California DMV change of address - free, online, in 10 days

The 10-day deadline

When you move, California gives you 10 days to tell the DMV. It’s actually two separate legal duties with the same clock: Vehicle Code §14600 covers the address on your driver’s license or ID, and §4159 covers the address on your vehicle registration. The fix is free and, for most people, takes a few minutes online - so there’s no reason to let it slide.

Update your license AND registration

This is the part people miss: a driver’s license address change does NOT automatically update your vehicle registration. The DMV will not sync your address across documents when you change only one - they’re separate records.

The good news: in the MyDMV Change of Address flow you can choose to update both your DL/ID and your vehicle/vessel registration in the same session. Select both, and neither is left pointing at your old address.

If it is only the vehicle side you need - the address on your registration card, not your licence - that has its own guide: changing your vehicle registration address.

How to change it online

1. Sign in to your free MyDMV account at dmv.ca.gov.
2. Open Change of Address and enter your new (and old) address.
3. Choose what to update - your license/ID, your registration, or both (do both).
4. Submit. Allow up to 3 days to process; you can check the status in MyDMV.

Who can’t use online

The online system needs a current California DL/ID, a Social Security number, and a U.S. address. Use the mail-in DMV 14 (PDF) - complete it and post it to the address printed on the form - or a DMV office instead, if any of these apply:

• You don’t have a California driver’s license or ID card
• You don’t have a Social Security number
• You hold a commercial license (CDL) with an out-of-state residence
• Your address is APO/FPO or outside the United States
• You’re waiting on a REAL ID card that hasn’t arrived yet
• You’re changing the address on a disabled-person parking placard

Your card still shows the old address

Changing your address does not trigger a new card - your physical license or ID keeps the old printed address until you renew (or pay for a replacement). That’s allowed, but by law you must be able to present the DMV’s change-of-address confirmation along with your license if the card no longer shows where you live (Vehicle Code §14600(b)).