How to Change Your Address on a Driving Licence Online

To change the address on your driving licence online, go to the Sarathi Parivahan portal at https://sarathi.parivahan.gov.in, pick your state, open Services on Driving Licence, choose Apply for Change of Address, enter your DL number and date of birth, upload proof of your new address, pay the prescribed fee, and book a slot if your RTO asks for one. Your updated licence is then printed and despatched by the licensing authority. This guide walks you through every step, the documents, the fee, and the timeline.

Your driving licence is an official identity and address record held by the Regional Transport Office (RTO). When you relocate, the RTO still has your old address on file. Renewal reminders, any notice, and verification checks all rely on the address printed on the licence. An outdated address can cause problems when a licence is used as proof of residence for a bank, a passport, or a new vehicle registration in your new city.

A common point of confusion is the legal duty. Section 49 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 requires a vehicle owner who changes residence to intimate the new address to the registering authority within thirty days, but that section governs the certificate of registration (RC) of your vehicle, not the driving licence. So if you own a vehicle, treat the RC address update as a separate, time-bound task. For the driving licence itself, the practical rule is simpler: keep your particulars current and apply through the licensing authority, with the period and fee shown on the portal at the time you apply.

• Your existing driving licence (the DL number is enough to fetch records online).
• Proof of your new address. Aadhaar, passport, voter ID, a recent electricity or other utility bill, a registered rent agreement, a bank passbook, or a property tax receipt are commonly accepted.
• A passport-size photograph and your signature, scanned to the size the portal specifies.
• Identity proof if the portal asks for it separately from the address proof.

Address proof must show the new address. If your only address proof is in a family member's name, carry the supporting link document (for example, a rent agreement or a relationship proof) because the RTO may ask for it.

1. Open https://sarathi.parivahan.gov.in and select your state. Sarathi is state-wise, so the screens change slightly from one state to another.
2. Click Services on Driving Licence, then Apply Online, then Services on Driving Licence again, and choose Apply for Change of Address.
3. Enter your driving licence number, date of birth, and the captcha, then fetch your DL details. Confirm the record that appears is yours.
4. Select the RTO that will process the application. You can usually choose the RTO that issued the licence or the RTO covering your new address.
5. Fill in the new address exactly as it appears on your address proof. A small error here is the most common reason a licence comes back wrong.
6. Upload your address proof, photo, and signature in the formats and sizes the portal lists.
7. Pay the fee online through net banking, UPI, or a debit or credit card. The amount shown on the payment screen is the prescribed fee under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules plus any state smart-card or service charge.
8. If your state requires it, book a slot or an RTO visit for verification, then note your application number to track status.

After approval, the licensing authority prints the updated smart-card licence and despatches it to your new address. Keep the acknowledgement and payment receipt until the card arrives.

The fee is what the Sarathi payment screen displays for change of address. This is the amount prescribed under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, and some states add a smart-card charge, a service charge, or a small convenience fee on top, so the total varies by state. Do not rely on a fixed figure quoted on a third-party site; the portal shows the live amount before you pay.

Timelines also vary by state and by whether physical verification is needed. Many RTOs issue the updated card within a few weeks of approval. If your card is delayed well beyond the time your RTO promises, you can escalate, and an RTI is often the fastest lever.

If the new card does not arrive, or it arrives with the address still wrong, do not just reapply and pay again. File an RTI with the State Transport Department or the RTO asking for the status of your application, the date it was approved, the despatch or India Post tracking details, and the name of the official who processed it. That paper trail usually forces movement. See the driving licence delay RTI guide for ready templates and escalation steps, and how to file an RTI for driving licence status if you only need to confirm where your application stands.

Consider Priya, who moved from Pune to Bengaluru for a job. She applied for change of address on Sarathi, uploaded her new rent agreement and Aadhaar, and paid the fee shown on the screen. Three weeks passed with no card and the status stuck at “under process”. She filed an RTI with the Karnataka Transport Department asking for the despatch log and the India Post tracking number. The reply showed the card had been printed but returned undelivered because of a missing flat number. She corrected the address detail, and the card reached her within a week. The RTI cost ten rupees and saved her a second full application.

In most states you can complete the application, upload documents, and pay online on Sarathi. Some RTOs still ask for one verification visit or a slot booking before the new card is issued, so check the screens for your state.

Not always. The portal usually lets you pick either the RTO that issued the licence or the RTO covering your new address. If your new address is in a different state, follow the prompts the portal shows for an out-of-state change.

Aadhaar, passport, voter ID, a recent utility bill, a registered rent agreement, a bank passbook, or a property tax receipt are commonly accepted. The proof must show your new address.

You pay the fee displayed on the Sarathi payment screen, which is the amount prescribed under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules plus any state smart-card or service charge. The total varies by state, so go by the live amount the portal shows.

The Motor Vehicles Act sets a thirty-day duty to update the vehicle registration certificate after you move, under Section 49, but that applies to the RC, not the licence. For the driving licence, update it promptly so your records stay accurate; the prescribed period and fee are shown on the portal.

Do not pay for a fresh application straight away. File an RTI for the status, the despatch details, and the processing officer's name, then use that to get the error fixed or the card re-issued.

Apply on https://sarathi.parivahan.gov.in, keep your acknowledgement and payment receipt, and track the application number. If you also own a vehicle, update the RC address separately under Section 49. If the licence is delayed or wrong, use RTI for licence status, check the documents checklist for what RTOs expect, and read The RTI Playbook to draft a request that gets a reply. Start at RTI Wiki for more citizen guides.