As per the Motor Vehicle Act 1988, there is a provision for a motor vehicle’s registered owner to apply for a residential address change in the automobile’s registration certificate. Individuals who have at least shifted their residence for a significant time period or permanently should make a change in their driving licence as well.

There are two options to change the address on a driving licence in India.

The online route is the most preferred one to update the driving licence address. The second option is the offline route which includes going to the Regional Transport Office for making the change.

Scroll through to know both these methods to change the address on a driving licence and other related facts.

Given below is a step-by-step guide on how to update the address on a driving licence online. Firstly, one needs to access the official website of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and carry out the following steps:

• Step 1: Choose your state, select “Apply Online” and choose “Services on Driving License” option to change the address on driving license online.
• Step 2: Read all instructions carefully and proceed further. Proceed to select “Apply for Change of Address” tab and click on continue.
• Step 3: Fill up details related to state, date of birth, RTO, old driving license number, etc. and proceed to verify your permanent address.
• Step 4: From the list of DL services shown, choose the one to change address on a driving license in India.
• Step 5: Enter the address you want to change in the new DL, input Captcha and submit.
• Step 6: Print the next page that displays your Application Number for future use
• Step 7: Upload all required documents, choose a payment gateway and pay the necessary fees.

After a successful payment process, an acknowledgement message for the same will be displayed. Select “Print Receipt” to generate a payment receipt. Verify all details given on the generated receipt.

Applicants searching “how to change an address on driving licence” or “can I change my driving licence address online” must ensure to take the updated DL through a printout once the application gets approved.

For this, you need to select “Print Driving Licence” on the same portal, input your date of birth, application number, and choose “Submit”.

By now, individuals with the query “can I change my address on my driving licence online” have surely got their answer. Let’s move on to the offline procedure to change an address on a driving licence.

Illustrated below is the offline method to change the address on driving licence -

• Step 1: Firstly, obtain a No Objection Certificate and Clearance Certificate from the Regional Transport Office. The RTO has to be the same as the one from where the original driving licence was issued.
• Step 2: Write an application to the RTO mentioning the change of address on the driving licence.
• Step 3: With the application and document in hand, visit the Regional Transport Office to submit them. Along with it, pay the required amount of fees for this process.

After completing this process, you will be called for photographs and biometrics like finger and iris scanning. At last, you would receive an acknowledgement receipt with some future date or reference.

If one is opting for an address change in the same state, then a new driving licence would get delivered within a maximum of 10 days. But, if one’s current address is in a new state, it might take 30 to 60 days to verify the same.

Wondering how much the driving licence address changes fees?

You will be charged a prescribed fee of ₹500 for changing an address in the driving licence.

Individuals searching “can I update my driving licence address online” must take note of the below-mentioned documents required for DL address change. They should, however, note that this list is indicative.

• A copy of a valid permanent driving licence
• Smart card fee (might be required in some states)
• Address proof: This includes any of these documents - Aadhaar card, passport, election card, LIC policy, payslip issued by Government or Local body, ration card, an affidavit sworn by the applicant before an executive magistrate or 1st class Judicial Magistrate or Notary Public
• Application in Form 33
• Registration certificate
• Valid insurance certificate
• Chassis & Engine Pencil Print (might be required in some states)
• Signature Identification of owner (might be required in some states)
• Pollution under control certificate
• No Objection Certificate from financier (in case of hypothecation) - (might be required in some states)
• Attested copy of PAN card or Form 60 and Form 61(as applicable)

There are two web portals through which one can check driving licence status. Illustrated below are both the ways:

Checking via State Transport official website -

• Step 1: Visit your State Transport Department website.
• Step 2: Now head to “Online Services” and select “DL and LL Registration”
• Step 3: After getting redirected, choose “Know your application status”.
• Step 4: Input the applicant’s application number that is present on the application form.
• Step 5: Choose “Submit” after inputting the application number.

After this, a new page stating the driving licence status would open. Here you can check the required information.

Checking via Sarathi website -

• Step 1: Visit the official Sarathi website.
• Step 2: Navigate to the “Online Services” tab.
• Step 3: Choose “Driving Licence Related Services”.
• Step 4: Select the State where you reside.
• Step 5: On the next page, choose “Verify Pay Status”.
• Step 6: Input the date of birth, application number, and the captcha. After this, click “Verify”.

A new page stating all details will appear. This page will include the status of the driving licence as well.

There can certainly be a situation where individuals can feel the need to change their address. Therefore, vehicle drivers must keep in mind the above mentioned facts related to changing the address on their driving licence.