V5C & Vehicle Logbooks · Filed 19 May 2026

Does the V5C Document Reference Number Change When You Move?

When you change address, DVLA issues a new V5C with a fresh document reference number. The old V5C becomes inactive, so the old number stops working for tax, SORN and transfers.

By Jamie Dawson · Editor ▮ Updated 28 Jul 2026 ▮ 5 min read

Moving house and updating DVLA: when you change address, your V5C is reissued with a new document reference number.

Quick answer: Yes. Changing your address means DVLA issues a new V5C, and every V5C carries its own 11 digit document reference number, so the number changes. The vehicle itself is unaffected: only the document is new. Updating is usually free. The old number stops working for DVLA transactions once the new V5C is issued. If your vehicle tax is due within the next 4 weeks, tax it before you change your address, or you will be stuck waiting.

Why the number changes when you move

The V5C document reference number identifies the document, not the vehicle. Every V5C is a separate certificate with its own unique 11 digit number. When DVLA reissues your V5C for any reason, including a change of address, you get a new certificate with a new reference number.

The vehicle's underlying identity carries forward unchanged. Only the paperwork is new. This is the same mechanism described in our guide to every reason DVLA reissues a V5C.

What changes and what stays the same

What changes:

The document reference number, a fresh 11 digit code on the new V5C
The recorded address on the new certificate
The date of issue printed on the V5C
The status of the old V5C, which becomes inactive for transactions

What does not change:

The registration number (VRM) and the VIN
The keeper history: you remain the same keeper
Your vehicle tax expiry date, which is unaffected by the reissue itself
Your insurance, which you must update with your insurer separately

If your tax is due in the next 4 weeks, do this first

This is the trap most people hit, and gov.uk is explicit about it. Before you change your address:

Changing address online: if your vehicle needs taxing in the next 4 weeks, tax it online using your current V5C before you change the address.
Changing address by post: either tax the vehicle online before you send the log book to DVLA, or take the log book to a Post Office that deals with vehicle tax and do both at the same time. Take your latest MOT certificate if your vehicle needs an annual MOT. It must be valid when the tax starts.

Miss this and you cannot tax the vehicle using the old reference number, because the change has already been recorded, and the new V5C has not arrived yet.

Telling DVLA your new address

Updating is usually free, and you must be the registered keeper. Our full step by step guide to changing your address on a V5C covers the process in detail. In short:

Online: you need the vehicle's registration number, your log book reference number and a UK address.
By post, new style log book (the one with multi-coloured numbered blocks on the front cover): write the new address in section 3 and send the whole log book to the DVLA address shown in section 3.
By post, older style log book: write the new address in section 6, sign it, and send the whole log book to the DVLA address shown in section 8. Do not tick the new keeper box and do not fill in your name.

Do not use a PO Box address. Send the entire document, not just the section you filled in.

You cannot use the online service if you are changing your name and address at the same time, if you have already sent your log book to DVLA, if you have lost it, if the vehicle is on the DVLA fleet scheme, or if your new address is outside the UK, including the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and Ireland.

The gap while you wait

Between notifying DVLA and the new V5C landing:

You can still drive. There is no requirement to carry the V5C.
Selling depends on which route you used. If you changed your address by post you have physically sent the log book to DVLA, and gov.uk is clear that you cannot use the online sold or transferred service once you have done that. If you changed it online you still hold the old document, but the reference number on it is no longer the active one.
You cannot notify DVLA of further changes until the new V5C arrives.

If the new log book does not arrive

gov.uk publishes no delivery estimate for a change of address, but it does give two firm thresholds. Contact DVLA if the new log book has not arrived after 4 weeks. If you have not received it after 6 weeks and you have not told DVLA, you will have to pay £25 for a replacement.

What to do with the old V5C

If you applied by post you will not have it: the whole document goes to DVLA. If you applied online, keep the old certificate with your vehicle paperwork as a historical record, but do not use the old reference number for any DVLA transaction, and do not show the old V5C to a buyer if you sell the car. They need the current one.

If you do not update your address

You can be fined up to £1,000 for not telling DVLA when your address changes. The practical risks matter just as much:

Tax reminders go to your old address, so you miss them and the vehicle becomes untaxed
Safety recall notices go to your old address
Penalty and parking notices go to your old address, so you fail to respond and they escalate
Your insurer needs the new address separately, and failing to tell them can affect your cover

Worked example

You move on 1 March. Your current V5C reference number is 11223344556. You notify DVLA online on 5 March. DVLA processes the change and issues a new V5C showing your new address, with a new reference number, 22334455667.

Once the change is recorded, 11223344556 is inactive. From the moment the new certificate arrives, 22334455667 is the number you use for everything: tax renewal, SORN, sale and notifying further changes. The old V5C is only a record.

FAQs

Will my insurance be affected by an address change?

Yes, but separately from the V5C. You must tell your insurer yourself. Insurers may adjust premiums based on the new postcode. The V5C reissue does not notify them for you.

What if I move multiple times in quick succession?

Each move triggers a new V5C with a new reference number. Three moves in a year means three V5Cs. The most recent one is always the active one.

Does the V5C/2 new keeper slip reference number change when I move?

The V5C/2 slip is generated at sale, not at address change. If you hold a V5C/2 from a recent purchase it is unaffected by your address change.

Could my new V5C be sent to my old address?

No. DVLA sends the new certificate to the new address you gave them. The risk is other DVLA post sent before the change was processed, which is what a Royal Mail redirection covers.

Which section do I write my new address in?

It depends on which style of log book you hold. New style, the one with multi-coloured numbered blocks on the cover, uses section 3. The older style uses section 6, and is sent to the address in section 8.

Sources

Last reviewed 28 July 2026 by Jamie Dawson, Editor. Checked against gov.uk guidance on that date.