Montana Address & Name Change

Montana requires drivers and registered vehicle owners to update their address with the Montana MVD within 60 days of any move, and to update their name within 60 days of any legal name change (marriage, divorce, court order). Address changes can be done online and are free; name changes always require an in-person visit and a small fee for the new license card. Both apply separately to driver licenses and vehicle registrations.

The 60-day rule

Montana Code Annotated §61-5-107 requires every licensed driver to notify the MVD of an address change within 60 days. The same rule applies to vehicle registrations under MCA §61-3-321. Failing to update an address can result in:

• Missed renewal notices for license and vehicle registration — leading to expired credentials and possible suspension.
• Missed court notices, which can escalate ordinary tickets to bench warrants for failure to appear.
• Failure of the address verification step in online services — locking the driver out of the MVD portal until the address matches.
• A small fine if cited (typically $50), though enforcement is rare unless a separate violation surfaces the issue.

Address change for your driver's license

Online through the Montana MVD portal

The fastest method. Log into the Montana MVD's online services with your driver's license number and PIN, select "Update Address," and enter the new address. The change takes effect immediately in the MVD's system. You may print a temporary update notice; if you want a new physical card showing the new address, request a duplicate license for $10.

In person at a driver license station

Visit any Montana MVD driver license station with your existing driver's license and proof of the new address (utility bill, lease, mortgage statement, or other Montana-issued mail). The clerk updates the record and prints a new card; the fee is $10 for a duplicate license reflecting the new address.

By mail

Complete the address-change section of Form 21-301 and mail it with a copy of your driver's license and proof of address to the Montana MVD. No fee is required for the address change alone; if you want a new physical card, include the $10 duplicate license fee. Mail processing takes 14-21 business days.

Address change for vehicle registration

Vehicle registration address changes are handled through your county treasurer's office, since registration is a county-level transaction. Most county treasurers offer online address updates through their web portals; in-person updates require the existing registration and proof of new address. The change is typically free if done online; in-person may carry a small administrative fee. If you want a new registration card showing the updated address, request a duplicate for $5-$10.

If you've also moved out of Montana entirely, you don't update the address — instead, you cancel the Montana registration after registering the vehicle in the new state. See our Montana title transfer guide for the cancellation process.

Permanent registration and address updates

Vehicles using Montana's permanent registration still require address updates within 60 days of a move. Because permanent registration doesn't trigger annual renewal, the address update is the only routine record-maintenance action a permanent-registration owner needs to complete. Don't skip it — an outdated address can complicate future title transfer or any DMV interaction down the road.

Name change after marriage

To change the name on your Montana driver's license after marriage, you must visit a driver license station in person. Bring:

• Your existing Montana driver's license.
• A certified copy of your marriage certificate (the original from the issuing jurisdiction, with raised seal).
• A completed Form 21-301 with the new name listed.
• The duplicate license fee of $10.

The clerk verifies the marriage certificate, updates the record, and issues a temporary paper license valid for 30 days. The permanent card with the new name is mailed in 2-4 weeks. Update your Social Security record first if you haven't — the SSA name on file should match the MVD name on file for federal verification purposes.

Name change after divorce

To restore your maiden name after divorce, bring:

• Your existing Montana driver's license.
• A certified copy of the divorce decree showing the name change provision.
• A completed Form 21-301 with the restored name.
• The $10 duplicate license fee.

If your divorce decree doesn't include a name-restoration provision, you'll need a separate name-change court order before the MVD will update the record.

Name change by court order

Any other name change — by district court order, adoption decree, or naturalization certificate — uses the same in-person process at any Montana MVD driver license station. Bring the original or certified-copy court document, your existing license, completed Form 21-301, and the $10 fee. Naturalization certificates require additional verification and sometimes take an extra day or two for the central records section to confirm.

Updating the registration to a new name

The vehicle registration is a separate record from the driver's license, even when the same person owns both. After a name change:

• Update the driver's license first (this becomes proof of the new name).
• Visit your county treasurer to update the registration.
• Pay the duplicate registration fee for a new card showing the updated name.
• The vehicle title itself doesn't need to be reissued unless you're transferring ownership — see our title replacement page if you need a new title.

Name change on a REAL ID license

If you hold a REAL ID Montana driver's license, the name-change process is the same in-person procedure with the same documents. The MVD verifies the document chain (birth certificate -- marriage/divorce/court order -- new license name) to maintain REAL ID compliance. Federal REAL ID rules require this paper trail be unbroken, so don't discard the marriage certificate or court order after using it — keep it with your important documents in case future federal verification is needed.