Moving home in the UK: who you must tell about your new address

Moving house inside the UK rarely ends when the van is unloaded. Several organisations have to be told your new address separately, and forgetting at least one of them carries a fine of up to 1,000 pounds. Here is the order to do it in, from the official gov.uk guidance.

What carries a 1,000 pound fine?

Not telling DVLA your new address. The gov.uk wording is blunt: "You can be fined up to 1,000 pounds if you do not tell DVLA when your address changes." The change itself is free — you only pay if you also replace the photo at the same time, which costs 14 pounds. A new licence arrives in about a week if you apply online, and you can keep driving on the old one while you wait.

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Are the licence and the log book two separate jobs?

Yes, and this is the main trap. Your driving licence and your V5C vehicle log book are updated through two different services. Updating the licence does nothing to the log book. Updating the V5C is usually free too. The online service only works for a new UK address, you must be the registered keeper, and you need three things to hand: the registration number, the log book reference number, and the new address. The service is open Monday to Friday 7am to 9pm, and Saturday and Sunday 7am to 8pm.

What if the car is due to be taxed soon?

The order matters here. If the vehicle needs taxing within the next four weeks, gov.uk advises taxing it online using your current V5C first, and changing the address afterwards. The alternative is to take the log book to a Post Office that deals with vehicle tax and do both at once. If you pay vehicle tax by Direct Debit, you have to phone DVLA about the address change — the online form does not cover that case.

How long should the new log book take?

If it has not arrived after four weeks, contact DVLA. The cost of letting it slide is worth remembering: if you have not received it after six weeks and did not notify DVLA, a replacement costs 25 pounds. Two more documents are easy to forget: a V750 or V778 for a personalised number plate that is not currently on a vehicle, and a trailer registration certificate if you plan to take the trailer abroad.

What if the move is temporary?

You do not need to tell DVLA if you are away temporarily — at university, for example — and they can still reach you at your permanent address. Filing a change here only muddles your paperwork.

How do you tell HMRC?

Through your personal tax account on gov.uk. One update covers several lines at once: Income Tax, National Insurance, Child Benefit and State Pension. Business tax has its own separate process. Two practical points. First, gov.uk specifically asks you to wait until you have actually moved before telling them. Second, if you do not have an account yet, you create it the first time you sign in, and you may be asked to prove your identity — usually with photo ID such as a passport or driving licence.

Do you have to register to vote again?

Yes. The gov.uk wording leaves no room: you need to register again if your name, address or nationality has changed, and you update those details by registering again with the new information. On who can register: in England and Northern Ireland you must be 16 or over, in Scotland and Wales 14 or over. British and Irish citizens qualify, as do some Commonwealth citizens and citizens of Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Spain, plus certain other EU citizens with the right to enter or stay in the UK. You will need your name, address, nationality and National Insurance number — though you can still register without one.

What about your eVisa, council tax, GP and bank?

An eVisa is the digital record of your immigration status: the type of visa, whether you have settlement, and the conditions attached, such as whether you can work or study. It has already replaced physical immigration documents. Details in a UKVI account are updated through a separate gov.uk guide, "Update your details in your UKVI account", and that is worth doing straight after the move. Separately, write to the council at both the old and the new address to close one council tax account and open the other, register with a GP in the new area, and update your address with your bank — otherwise the letters you will later need as proof of address never arrive.