You can keep your parent’s address on your driving license if you live with them at the said address. However, if you don’t live at that address, you should not keep your address, rather, you should keep the address of your current residence.
A driving license is a basic identification required for every driver to have. It shows that you are permitted by law to drive. There are many personal details associated with a driving license. Your address is one such detail.
Therefore, what address do I put on your driving license? Can I keep my parents address on my driving license?
Can I Keep My Parents Address on my Driving License?
You can keep your parent’s address on your driving license as long as you live with them. If you do not live with them, the address on your driving license should be the address of your residence.
Is There a Need to Change the Address on my Driving License After Moving?
Yes, and it has to be done within 30 days you moved.
Moving from an old apartment to a new apartment can be really thrilling and exciting but it does come along with a level of stress.
It is usually very exhilarating to think of going out, having fun, meeting new people, having new experiences, etc. in a new environment entirely.
BUT it can also be very tiring thinking of what to do to be sure that everything is in the right position. You begin to think about the address on your official documents such as your driving license, voter’s card, utility bills, and so on.
Even mail forwarding, turning off your utility services, moving your home furniture, etc, can be very tedious for many people.
As a result of this stress, a lot of people fail to consider some of the important things they should address before moving. Ideally, you need to change your address in every place where it is required that you do so.
Are there laws regarding the change of address? What government organizations and companies do you need to notify? How long do you have to notify them?
A major address change you have to make when you move relates to your driving license and vehicle registration.
Many people fail to do this, little do they know that every state in the United States of America mandates you to update your address anytime you move, and it has to be within thirty days.
There are reasons for this, mainly because there has to be a quick and easy way to locate you, such as;
- Perhaps you might be involved in a car accident
- You commit a traffic offense, or
- You move through the toll lane without paying,
There has to be a way to locate you and your valid address is one of the means to do that efficiently. A lot of the states in the US use your driving license for voter registration, tax remittance, establishing domicile and residence, etc.
All these are very important to the state and federal governments such that failure to update your address on your driving license and other official papers is a punishable crime.
Ultimately, failure to update your address on your driving license is a misdemeanor and an offender is liable to face up to a year in jail and/or fines.
When you move, you should also update your address with your insurance provider. Especially for vehicle insurance, it must be done but many life and health insurance providers require it as well.
Many of these insurance companies use your address to fix the insurance rates due to the relative risk that might be associated with driving and living in such areas.
If you fail to update your address with your insurance provider after moving, that can lead to a charge against you for breach of your insurance contract.
The effects can be utterly devastating; your insurance policy might be canceled outrightly or you might have denial of a claim.
How Do You Update the Address on Your Driving License?
A lot of people think that when they file a forwarding notice with the US Postal Service, that is enough to notify everyone involved about the new address. It does not work that way, unfortunately.
A lot of the government agencies, such as the department of motor vehicles need to be notified directly when you want to update your address.
For financial institutions like commercial banks and insurance companies, you may need to update your address with them personally.
Thanks to technology, many organizations allow you to update your address on their websites and that makes the whole process easier for everyone. A little charge might be involved in the case of creating new identity documents and so on.
Generally, there are three ways you can update the address on your driving license:
Mail-In
When you fill and complete the Application for Change of Address, you can mail it to the government agency for it to be processed. There are some requirements you must fulfill to be able to change your address by mail:
- Your driving license must not be expired
- You must have a non-commercial driving license
- You must be up to 18 years of age and not a bearer of a learner license or other provisional license.
- You must have a valid driving license (not revoked or suspended)
- You must have a recorded Social Security Number
- You must be a citizen of the United States.
When you complete the application, sign it and pay the required charges, mail the application and the fee to the address stated at the top of the form. You might need to wait a minimum of ten days for it to be processed.
Online
Updating your address online is the quickest and easiest method. There is a website to visit to change your address online, if you meet the requirements, you are good to go.
In-Person
Perhaps you are unable to update your address online or via mail, you can complete the Application for Change of Address and take it to any driving license office close to you. You can get the form (Application for Change of Address) at the driver’s license office.
What if I Just Got to College Should I Change?
If you just got to college, there is no need for you to change the address on your driving license because that is only a temporary move. You will still move back to your house when you leave college so no need to update your mailing address.
When is Changing Address on License Necessary?
Changing the address on your driving license is necessary when you have moved to a new apartment permanently. If you are still going back to where you moved from, there is no point in changing the address on your license. How can you change your address?
When you move, you have to change the address on your driving license, permit, vehicle records, and non-driver ID with the DMV within 30 days.
You need to be aware that your vehicle and license records are not linked to each other so you will need to update both registration documents separately.
You will receive documents and important notices from the DMV by mail. It is advised that you use the same address on all of your applications, transactions, and documents.
As stated earlier, the U.S. Postal Service will not notify every government agency including the DMV when you change your mailing address.
So, the fact that you’ve changed your address with them does not mean that your DMV records will be automatically updated. You need to inform the DMV that you’ve changed your mailing address.
What Happens if you Do Not Change It When Necessary?
If you do not change your mailing address on your driving license when you move, you are at risk of getting fined or spending time in jail (usually less than a year).
Conclusion
It is important to update the address on your driving license if you move. This is because that is where the government will send important emails. As soon as you move, use any of the above methods to update the address on your driver’s license. The earlier the better.