Update Your Name or Address with Tennessee Driver Services

Determine whether the change concerns a name, an address, or both

Tennessee handles a residence update differently from a legal name amendment. The address-change instructions allow a free update to the Department's record without requiring a replacement physical card. The name-change instructions require personal appearance at a Driver Services Center with original or certified legal evidence. If both details changed, the address page directs you to the center so the combined record change can be handled through the proper process.

Identify every affected credential and distinguish an existing Tennessee record from a move into Tennessee with another state's license. A first Tennessee transfer follows the new-resident application process, rather than merely changing an address on an out-of-state credential. An identification-only card also has its own record and maintenance requirements. The state instructions summarized here were read October 21, 2026.

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Report a Tennessee residence change within 10 days

Driver Services must be notified within 10 days of an address change. The requirement includes moving to a new residence and an address changed by the Postal Service or local 911 district even when you remain in the same home. Check whether a street renumbering or renamed road changed the legal address on your record. A physically unchanged residence does not always mean the state's mailing and address information remains correct.

Notifying the post office does not provide the changed information to Driver Services. Update the licensing record directly so renewal notices and other correspondence reach the appropriate place. The residence entry must show the legal physical residence; a post office box is not accepted for that field. If you need a separate mailing arrangement, follow the transaction's instructions without replacing the physical residence with a mailbox address.

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Choose the free update or a new-card transaction

The official e-Services directory provides the address-change link. Tennessee's address page distinguishes a record-only update, for which no card is mailed, from updating the address and ordering a duplicate. Read the option you select before submitting payment. If your purpose is simply to comply with the reporting requirement, the free record update accomplishes a different task from buying a physical card showing the new address.

The duplicate procedure applies when you want another card and qualify for that transaction. Its online identity verification requires the DD number printed on the credential. The renewal procedure may be appropriate when the license is approaching expiration; the duplicate page requires renewal if fewer than six months remain. Choose the transaction that addresses both the record and validity issue instead of assuming every address correction needs a new duplicate.

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Use a kiosk or submit the address by mail

At a self-service kiosk, follow the on-screen address prompts first. If you also want a new card, Tennessee instructs you to begin a new transaction for a qualifying renewal or duplicate after the address update. The location directory identifies kiosks and staffed service points, while the kiosk program announcement describes the equipment's photo and payment capabilities. A kiosk inside another building is available only when the host location permits access.

A mailed address request must include full name, date of birth, driver license number, Social Security number, the old address, the new address, the new county, and a signature. Send the completed form or signed letter to Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Attn: Driver License Records, PO Box 945, Nashville, TN 37202. The address page gives an approximate processing period of 15 business days after receipt, as read October 21, 2026; postal delivery time is additional.

Use the published Department destination for that identifying information and retain a record of what you submitted. A change-of-address form is also available at a Driver Services Center. If the change is urgent because a card is already being mailed or an important notice is expected, ask Driver Services which transaction status can be checked. Mailing an address letter does not establish that a previously produced card has been redirected.

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Update Social Security before the state name amendment

Tennessee advises applicants to update their name with Social Security before changing the name at Driver Services. The Social Security name-change page explains that the federal change is made by requesting a replacement Social Security card, using the online or office route appropriate to the individual's situation. Completing the federal request and completing the Tennessee amendment are separate actions, so verify each rather than assuming one agency automatically updates the other.

Keep the legal name-change record available for the Tennessee visit even after Social Security has processed the name. A new Social Security card does not replace a marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order required to explain the legal change. If an electronic match remains unresolved, follow the examiner's instructions about the record needing correction. The state page's advice to update Social Security first should not be replaced with an invented mandatory waiting period.

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Bring the correct civil or court record

For a marriage-related change, Tennessee requires a certified marriage certificate issued by the county clerk or another authorized government agency after the marriage was performed and recorded. It does not accept a marriage application, a license authorizing the ceremony, an unrecorded certificate, or an uncertified copy. Check the document's issuer and certification before arranging the appointment so the record establishes the completed legal event.

For a divorce or other court change, the state requires the qualifying court decree with the original judge's signature or official seal, or an appropriately certified copy bearing an original certification. A copy containing only a copied seal or signature is not sufficient under the stated rule. The identity-document guidance also calls for the complete name-change chain when needed to connect a source record with the name requested for licensing.

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Prepare additional evidence for the combined transaction

Bring the current credential when available and disclose if it has been lost. If the application also requires new residence documentation, follow the two-source checklist rather than assuming any two pieces of mail are acceptable. Most current documents must be within four months unless a listed category gives another period. A lease needs the current landlord letter specified by the Department, and the pair counts as one source.

Applicants using the homeless or shelter affidavit must include the required organization certification and accompanying letter. For an initial REAL ID at the same visit, bring the complete REAL ID document package, including the necessary Social Security and name records. Adding a star is not an automatic consequence of correcting a name or address. Explain the requested credential feature before the amendment is completed.

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Review fees, temporary credentials, and delivery

The ordinary duplicate fee table lists $8 for a first duplicate and $12 for subsequent duplicates; the name-change page gives a broader $8-$16 range depending on license type and duplicate history. Temporary driver license and temporary ID duplicates are listed at $28. A record-only address change remains free. These amendment-related charges were checked against the state pages read October 21, 2026; a renewal or another credential class can produce a different total.

The temporary-credential provisions effective in 2026 affect the category for the specified permanent-resident issuance, renewal, and reinstatement situations. A legal name amendment does not by itself prove a change in citizenship or resolve a separate federal-document issue. Temporary renewals require current supporting evidence under the renewal instructions. Tell the examiner when more than the spelling or address has changed so the Department can identify the proper transaction.

Check the new or interim credential before leaving, including the exact name, residence, class, restrictions, and expiration. Tennessee's REAL ID guidance gives a plastic-card mailing estimate of 10-20 days. Use the official print-status service or Driver Services contact information if delivery remains unresolved. Updating this state record also should be kept separate from notifying an insurer, employer, vehicle-registration office, or federal agency responsible for another record.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Must I order a new card when my Tennessee address changes?
The Department requires its record to be updated within 10 days, but the address page does not require a new physical card solely for that change. The record-only update is free.

Does a 911 street renumbering trigger the address requirement?
Tennessee includes address changes made by the Postal Service or a local 911 district even without a physical move. Report the revised legal address to Driver Services.

What must a mailed address letter include?
Include the identifying details listed by the state, both addresses, the new county, and your signature. Use the Driver License Records mailing destination published in the official address instructions.

Can I change my name through the ordinary online address form?
A legal name amendment requires a Driver Services Center visit. Bring the qualifying original or certified record and the current credential if available.

Is a marriage license authorizing the ceremony enough?
Tennessee requires the certified certificate issued after the marriage was performed and officially recorded. The authorization to marry and the completed marriage record serve different purposes.

Will Social Security automatically change my Tennessee license name?
Tennessee advises updating Social Security first, but the state credential still requires its own amendment transaction. Bring the legal evidence to Driver Services after arranging the federal record change.

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More Tennessee DMV guides

The other Tennessee DMV guides, 52 of them:

The public records that sit beside this page, on SearchSystems: the Tennessee vital records guide and Tennessee voter records.

Divorce records in the largest Tennessee counties, each with the local court and office that holds the file: Shelby, Davidson, Hamilton, Rutherford, Williamson and Montgomery.