Department Of Public Safety

Poor experience for people moving in to this state. Waited at the door before it opens at 8am. Waited two hours before seeing anyone. Was told to wait back to line again! 3.5 hours went by and nothing was completed! I thought New Jersey DMV was not great and it is like a saint compared to this state

Unexpected surprise. Arrived at 9:00 on a Wednesday for driver’s license renewal. At the counter by 9:18. Out the door by 9:26. Awesome. Timing is everything.

This place is the best! Do you enjoy waiting in ungodly long lines? Do you like to wait in a line to wait in another line? Then this is the place for you! Bring your family, bring your taxes, bring your funeral directors because you’ll love this place so much you’ll die here. Just remember no food or drinks because we wouldn’t want to spill anything on the BEAUTIFUL high quality décor. The people here are so friendly. I loved being shoved out the door by a grumpy old lady. Go ahead and have the staff pose in your next family photo since you’ll get to know them so well by the time you actually leave. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ recommend.

This place is awful! Went in there twice since I have moved to Texas and they have been awful both times. This time I lost my license and just needed to pay to have a new one mailed out. The woman that greeted me clearly hated life as she was very curt and rude. Again I was given a number in the 200’s which means you are a low priority and can wait a while… I sat for an hour and a half while over 60 people came in behind me and were helped before me! I tried to ask why this is so and was told too just wait! Finally my number was called and while being helped a manger came over and was talking and joking with the ladies helping people which made them stop helping me to listen to him.

This place is so special… if you can try to bring your kids! It’s a great time to spend with your spouse too if you can’t get reservations anywhere. Just remember no food or drinks… oh and no talking on your phone. Bring your bible. Be a doer of the word and not hearers only.

Hmmm. I’m not a fan of going to the DPS… pulling into the parking lot just stresses me out. When I found out I couldn’t renew my driver’s license online this year, I was bummed out. This DPS location is the closest location to me and the reviews are terrible! Not that I was expecting much better, but all the 2 star, 1 star reviews here on Unilocal had me worried.
I got there at about 8:00 this morning and the lot appeared to be pretty full already. It was pretty straightforward: there is a sign that says «Line starts here»… so I got in it. It takes you to the lady at the desk. You tell her what you’re there for, she gives you paperwork and a number. I waited about 20 minutes before my number was called. The guy checked my license, updated my address, voter registration, asked me about my glaucoma, took my fingerprints, took my picture, made me read a line for a vision test, swiped my credit card, gave me a temporary permit and I was done. In and out in about 30 mins which is A-​OK by me.
Maybe the best time to go is 8:00am Thursday mornings? Granted, you should be able to go anytime without any problems. Also, I suppose a Driver’s License renewal is a pretty simple process, so that’s why it seemed efficient as well? For reference, here’s what I did and recommend you do prior to going.
1. Visit the DPS website for information on what I need to do and bring for my renewal (worst site ever — 5 clicks to figure out what I needed to bring).
2. Plan to go early (as soon as they open) on a day where missing work might not be that big a deal.
3. Brace yourself. Read reviews. (But you’re already doing that … good for you!) I noticed that the location in Fort Worth has some good reviews. Maybe go there instead of this place.
Uh. That’s about it. Good Luck!

My first one star review because this place is a joke. I came here to exchange my NY drivers license to a Texas one, and did nothing but sit in a waiting room 2 days in a row. It was busier than usual because of spring break, but as someone who starts work at 3 PM during the week, my time is limited. The fact that not a single DPS is open on Saturday is absolutely ridiculous. Step your game up Texas.

Death by 1000 knives would be preferable. Dang it, I didn’t bring a tv. At least I could have entertained myself — although people watching is awesome!

Welcome to the Wal-​Mart of Public Offices. You take a day off of work to take care of some menial paper work that can get you a ticket for not doing so in a timely manner?
Well that is fine but if you don’t have every single piece of paper and if you are in violation of their timeline then just forget it. You will be cast aside like parsley on top of a Denny’s «Moon Over My Hammy».
I suggest going online and making sure you have everything you need here so you will only be spending 4 hours in the 3^rd level of hell. I am fairly certain that Dante’s Inferno was written about the waiting room of the Department of Public Safety.
The people watching is definitely interesting and runs along the lines of a Friday at the State Fair.
You can play bingo with the sights you’ll see: Stained Wife Beater, Flip Flops with Socks, Lady with four kids that are all running around, and three Dale Earnhardt Jr T-​shirts diagonal for the most depressing Bingo win ever.
I will be throwing in a second star for the baseline because I didn’t draw the number of the lady that yelled and kicked people out.

Two stars is the most generous I can be. Every review here seems to have a common tone. I will offer a few tips, should you find yourself at this location.
TIP
#1: Bring a book. I would say you should bring a good book. Perhaps something that will make you actually laugh out loud when reading or at the very least something that keeps you from going insane. (Comic books & «Fifty Shades of Grey» is NOT recommended!)
#2: Come early and make no plans until after 5pm. Like the boyscout motto, «Be prepared.»
#3: Bring a bottle of water and a small snack! Though eating and drinking is «not allowed», if you claim to be «diabetic», there’s very little they can do about it. And it will make everyone around you wish they had thought of that too! (Ordering a pizza however would not be appropriate, I’m just saying.)
#4: Have someone take your picture! I try to make every poor situation into a «photo-​op». To prove this, I am actually in this photo! I’m right behind the guy in the purple shirt.
#5: When they call your number, celebrate! When they called mine, I yelled out «Yahtzee!» (Some thought it was funny, others just growled.)
And last but not least, #6: Remember something really funny just before they take your picture. I have found it’s better to be smiling for your driver (or I.D.) photo than to look like unhappy. If ever you are pulled over, the police might show you mercy knowing that it took alot of extra effort to smile while being at the DPS building. Plus, it makes you look a lot less standoffish.

The old lady with grey hair at the front counter is a bitch. She’s so rude and talks down to everyone. Don’t let her grandma looks fool you. She wasted or time by telling us we didn’t have the right paperwork and tried explaining to us what we needed, but all the while she was talking to us like we were stupid. We left, came back and found out the paperwork we had at first was right after all. People like her give the DPS a bad name.

Like others have said before, its a government office so expect all services to be slow as molasses. You go inside (if the line isn’t out of the door already) and wait at the check-​in desk for a number and the forms required for your visit which you are ordered to fill out in the waiting room beyond.
There are several different number queues (4 I believe) depending on the service so don’t foolishly think the person 5 behind you in the initial check-​in line will be called to the desk after you. Same applies for you — it’s a gamble.
Most recommend that you try the DPS mid week, not immediately before or after a holiday and around 10:45 (between the morning and lunch rush) or 2:45 (between the lunch and after school rush). I drove in around 10:30 and waited an hour, but probably because the second person at the check-​in counter was absent during my initial wait. All 8 lines were open and the workers ushered people through at a relative rate (for the DPS anyhow). And, perhaps since I arrived mid morning the workers were relatively calm and pleasant to deal with.
This, however, is the best service I’ve experience in Tarrant county out of the 4 offices available to me. Couldn’t park at the Fort Worth location, wasn’t able to get in the door at the Lake Worth office and the Arlington office is just too far for me.
Bottom line, if you can renew online, do it, or if you can change counties, do it – Avoid the DPS office at all costs.

I have been here not only for myself but also for my parents who do not speak english… Lets just say this is a government entity, therefore it works at a snails pace.
I just went there to get my father renewed on his license and we waited in line in the front for 10 minutes while the person that issues the ticket is just chatting away in front of my face with another person. Seriously?
If you do go here, go during a Monday or Tuesday… ITs not as crowded and the wait time is about 30 minutes for us. Compared to almost 2 hours when I took my mother on a Friday.

Horrible.
2 hours of waiting with over 100 other people. When I got to the counter there was only like 4 people working. Absurd.
But I guess this is what we get when we put the government in charge of something.
The lady that I finally spoke with was very cheery though… But not enough to make up for the crazy long wait.

Eh, it works. It got the job done. I needed to get my TX license for the first time, so the girl at the information desk wanted me to pull out all these documents I had so she could see and verify them. Then she gave me a ticket and said to wait to stand in line until my ticket was called. I sat down quietly, trying to mind my own business, over the 2 women who were sitting behind me… barking about everyone who was getting in line before their number was called. My ears and mind could have been spared if there was an employee out kinda keepin’ an eye on everything. Instead we were all just sitting in there with other people who expected they could take advantage of the system when nobody was looking. Anyways, I left with my temporary ID, so I was happy.
*CON: No debit or credit. Cash or check only… so be sure to stop by the ATM first.