Maryland Address & Name Change

Maryland law requires drivers to notify the MVA of an address change within 30 days of moving, and a name change is similarly time-sensitive when triggered by marriage, divorce, or court order. Both are simple transactions when handled promptly — and both can become tangled when registration renewal or insurance verification is approaching.

Address change

Who has to update

Every Maryland driver and every Maryland-registered vehicle owner has 30 days from the move date to notify the MVA. The address rule applies to:

• Your driver's license or MVA-issued ID.
• Your vehicle registration card (every vehicle in your name).
• The title for each vehicle if you want the next title transaction to mail to the new address.

How to update online (myMVA)

The fastest method. Log into myMVA with your driver's license number, date of birth, and the last 4 digits of your Social Security number. The portal lets you update the address on the license, all registered vehicles, and all titles in your name in a single transaction. Cost is approximately $20 for a duplicate license at the new address; the registration update is free.

By mail

Send a Change of Address form (the MVA's online form, printed and mailed) with payment to the address on the form. Allow 7-10 business days for the new license card to arrive at the new address.

In person

Visit any of the 27 MVA branches with proof of the new address (utility bill, lease, mortgage statement, voter registration card with the new address). Bring your current license. The MVA prints a temporary license at the visit and mails the permanent card to the new address in 4-7 business days.

Self-service kiosk

The MVA's self-service kiosks accept address changes for the license and most registrations. Limit: kiosks can't issue REAL ID compliance updates (those still require a branch visit if your current card isn't already REAL ID compliant).

Name change

Common name-change scenarios

• Marriage: change to spouse's surname or to a hyphenated name.
• Divorce: revert to a previous name (typically a maiden name).
• Court-ordered name change: any other change recognized by a Maryland court.

Maryland requires an unbroken paper chain linking your birth name to the current name. For most marriage-based changes, the chain is birth certificate → marriage certificate → current license. For divorce-based reverts, you need the divorce decree showing the name restoration. For court-ordered changes, you need the certified court order.

How to update a name

Name changes cannot be processed online or by mail in Maryland — every name change requires an in-person visit. Bring:

• Your current Maryland license.
• The complete name-chain documents (originals or certified copies — no photocopies).
• Proof of your Social Security number under the new name (an updated SSA card; the SSA must be updated before the MVA visit, and the MVA verifies electronically).
• Two proofs of Maryland residency in any name (current license is fine).
• The name-change fee (typically equivalent to a duplicate license fee, around $20).

Order of operations

Maryland requires Social Security Administration to be updated first because the MVA verifies the SSN-to-name match electronically at the visit. The recommended order:

1. Update with the Social Security Administration (mail or in-person at a local SSA office).
2. Wait 1-2 weeks for the SSA database to propagate.
3. Visit a Maryland MVA branch with the chain documents and the new SSA card.
4. Update the registration and title at the same MVA visit if your vehicle records are affected.

What the MVA mails after the update

For a license update, the MVA mails the new card with the updated address and/or name to the address on file in 4-7 business days. For a registration update, no new sticker is issued (the existing sticker remains valid through the cycle), but a new registration card with the updated information is mailed. For a title update, no physical title is reissued unless requested — the MVA's electronic record is updated automatically and reflects on the next title transaction.

What if I don't update?

Driving with an out-of-date address is technically a violation of Maryland law and can result in a citation if discovered at a traffic stop. More practically, an outdated address on file means:

• You won't receive your license renewal notice.
• You won't receive your vehicle registration renewal notice — and may miss the renewal deadline.
• Insurance correspondence may not reach you, leading to gaps in coverage.
• The MVA cannot send hearing notices, which can result in default judgments against you.

For renewal at the same time as an address update, see Maryland license renewal. For the underlying license requirements, see Maryland driver's license.