they called my name. Was in and out within 5 minutes for my Drivers License replacement. Thank you SO very much to the wonderfully smart person who came up with this system.