Texas›Speeding ticket guide›Type 3A driving record
Texas Type 3A driving record: do you need to print it?
Only if your court takes paperwork on paper. The Type 3A you buy online from Texas DPS is a $12 PDF. If your court takes email or uploads, send the PDF. If it only takes mail or in-person filings, print every page.
More than half of Texas courts take it electronically. Tap how your court takes paperwork:
My court takes paperwork by…
Not sure? It's on your court's page, or in the letter the court sent when it granted defensive driving.
60%
of courts that require a Type 3A and list a method take it by email or online (396 of 659). Send the PDF.
40%
list only in-person, mail or fax (263 of 659). Print it.
From our research of 1,235 Texas municipal and justice courts; 792 require a Type 3A. Payment-only portals not counted.
Printing is the easy part. The mistake that actually gets submissions sent back is ordering the wrong record. Three of them look almost the same.
Which driving record does the court want?
The Type 3A: the certified copy of your complete record. DPS marks it as the one "acceptable for Defensive Driving Course (DDC)." Nothing else on the menu works.
✓ Order this one
Type 3A
Certified, complete record. $12 online.
✕ Common mix-up
Type 3
Same content, not certified. Saves $4.50, costs you a rejection.
✕ Common mix-up
Type 2A
Certified, but only 3 years. DPS says it's not acceptable.
| Record | Contains | Certified? | For defensive driving? | Online / mail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type 1 | Status only | No | No | $4.50 / $4.00 |
| Type 2 | 3-year history | No | No | $6.50 / $6.00 |
| Type 2A | 3-year history | Yes | No | $12.00 / $10.00 |
| Type 3 | Complete record | No | No | $7.50 / $7.00 |
| Type 3A | Complete record | Yes | ✓ Yes | $12.00 / $10.00 |
| Type AR | Certified abstract | Yes | No | $22.00 / $20.00 |
Mail prices are DPS base fees; online adds the Texas.gov fee. Source: Texas DPS driver-records page and form DR-1, checked October 5, 2026.
How do you order it?
Online at texas.gov in about two minutes, for $12. You get the certified PDF right away. Have these four things ready, and they must match what DPS has on file:
Your Texas DL or ID
As DPS has it
Must already be on file
Printed on your license card
When should you order it?
After the court approves you, and around when you finish the course. Some courts reject a record dated too early. Sherman, for example, wants one dated after approval. Deer Park wants it turned in together with your certificate.
1. Court approves you
2. Take the course
6 hours online
3. Order the Type 3A
Same day you finish
4. Send both together
What gets a submission sent back?
Four avoidable mistakes.
Type 3 or 2A instead of 3A.
Email the original PDF. Don’t convert it to an image.
Use your legal name, exactly as on your license, everywhere.
Three weeks can eat half your 90-day window.
Already had one sent back? Why courts reject submissions, and how to fix it
What does Road Ready Safety charge?
$25, and that's the only number you'll see at checkout.
- The 6-hour TDLR-approved course (CP1234) Verify on TDLR ↗
- Certificate the moment you finish, court and insurance copies
- Unlimited quiz retakes
- No delivery, rush or record fees
- Full refund if you request it before you complete the course or get your certificate
- Two costs we can't include: the court's fee and the DPS record, because the court and DPS collect those. Our full pricing policy
Quick answers
Do I need to print my Type 3A for court?
Only if your court takes paperwork on paper. If it accepts email or uploads, send the PDF. Of the 659 Texas courts that require a Type 3A and say how they take paperwork, 396 (60%) take it electronically.
Can I email my Type 3A to the court?
Yes, if it accepts email filings. Attach the original PDF from DPS with your certificate. Don’t screenshot it or re-save it as an image.
Is a printout of the online Type 3A accepted?
Yes. The PDF is the certified record, and a printout of it is what paper-filing courts expect. Print every page and don’t write on it.
How much is a Type 3A, and how fast?
$12 online ($10 DPS fee plus $2 Texas.gov fee), as an instant PDF. By mail it’s $10 and takes about three weeks.
Do all Texas courts require one?
No. 36% of the 1,235 courts we’ve researched don’t. Check your court’s page. If unsure, get it: it’s $12, and a missing record often delays dismissal.
Can my course provider get it for me?
Some sell it as a marked-up add-on. We don’t. Ordering straight from DPS costs $12 and takes two minutes.
Your next step
How to submit to your court →Haven’t asked the court yet?
How to request the course →Need your court’s rules?
Search the court directory →Want the full process?
Texas ticket dismissal guide →
General information, not legal advice. Record requirements and timing are set by your court. Road Ready Safety is a TDLR-licensed course provider (CP1234), not a court. Sources: Texas DPS driver-records page and form DR-1 (checked October 5, 2026); Tex. Code Crim. Proc. ch. 45A; Road Ready Safety research of 1,235 Texas municipal and justice courts. Last updated October 6, 2026.