Do you have to change your driving licence address when you move?
Yes. The DVLA must be told when your address changes, and you can be fined up to £1,000 if you do not tell them. It is free, it takes a few minutes online, and you can keep driving while the new licence is on its way. Do it in your first week at the new address, alongside the rest of the moving house checklist.
Everything below comes from the DVLA’s own guidance at gov.uk/change-address-driving-licence and gov.uk/change-address-v5c.
How to change the address on your driving licence online
The online service works for both full and provisional licences, as long as you live in Great Britain and are not banned from driving. Northern Ireland has its own process through nidirect.
- Have your driving licence to hand.
- Go to gov.uk/change-address-driving-licence and select Start now.
- Sign in, or create sign in details if you do not have them. You may be asked to prove your identity, usually with photo ID such as a passport or driving licence.
- Enter your new address and submit. The DVLA sends a confirmation email.
Your new licence should arrive within a week. There is no charge for the address change itself.
If you want a new photo at the same time, it costs £14 online at the time of writing (September 2026), paid by debit or credit card. There is no fee if you are over 70 or have a medical short period licence.
How to change your driving licence address by post
Posting it takes longer, usually up to three weeks, and more if the DVLA needs to check your identity or medical details.
- Photocard licence. Fill in the changes section of letter D741, the letter that came with your licence, and send it with your photocard to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BN. If you no longer have the D741, use form D1 for a car or motorcycle licence, or D2 for a lorry or bus licence. Both are available at most Post Offices.
- Paper licence. Send form D1 (or D2), your paper licence, original identity documents and a passport photo.
- New photo by post. Use form D1 with a recent passport-type photo and a cheque or postal order for £17 payable to DVLA, at the time of writing (September 2026). Over 70s pay nothing.
- Name and address together. This can only be done by post, with form D1 and original documents in your new name.
Your vehicle log book (V5C) is a separate change
Updating your licence does not update your car. If you are the registered keeper of a vehicle, you must also change the address on its log book, and the same fine of up to £1,000 applies. It is usually free.
- Online. Use gov.uk/change-address-v5c with your registration number and the log book reference number. The service runs from 7am to 9pm on weekdays and 7am to 8pm at weekends.
- By post. On a new style log book (the one with coloured numbered blocks on the cover), write your new address in section 3 and send the whole log book to the address shown there. On an older style log book, use section 6, sign it, and send it to the address in section 8. Do not tick the new keeper box.
- Tax due soon? If your vehicle needs taxing in the next four weeks, tax it online with your current V5C first, or take the log book to a Post Office that handles vehicle tax and do both at once.
Contact the DVLA if the new log book has not arrived after four weeks. If six weeks pass and you have not told them, a replacement costs £25 at the time of writing (September 2026).
The other DVLA records people forget
The DVLA lists two more things to update if they apply to you:
- your vehicle tax Direct Debit, if that is how you pay
- your personalised registration number document (V750 or V778), if you hold a private plate that is not on a vehicle
If you are moving abroad, you cannot put a foreign address on a British licence. Contact the licensing authority in your new country instead.
What else to update when you move
The DVLA is one of four address changes that catch people out. The others each have their own guide:
- Council tax: tell the council you are leaving and the one you are joining.
- The electoral roll: register again at your new address, which also helps credit checks.
- Royal Mail redirection: forwards post from the old address while you work through the list.
Your passport is the one document that does not need changing, as our page on passport address change when you move explains.
If you are still planning the move itself, our house removals in North London cover packing, furniture dismantling and the van, so you have one less thing to organise that week.
Call 020 3475 0377 or get a free quote.