{"title":"How to Update Your Driver's License Address After Moving","canonicalUrl":"https://www.showmestepbystep.com/adulting/how-to-update-drivers-license-address","category":{"slug":"adulting","name":"Adulting"},"creator":{"name":"California DMV","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxQ63ALA8WqAEkbIepJXmhA","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IopHJ6HR6Bk"},"tldr":"Update your driver's license address online. California DMV walkthrough plus what's different in other states. Most states give you 10-30 days after moving.","totalDurationSeconds":374,"difficulty":"easy","tools":["computer or phone","current driver's license"],"materials":[],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Step 1: Gather what you need before you start","text":"Have four things in front of you before you open the website. Your previous address - the one currently on your driver's license. Your new address, with apartment or unit number. Your most recent vehicle registration card (only if you're updating vehicle addresses too). And login access to your state's online DMV account: in California that's a MyDMV account, in New York it's MyDMV, in Texas it's Texas.gov.If you don't have an online account yet, set one up first. It's a separate one-time process - you'll need your driver's license number, the last four of your Social Security number, and an email you can access right now to verify."},{"number":2,"title":"Step 2: Open the Change of Address page on dmv.ca.gov","text":"Go to dmv.ca.gov and search for 'Change of Address', or go straight to the Online Services menu and pick Change of Address. The page that loads has a 'Start address change' button about halfway down. Don't click it yet - first click the MyDMV button in the top right of the nav bar.Doing it in this order matters. If you click Start address change without being logged in, the site bounces you to the login page and then sometimes loses your place. Logging in first puts you in the right session from the start."},{"number":3,"title":"Step 3: Log in to your MyDMV account","text":"The MyDMV login screen asks for the email address and password you used to register the account. If you can't remember the password, use the 'Forgot your password?' link below the field - reset emails arrive within a minute or two.If you have never created a MyDMV account, click 'create an account' at the top of the form. Account creation takes about two minutes and asks for your driver's license number, the last four of your SSN, date of birth, and an email address. Once you finish setup, come back to this same login screen and sign in."},{"number":4,"title":"Step 4: Verify your identity with a phone code","text":"After you log in, MyDMV sends a verification code to the phone number on file. Pick Text Me if you have your phone in front of you - the code arrives almost instantly. Pick Call Me if your phone can receive calls but texts are unreliable (some older flip phones, some VoIP numbers).Enter the six-digit code on the next screen and click Continue. The code expires in a few minutes - if you don't get it, click 'Resend' and try the other delivery method."},{"number":5,"title":"Step 5: Pick whether you're updating your license or a vehicle","text":"The next screen asks what you want to update the address on. There are two checkboxes: Driver's License or ID Card and Vehicle or Vessel. Check the boxes that apply. If you only have a license and no car registered in California, check just the first one. If you own a car or boat in your name, check both.Then click Continue. The form branches from here - if you checked the license box, it takes you through the residence address flow first; if you also checked vehicle, it loops back through the vehicle section afterward."},{"number":6,"title":"Step 6: Enter your previous residence address","text":"The form starts by asking 'What was your previous residence address?' This has to match exactly what DMV currently has on file - including street abbreviation (St vs Street), apartment number formatting, and ZIP. If it doesn't match, the system flags the request for manual review and slows everything down by days.Type the previous street address into the first field, then the city, then state (defaults to California), then the five-digit ZIP. Don't use periods or special characters - the field rejects them. If you weren't sure what address DMV had on file, pull up the photo on your current license card and read it off the front."},{"number":7,"title":"Step 7: Enter your new residence address","text":"Scroll down to 'What is your new residence address?' This is the address where you physically live now - not a P.O. box and not a mail-forwarding service. If your new place has an apartment, unit, suite, or building letter, include it.Enter the address, city, state, ZIP, and (if in California) the county dropdown. Take an extra second to double-check the spelling. The address on your license shows up on every form of ID you flash for years, and a typo means a reprint trip to the DMV office."},{"number":8,"title":"Step 8: Enter your new mailing address","text":"The next section asks 'What is your new mailing address?' If your mail goes to the same place you live, check the box at the top: 'My new mailing address is the same as my residence address.' The form auto-fills and grays out the rest of the fields.If your mail goes to a different place - a P.O. box, a relative's house, a mail-forwarding service - leave the box unchecked and type the mailing address separately. This is the address where physical mail from DMV (registration renewals, license renewals, voter pamphlets) actually gets delivered."},{"number":9,"title":"Step 9: Review your information and confirm","text":"The review screen shows a summary card with your residence address, city, state, and ZIP. Read it once, slowly, against the address on the lease or mortgage paperwork. The Edit link at the bottom of the card takes you back if anything is wrong.If everything is correct, scroll past the residence card to the mailing address card and confirm that one too. Then click Continue at the bottom to submit. The system processes the change in real time and shows the confirmation screen within a few seconds."},{"number":10,"title":"Step 10: Save the Request Summary and confirmation","text":"The final screen is the Request Summary - new residence address, new mailing address, transaction date and time, and a confirmation number. Save this. Click View and Print Request for a printable PDF, or screenshot the page on your phone. Email a copy to yourself so it survives a lost device.DMV will mail you a free address-change card (a sticker that goes on the back of your current license) within 7-10 business days. You don't have to wait for that to drive - the change is in effect the moment the system shows the confirmation page. If you also want a brand-new license card with the new address printed on the front, that's a separate $35 request from your MyDMV dashboard."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-05-23T14:19:18.662Z","published":"2026-05-23T14:17:33.124Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}