Do I qualify for a hardship license in Texas?

What do I need to do for a hardship license in Texas?

• I am about to enroll in Driver's Ed. I am 15 and will be 16 in December. In Texas you are now required to have your learner's permit for a year before you can get your license, unless you get a hardship. I need my license early because I have no way to get home from school and get to work. My parents are also divorced and my mother lives in another town. She has other kids and needs me to be able to drive to her house for visitation. What do I do to get my hardship in this situation and what would the rules be? How long do you have to have permit before getting hardship?

• Answer:

  I live in Texas and there are four acceptable reasons for granting a hardship license to a minor applicant. 1. The applicant's family faces an unusual economic hardship and is being deprived of the basic necessities of life. 2. The applicant has an ill family member who needs transportation to medical treatment or the applicant must drive in her place to keep the household running. 3. The applicant is enrolled in a vocational educational program. 4. An immediate family member has died and remaining family members need him to drive temporarily to carry. The Texas Department of Public Safety will investigate or require evidence of the information an applicant gives on the application for a hardship license. The required driver training course must conform to the standards for Driver Education or Motorcycle Operator Training courses for Texas schools. The application for a hardship license must be executed by an authorized adult, with both the adult and minor signing the form, and submitted in person at a drivers license office.