DVLA change of address

This is the single most commonly missed piece of moving admin in the UK, and the reason is simple: people update their driving licence, feel they've dealt with the DVLA, and never learn that the vehicle log book is an entirely separate record that also has to be updated.

Both carry a potential fine of up to £1,000. Both are free to change. Neither takes long.

Why missing the V5C is worse than it sounds

The log book address is where official correspondence about the vehicle goes. If it's wrong, the things that go to the old address include:

• Vehicle tax reminders — and driving untaxed is an offence whether or not you received the reminder
• MOT reminders, where you've opted into them
• Penalty charge and speeding notices — these have strict response deadlines, and not receiving one is generally not a defence
• Recall notices from the manufacturer, including safety-critical ones

What you need to hand

• Your driving licence number
• The V5C reference number, for each vehicle
• Your new address, and the date you moved
• National Insurance number, for the licence update
• UK passport number, if you want a new photo taken from passport records

Do the licence first — the log book process is easier once your licence record already shows the new address.

Things worth knowing

1. 1

   Keep driving in the meantime

   Your licence remains valid while the change is processed. You don't need to wait for the new photocard before driving.

2. 2

   Don't forget the trailer or motorbike

   Every vehicle you're the registered keeper of has its own V5C. People update the car and forget the second vehicle, and it's the second one whose reminders then vanish.

3. 3

   Tell your insurer separately

   The DVLA does not inform your insurer. Your premium is partly set by where the car is parked overnight, so this is a genuine change to your policy, not just an address correction — and an out-of-date address can affect a claim.

4. 4

   Check the tax and MOT dates while you're there

   You'll have the details in front of you, and if reminders have been going to an old address you may be closer to a deadline than you think.

Where this sits in the move

Do it in the week after you move, alongside council tax and the electoral roll — the other items with a real deadline. It's tempting to leave until the dust settles, and that's exactly how it gets forgotten, because once you've moved the whole thing feels finished.

MovePlan puts these in a dated plan with everything else in the move, and drafts an address-change letter for the DVLA — and for your bank, insurer, TV Licensing, GP and electoral roll — already filled in with your name, both addresses and your move date.