A valid certificate of inspection issued in the District of Columbia or in another state of the United States having an inspection law similar to that of the State of Texas is acceptable on a Texas-registered vehicle provided the inspection certificate was obtained while the owner or operator of the vehicle was residing in the other jurisdiction and the vehicle was regularly assigned, garaged, or stationed outside of the State of Texas. This acceptance does not extend to owners and operators who have resided continuously in Texas.
Exception: New vehicles which are purchased in a state having an inspection law similar to that of the State of Texas which were inspected and issued an inspection certificate before registration are acceptable in Texas until the expiration date of the certificate.
The Department of Public Safety extends the time within which a certificate of inspection shall be obtained by a resident owner or operator of a Texas-registered vehicle, when the vehicle has no valid inspection certificate. The extension will be granted only on the first occasion of operation in this state during an inspection year and only until the resident owner or operator of the vehicle has arrived at his home, station, or destination in this state and for three days thereafter.
Texas-registered vehicles may operate in Texas on a valid inspection certificate from the District of Columbia or any of the following states provided the certificate was obtained while the owner of the vehicle resided in the other jurisdiction: Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia.