Texas residents can order a free at-home HIV and STD self-collection kit through Test for Texas, a program funded by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The kit arrives in discreet packaging, and the program includes laboratory processing and prepaid return shipping.
Order a free Test for Texas kit here.
Who is eligible?
The program is available to Texas residents age 13 or older, regardless of income or insurance status. You do not need insurance, and the official site says no payment is required.
This is a Texas-only public-health service. People who live outside Texas are not eligible through this program.
What the kit may test for
The online health assessment determines which tests and collection materials are appropriate. The program offers laboratory testing for HIV, syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea. Depending on the tests and the information provided in the assessment, the kit may require a fingerstick or upper-arm blood sample, swab samples, or both.
The program explains that HIV and syphilis testing cannot be completed without a blood specimen. You can choose not to provide one, but that limits which tests the laboratory can perform.
What is included at no cost?
- The self-collection kit selected through the health assessment
- Discreet delivery to your preferred Texas address
- A prepaid USPS label for returning the collected samples
- Laboratory processing
- Secure online access to results
- Help connecting with treatment or local care when needed
The program says the package normally arrives in five to seven days and does not identify the contents as a sexual-health test. No signature is required. After the laboratory receives the returned sample, results are generally available through the secure portal in another five to seven business days.
How to request a kit
- Visit the official Test for Texas website.
- Create an account and complete the brief health assessment.
- Provide a Texas delivery address and the requested contact information.
- Follow the instructions included with the kit to collect the required samples.
- Use the enclosed prepaid USPS label to return the package to the laboratory.
- Sign in to the secure portal when you are notified that results are available.
Privacy and other limitations
The package is plain and does not display sexual-health information. Results are stored in a password-protected portal and are not sent by text message or email. A health-care provider reviews the results and may contact you when follow-up is needed.
As with other laboratory testing programs, certain positive results—including HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia—must be reported to the state health department under public-health regulations. The program otherwise describes the service as confidential.
You can request another kit after three months, but the program requires you to use any kit already ordered before requesting another one. The official pages do not list a program expiration date, but publicly funded services can change, so check the current site before relying on availability.
Texas DSHS also maintains an official program information page and links to in-person testing and treatment resources.
Representative delivery-package photo by MealPro on Unsplash; the pictured box is not the Test for Texas kit.
If you used the program and feel comfortable sharing logistical information, please leave a comment. Let other readers know whether ordering worked, whether the package arrived discreetly, how long delivery took, and anything practical that could help—without posting private medical details.
Program details were checked against Texas DSHS and Test for Texas on November 1, 2026. This article describes access to the service and is not medical advice.
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