Change Your Address with the Virginia DMV: The 30-Day Rule

Official sources last verified: 9 September 2026

Quick answer

You have 30 days to change your address with DMV, and it is a legal duty rather than a courtesy. The Code of Virginia states it directly:

“Whenever any person, after applying for or obtaining a driver’s license or special identification card shall move from the address shown in the application or on the license or special identification card, he shall, within 30 days, notify the Department of his change of address.”

DMV says the same thing in plainer words: “Within 30 days of moving to a new Virginia residence, you must notify DMV and provide the new street address.”

Updating the record and getting a card that shows the new address are two different things. DMV states you “may purchase a new driver’s license or photo ID card showing the address change” — the word is purchase.

One transaction covers more than the license. DMV’s online transaction updates your “residential, mailing or vehicle registration address”, and offers to update voter registration at the same time.

⚠️ If your new address is outside Virginia, this is not a routine update. DMV states your license “will be cancelled”, and the statute sets out how — with three exceptions. That section is below, and it is the one to read before you file anything.

Route	What DMV publishes
Online	DMV calls it “the fastest and easiest way to change your address on your DMV record and documents”. The transaction updates your residential, mailing or vehicle registration address, and offers voter registration at the same time.
By phone	DMV publishes (804) 497-7100 for the change.
In person	DMV says to make an appointment at a customer service center. This is also the route DMV directs you to when you are moving to a Virginia address from a non-Virginia one.
By mail	A completed Address Change Request Form to PO Box 27412, Richmond, VA 23269.

The 30-day rule, and what it actually asks of you

Three official sources give the same deadline, so there is nothing to reconcile: § 46.2-324, DMV’s personal-information page, and DMV’s moving page, which puts it as “You have thirty (30) days from the date of your move to notify DMV of your address change.”

What the statute requires is notification — telling DMV where you now live. It does not, by itself, require you to buy anything.

The clock starts at the move, not at the point you get around to unpacking, and not when your mail starts arriving.

Updating the record and buying a new card are two transactions

The distinction is easy to miss, and DMV’s own wording is the giveaway:

“You may purchase a new driver’s license or photo ID card showing the address change. You may also get a revised vehicle registration card.”

So there are two separate things:

The DMV record — updated when you notify DMV. This is what the 30-day duty is about, and DMV publishes no fee for it on the pages checked here.
The plastic card in your wallet — still shows the old address until you purchase one that shows the new one.

Whether you need the card to match is a question for whoever is asking to see it, not for DMV — so if an employer, a landlord or a bank needs current address proof, check what they accept before deciding.

The routes DMV publishes

DMV calls the online route the fastest: “The fastest and easiest way to change your address on your DMV record and documents is online.”

Also published: by phone on (804) 497-7100 · in person, where DMV says to make an appointment at a customer service center — our guide to the Virginia DMV appointment system covers booking · or by mail, sending a completed Address Change Request Form to PO Box 27412, Richmond, VA 23269.

The online transaction is one of the services in our guide to Virginia DMV online services.

These are the routes DMV lists on the pages checked here. If your situation is unusual — a mail-only address, no Virginia address at all — ask DMV rather than assuming one of these fits.

What else moves with your address

Vehicle registration. DMV’s transaction covers the “vehicle registration address” alongside the residential and mailing ones, and DMV states you “may also get a revised vehicle registration card.”

Your local decal, if your locality issues one. DMV’s moving page is specific about who handles it, and it is not DMV: “Return your old decal to the Commissioner of Revenue of your old locality, and contact the Commissioner of the Revenue of your new locality to get a new decal.”

Voter registration. DMV states that during the online transaction “you have an opportunity to apply to register to vote, or if already registered, change your voter registration address.”

Vehicles you own. For those, DMV’s moving page asks for your name, customer number, title number and the last four digits of the VIN for each vehicle.

If you miss the 30 days

The statute attaches a fee, and it is smaller than people fear:

“There may be imposed upon anyone failing to notify the Department of his change of address as required by this section a fee of $5.”

Note “may be imposed.” The statute permits the fee; it does not read as automatic.

And there is a stated exception:

“No fee shall be imposed on any person whose address is obtained from the National Change of Address System.”

The fee is not the real reason to do this on time. The address on file is the one DMV has for reaching you and for the documents it sends — DMV describes the transaction as changing your address “on your DMV record and documents”, and states you may get a revised vehicle registration card from it.

⚠️ Moving out of Virginia is a different situation entirely

DMV’s operational warning is blunt:

“If you change either your residence/home address or mailing address to a non-Virginia address, your driver’s license will be cancelled.”

DMV notes exceptions for active duty military personnel and Virginia residents employed outside Virginia.

The statute sets out the procedure and a third exception. § 46.2-324 provides that where DMV is notified that a residential address has changed to a non-Virginia address — “unless the person (i) is on active duty with the armed forces of the United States, (ii) provides proof that he is a U.S. citizen and resides outside the United States because of his employment or the employment of a spouse or parent, or (iii) provides proof satisfactory to the Commissioner that he is a bona fide resident of Virginia,” — then:

“the Department shall (i) mail, by first-class mail, no later than three days after the notice of address change is received by the Department, notice to the person that his license and/or special identification card will be cancelled by the Department and (ii) cancel the driver’s license and/or special identification card 30 days after notice of cancellation has been mailed.”

Two things to take from that. Cancellation is not instant — the statute builds in a mailed notice and a 30-day gap. And whether an exception covers you is DMV’s call, not ours: if you think you are in one of the three, take it to DMV before you file the change.

Coming the other way — from a non-Virginia address to a Virginia one — DMV directs you to “make an appointment to visit a customer service center” rather than doing it online.

Do not confuse this with the new-resident deadline

Virginia has more than one clock running for people who move, and they are not the same rule.

Changing the address on a credential you already hold: 30 days. That is this article.
Arriving in Virginia with another state’s license: a different transaction, with its own deadline — our guide to transferring an out-of-state license to Virginia sets out the figures DMV publishes for it. Do not assume it is the same 30 days as this rule — check that deadline against DMV before you count from it.
And inside the out-of-Virginia cancellation process there is a third 30 days — the gap between DMV mailing the notice and the cancellation taking effect.

If you have just moved to Virginia from another state, your first stop is that transfer path rather than this one — the address duty here is written for a credential Virginia has already issued you.

Name and sex designation changes

DMV handles those on the same page, and both have their own requirements.

We are not summarizing either here. A name change turns on documents, and sex designation has its own eligibility — DMV states “You may be eligible to change your sex designation online.” Go to DMV’s page for those, or ask DMV directly, rather than working from a summary on any third-party site, including this one.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to change my address with the Virginia DMV?

30 days. § 46.2-324 requires notification within 30 days of moving from the address shown on your license or ID, and DMV’s pages give the same deadline.

Is changing my address free?

DMV publishes no fee for updating the record on the pages checked here, but a card showing the new address is a purchase — DMV’s wording is that you “may purchase a new driver’s license or photo ID card showing the address change.”

What happens if I do not do it in time?

The statute permits a $5 fee for failing to notify, and states no fee is imposed where the address is obtained from the National Change of Address System.

Does the address on my card have to match where I live?

The 30-day duty is about notifying DMV. Whether the printed card must show your current address depends on who is asking to see it — check with them.

Can I change my address online?

DMV describes online as the fastest and easiest route. Phone, in person by appointment, and mail are also published.

Does it update my vehicle registration too?

DMV’s transaction covers residential, mailing and vehicle registration addresses, and DMV states you may also get a revised vehicle registration card. Local decals are handled by the Commissioner of the Revenue in each locality, not by DMV.

Can I register to vote at the same time?

DMV states the online transaction gives you an opportunity to apply to register to vote, or to change your voter registration address if you are already registered.

I am moving out of Virginia. What happens?

DMV states a non-Virginia residence or mailing address means your license will be cancelled. The statute provides for a mailed notice within three days and cancellation 30 days after that notice, unless one of three exceptions applies — active duty, a US citizen living outside the US for employment, or proof of bona fide Virginia residency. Take your situation to DMV before filing.

I just moved to Virginia from another state. Is this my 30-day rule?

Not the one that gets you licensed. Arriving with another state’s license is a transfer, and it has its own deadline published by DMV — confirm that one with DMV rather than counting 30 days from this rule.

Can I change my name at the same time?

DMV covers name changes on the same page, with its own requirements. Check DMV’s page rather than assuming the address process covers it.

Official sources

All information above was verified against these official sources on 9 September 2026. DMV’s processes, forms and fees change — confirm current details with Virginia DMV before you act.

This guide is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. It is general information, not legal advice.

How to Change Your Address with the Virginia DMV — The 30-Day Rule