California law gives you 10 days to tell the DMV when you move. Here’s how to update your driver’s license, vehicle registration, and voter record — and the small-paper trick that keeps you legal while you wait. Independent guide, verified against dmv.ca.gov.
We’re an independent guide — not the DMV. This page is general information based on official DMV sources, not legal advice. For the official process, use the DMV’s own address-change service linked below.
California Vehicle Code 14600 requires you to notify the DMV of a change of address on your driver’s license or ID card within 10 days of moving. A separate section, CVC 4159, sets the same 10-day clock for your vehicle registration. Same deadline, two separate obligations.
This is the single most misunderstood part of the process: updating your license does not update your registration, and neither one updates your voter registration. The DMV treats them as three independent records, and you are legally responsible for each one.
The online system helps here: when you use the DMV’s online address-change service, you can update your license/ID and your vehicle registration in the same session — just make sure you select both.
Before you pick a method, understand what you’re updating:
Online, check every record that changed addresses. By mail, a separate form is needed for each driver or vehicle owner — one DMV 14 form per person.
The DMV’s online address-change service is at dmv.ca.gov/addresschange. You need a MyDMV account to use it, and processing can take up to 3 days.
Online lets you update your license/ID address and your vehicle registration address in one visit — select both before you submit. If you also need to update voter registration, that option is offered in the same flow.
Timing tip: if you have a transaction that depends on the new address (for example, renewing your vehicle registration), wait 3 business days after the address change so the system catches up before you renew.
If you’d rather file on paper, use the DMV’s Change of Address form (DMV 14) and mail it to:
DMV, P.O. Box 942859, Sacramento, CA 94259-0001
A separate form is required for each driver or vehicle owner — you can’t list two people on one form. Mail it as soon as possible after moving so you’re within the 10-day window.
Here’s the part almost no one tells you: the DMV does not automatically mail you a new license, ID, or registration card. Your old card stays valid with your old printed address — but California law requires you to carry proof of your new address with it.
The official procedure is refreshingly low-tech:
If you want a physical license or ID card printed with the new address, that’s an optional replacement card — which costs $37. The notification itself is free.
One correction on the price above: the $37 replacement fee is for a driver’s license. An ID card replacement costs $40 ($11 reduced-fee, free at 62+), and — unlike a license — it can only be done in person at a DMV office. Our California ID card guide covers the full apply, renew, and replace process, including the senior and reduced-fee rules.
Short answer: notifying the DMV of an address change is free.
The only money involved is if you choose to get a replacement license or ID card printed with your new address — the optional replacement fee is $37. Nobody is required to pay it; the small-paper method above satisfies the legal requirement.
Leaving California doesn’t end your DMV obligations by itself — you must tell the DMV within 10 days of the vehicle leaving the state:
This step matters because failing to report the move doesn’t stop the bills: collections on unpaid registration fees can continue — including wage garnishment and bank levies — until the DMV has your out-of-state record on file. A few minutes of paperwork protects you from real financial consequences.
Active-duty military members who are not considered gainfully employed in California may keep their home-state driver’s license and vehicle registration — they aren’t treated as California residents for DMV purposes just because they’re stationed here. If your situation changes (discharge, civilian employment in California), the normal 10-day rules apply from that point.
Yes. Notifying the DMV of an address change — online or by mail with the DMV 14 form — is free. The only optional cost is $37 if you want a new physical license or ID card printed with the new address.
No. The DMV updates its records but does not automatically issue a new card. Your old license stays valid; carry a small signed and dated paper with your new address alongside it (don’t tape it to the card). For your registration card, write the new address on the back and initial it.
They’re separate legal records with separate 10-day requirements (CVC 14600 for the license, CVC 4159 for registration). Updating one does not update the other. The online service lets you update both in the same session — just select both — and by mail you file a separate DMV 14 for each driver or owner.
You’re out of compliance with California law. Practically, the biggest risks are missing renewal notices, tickets, and registration bills sent to your old address — and if you move out of California without filing, collections on unpaid registration fees can continue, including wage garnishment and bank levies.
File a DMV 14 within 10 days and check the “registered outside of CA” box. If a California renewal notice arrives later, write the date the vehicle left California and the new state on the stub. This closes your California registration obligation so fees and collections stop.
Up to 3 days to process. Plan around it: if you need to renew your registration, wait 3 business days after the address change so the renewal is mailed to the right address.
From January 1, 2027, yes — California law (Vehicle Code §12800(k)) requires the DMV to tell you, on a driver’s license application or renewal, that you may also need to change your address for your vehicle registration. If you apply in person, the DMV must give you that information out loud. Until that date, the trap is real: changing your license address does not automatically change your registration address, and a renewal notice sent to your old address is still a missed renewal. When you change your address online, select both the license/ID and the vehicle registration options before you submit — and if you only changed one, go back and change the other.
The fastest route is the DMV’s online address-change service (MyDMV account required) — or mail a DMV 14 form. If your visit also involves another DMV transaction, book an appointment and skip the walk-in line.
Book a DMV appointmentLast verified against dmv.ca.gov: October 31, 2026