Failed to change driving license address 5 September 2022 at 10:22AM in Motoring 22 replies 1.5K views

peter_the_piper

Bear in mind that changeing the driving license address does NOT change the address of any vehicle you own.

sheramber

You tell the truth.

Whether they fine you or not will not change the position.

throughtheblue

peter_the_piper said:

Bear in mind that changeing the driving license address does NOT change the address of any vehicle you own.

No vehicle owned. I'd always kept everything up to date, then when I moved to a new city, my car broke down once I got to the new location. I realized that I wouldn't need a car whilst living in the city, so scrapped the car. I haven't owned, driven or rented a car since, so forgot about the licence when I moved a couple of times.

Aretnap

throughtheblue said:

I’m aware it’s an offence. My driving licence was up to date until I stopped driving. Because I had no car, insurance etc I forgot about it, and hadn’t needed my licence for the address. I know I should’ve done it now seeing how simple it is. 

My question is regarding the fine. As soon as I update my address will they issue a fine? Or do people get fined from being caught driving with wrong addresses? 
I’d hope someone could see that i haven’t driven in this period, so wasn’t looking to avoid fines or scam. 

It's not a fixed penalty offence. In other words, it's not an offence for which you can get a "fine" through the post like a speeding ticket. It would have to be dealt with via an actual prosecution and court hearing. This very rarely happens - it's more trouble than it's worth for a trivial offence - and certainly isn't going to happen just because you update your licence and there's a new address in your history.

In addition, the address on your licence does not necessarily have to be your main home address, it just has to be an address where you can be contacted (hence many itinerant young people use a relative's address rather than trying to update their licence every few weeks). Without investigating further the DVLA will not know whether you were contactable at the address which was on your licence up to now.

If you simply update the address on your licence online there is about a 99% chance that you will simply be sent a new licence with your new address on it and you will never hear anything more.

user1977

Despite avoiding the fine often coming up on MSE as a "money-saving" tip, I can't say I've ever heard of anybody being fined for it - I wouldn't worry.

Bear in mind that if they don't have your up to date address, you're not going to receive their reminders when e.g. the photocard expires.

Bigwheels1111

For over 10 year my Licence was at my Dads address as i moved around so much.

That way any parking tickets or fines would go to him an I would just send him money to pay them.

Never had any issues with DVLA.

chrisw

throughtheblue said:

molerat said:

The only chance of getting fined is if you are pulled for a motoring offence and the licence has the incorrect address.  There is no way that DVLA will know you have moved unless you tell them.  The address on your licence does not even have to be the address you actually live at but an address that you are contactable at and they will not know the old address is not that.  How many people still have their licence at their parents address as they move around a lot ? Once you have notified a change of address you are no longer committing an offence and DVLA do not go round chasing people who may have been committing an offence in the past.

Thanks, I thought this might be the case.
But when I'm updating my address, it wants my address history for the previous 3 years. I have been in two addresses since the current address on my licence. Presumably I have to give the previous addresses over the 3 years, instead of just putting the one where I am now?

I wouldn't bother, particularly as you've not been driving in that period so there are unlikely to be fines or anything outstanding. I'd just do last official address and new address. 

Car_54

Bigwheels1111 said:

For over 10 year my Licence was at my Dads address as i moved around so much.

That way any parking tickets or fines would go to him an I would just send him money to pay them.

Never had any issues with DVLA.

Parking & speeding tickets etc don't go to the address on your licence, for the obvious reason that they don't know who was driving. They go to the registered keeper of the vehicle.

Flight3287462

I didn't change my address from my parents house for 38 years of driving.  Just kept things simple as I would always be guaranteed to get any correspondence.

pogofish

You are grossly overthinking this.  Get it changed ASAP..!  A fine is highly unlikely.