Reviewed and updated October 21, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every fact on this page was read that day from the Georgia Department of Driver Services' own pages and, for titles and registration, the Department of Revenue's, and the official page each fact came from is linked where it appears.
Georgia DDS supplies individual driving histories as motor vehicle reports, commonly called MVRs. Select the time period and certification that the recipient needs before paying. A personal online view, an official certified report, and a request for other licensing documents are different products with different release procedures.
In this guide: Select the record by purpose, Understand what certification changes, Use the online route for the available periods, Obtain a certified report at a center, Mail a complete request to the records unit, Apply the current MVR charges and channel rules, A driving history is not an ordinary open record, Other documents in a driver's file require a different request, Read a current status check differently from a historical report, Correct entries through their source, Frequently Asked Questions
Select the record by purpose
The DDS individual driving history page offers 3-year, 7-year, and lifetime reports through the channels described by the agency. A report for personal review may be sufficient when you want to understand entries in your own history. An employer, court, insurer, or other recipient may require a certified document. Ask for the required period and format before buying a report that the recipient cannot use.
The words motor vehicle report refer here to a person's driving history. Georgia DOR vehicle services address title, registration, vehicle status, and similar vehicle matters. A DDS MVR is not a substitute for checking whether a particular car has a lien, a valid tag, or an ownership problem. Identify whether the question concerns the driver or the vehicle before selecting the agency.
Understand what certification changes
DDS describes a certified MVR as the version printed, stamped, and certified by the agency for official use. A noncertified online version is intended for personal information. The DDS online service explanations say internet-generated personal reports are generally not accepted as official verification by employers or government agencies. Printing the personal view on nicer paper does not turn it into a certified document.
A certified report reflects the record on the date DDS prints it. Additional conviction information can arrive between the order date and the printing date. That timing explains why a certified report cannot necessarily be previewed as an identical online document when requested. For a pending employment review, distinguish the date you paid from the date the official report was produced.
Use the online route for the available periods
After establishing the DDS online account, an individual can request the available 3-year or 7-year certified or noncertified product. Review the driver's identity details, requested report period, and delivery selection. If another organization is to receive the certified report, verify its address before submitting the order. A mistyped recipient can expose personal information and fail to meet the recipient's actual request.
The individual MVR page says the noncertified report remains viewable for 30 days after the request, checked October 21, 2026. It can be printed, but the page describes it as unavailable for download to the computer. Use the official print option while the view is available. Do not promise a permanent account archive when DDS publishes a limited access interval.
The page also carries a notice that MVR viewing in DDS 2 GO is not available at this time. Its older app description remains underneath that notice. Use the functioning online service or another stated channel instead of planning around the older promise of a free app history view. Availability of a mobile application does not establish that every listed function is currently operating.
Obtain a certified report at a center
DDS permits in-person requests for the available report periods at a Customer Service Center. Prepare the original DDS-18 Motor Vehicle Report request with the driver's full name, date of birth, and Georgia driver number. These details must match the record so the agency retrieves the intended person's history rather than attempting a broad search based on a common name.
If collecting for another person, the requester needs the driver's signature authorizing release and must present appropriate identification. The original-form requirement is important: the individual MVR page says faxed or copied request forms are not accepted for that route. A relative's willingness to help does not eliminate the consent requirement simply because the two people share an address or last name.
Mail a complete request to the records unit
The mail option accepts the DDS form or a signed request containing the required identifying information and report period. Include the complete mailing address and a business-size self-addressed stamped envelope. The current destination is DDS MVR Request, Post Office Box 80447, Conyers, Georgia 30013. Address the request to the records function rather than a county tag office.
When paying by credit card, the MVR instructions link the DDS credit-card authorization. The form identifies both the cardholder and the driver whose service is being purchased. A different payer is therefore not a reason to put the payer's driver number into the subject driver's fields. State the service clearly and follow the MVR page's mailing instructions for the complete request.
Apply the current MVR charges and channel rules
The July 2026 DDS-18 form and the current fee schedule list $7 for a 3-year MVR and $9 for either a 7-year or lifetime MVR, checked October 21, 2026. Older manual text still displays smaller figures. Use the current request form and service schedule when preparing payment, especially for a mailed request that cannot be corrected at the counter immediately.
Payment methods depend on the channel. DDS's MVR page permits specified checks and money orders by mail and provides the credit-card authorization option. Customer Service Centers accept cash and major cards but reject checks and money orders for their counter services. A payment method allowed in an envelope should not be assumed acceptable for an in-person MVR purchase.
A driving history is not an ordinary open record
The DDS open records page expressly excludes individual MVRs from general public-record release. An agency budget or vendor contract can belong to an open records process while a driver's personal history does not. Sending an open records email is not a shortcut around the driver's consent or the legally required route for restricted information.
For attorneys, public officials, or other requesters without the subject's authorization, DDS describes the appropriate subpoena or court-order process through DDS Legal. Additional requested documents must be identified specifically, and the agency may issue an invoice before release. Use the actual legal process needed for the request rather than describing every potentially useful licensing document as a freely available public record.
Other documents in a driver's file require a different request
A person seeking copies of documents previously submitted to DDS, rather than an MVR, can follow the separate instructions on the open records page. DDS describes a center request or a signed mailed request to its Customer Service, Licensing and Records Division. Specify which submitted record is needed so staff can distinguish it from the standard driving history product.
The DDS privacy statement explains restrictions on personal information, photographs, and application material. Permission to obtain an MVR does not create unrestricted permission to redistribute the information or obtain unrelated documents. Share a report with the intended recipient for the stated purpose and avoid placing the driver's date of birth, address, or license number in an unnecessary public message.
Read a current status check differently from a historical report
The DDS license status service addresses whether the record presently shows licensing or reinstatement issues. The online service section of the manual describes status, points, and report functions separately. A historical report may support a review of recorded events, while an immediate decision about driving eligibility calls for the actual current status and any controlling DDS notice.
When examining the report, compare the personal identifiers before interpreting the entries. Then identify the particular conviction, action, or date that raises the question. An old event appearing in history does not by itself explain whether a current suspension remains in effect. If a status issue is unresolved, ordering a different report period will not perform the required reinstatement transaction.
Correct entries through their source
The DDS fraud guidance says a conviction entered because someone else used the driver's identity cannot be removed without authorization from the court that submitted it. DDS can provide citation information and the court contact needed to begin the correction. The driver's disagreement is important evidence to investigate, but a replacement card does not alter the court's reported disposition.
For a lost or stolen credential, the DDS replacement procedure addresses the physical card and qualifying number changes. Keep that request distinct from correcting an MVR entry. Organizations seeking reports in volume should use the certified business requester program, which requires DDS and Georgia Technology Authority approval, instead of collecting personal account credentials from individual drivers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Georgia report should I order for an employer?
Ask whether the employer needs a certified MVR and which period it requires. DDS distinguishes the certified agency-issued report from the personal noncertified online view.
Can I preview the exact certified report when I order it?
DDS certifies the record as it exists when printed, and additional data may arrive after the request. The official product therefore is not presented as an identical immediate online preview.
How much is a lifetime Georgia driving history?
The current DDS request form and fee schedule charge $9 for the lifetime MVR, checked October 21, 2026. A 7-year report carries that same listed charge, while the 3-year report is $7.
May my spouse collect my MVR without a signed release?
DDS requires the driver's signature for a request on another person's behalf and identification from the recipient. Marriage alone is not the release authorization described by the agency.
Can I obtain someone's MVR through a general open records request?
DDS excludes personal driving histories from ordinary Open Records Act release. Use the authorized individual request or the applicable subpoena, court order, or certified requester procedure.
Will replacing my license remove a fraudulent conviction?
Card replacement concerns the credential. For a conviction reported under the wrong identity, DDS requires correction authority from the submitting court before changing that entry.
Written by SearchSystems.net from the Georgia DDS and DOR pages linked in each section, on dds.georgia.gov and dor.georgia.gov, read on October 21, 2026.
More Georgia DDS guides
The other Georgia DDS guides, 52 of them:
Licenses and IDs 12 guides
- Georgia Driver License Classes, Eligibility, and DDS Services
- Applying for a Georgia Driver License at DDS
- Renewing a Georgia Driver License Through DDS
- Replacing a Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Georgia License
- Georgia Nondriver ID Cards, Eligibility, and DDS Applications
- Georgia REAL ID Stars, Documents, and Travel Planning
- Georgia Digital ID in Apple, Google, and Samsung Wallets
- Updating a Georgia Driver License Name or Address
- Proving Identity, Lawful Status, and Georgia Residence to DDS
- Georgia Limited Term Licenses, Status Verification, and Extensions
- Georgia licenses, waivers, and vehicle benefits for military families
- Get a Georgia Class M license or MP motorcycle permit
Teens, seniors and testing 6 guides
- Georgia Class CP Permit Rules and the Path to a License
- Georgia Teen Driving: Class CP, Class D, and the Adult Upgrade
- Georgia DDS Knowledge, Vision, and Road Examinations
- Choosing a DDS-Certified Georgia Driving School
- Georgia licensing and vision renewal for drivers 64 and older
- Georgia medical review, vision reports, and adapted driving
Vehicles, titles and plates 11 guides
- Obtain, transfer, and correct a Georgia vehicle title
- Georgia vehicle registration through your county tag office
- Choose, display, transfer, and replace a Georgia license plate
- Georgia Vehicle Sales and Ownership Transfer
- Transferring a Georgia Vehicle After the Owner Dies
- Georgia Bonded Titles, Older Vehicles, and Registration Evidence
- Georgia Vehicle Lien Foreclosure, Public Sales, and Title Documents
- Georgia Salvage Brands, Rebuilt Inspections, and Scrap Records
- Georgia Titles for Foreign Vehicles and Federal Import Evidence
- Georgia Assembled Vehicle Titles and Inspection Preparation
- Georgia Motorcycle Titles, Tags, and Registration
Registration, fees and inspections 9 guides
- Renew a Georgia tag without overlooking the county schedule
- Replace missing Georgia vehicle credentials through the proper route
- Georgia DDS fees, DOR charges, and county vehicle taxes
- Pay Georgia vehicle charges and send refund claims to the correct office
- Keep Georgia liability coverage and the registration record aligned
- Applying for Disability Parking Credentials in Georgia
- Take a Georgia vehicle off the road without leaving an active insurance record
- Calculate Georgia TAVT from the transaction and vehicle value
- Meet Georgia emissions requirements in the 13 covered counties
Suspensions, DUI and records 5 guides
Commercial, trucks and special vehicles 7 guides
- Georgia CDL classes, permits, training, and tests
- Add Georgia passenger, school bus, tank, hazmat, and trailer endorsements
- Georgia commercial medical records and the NRII process
- Georgia truck credentials, lane rules, inspections, and carrier records
- Georgia Commercial Vehicle and Trailer Registration
- Georgia Boat Registration, Vessel Titles and Boating Requirements
- Georgia ATV, Dirt Bike and Multipurpose Off-Highway Vehicle Rules
Offices, online services and new residents 2 guides
The public records that sit beside this page, on SearchSystems: Georgia background checks, the Georgia court records guide and Georgia records requests.
Traffic tickets in the largest Georgia counties, each with the local court and office that holds the file: Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb, DeKalb, Chatham and Clayton.