To change your address after a Minnesota move, file USPS mail forwarding first, then update your driver's license in person at a DVS office within 30 days. A duplicate license costs $26. Your vehicle registration and voter registration are separate updates that the license change does not cover.
The trouble is not that the list is long. It is that the list has an order and nobody tells you what it is. Forwarding comes first, or the paperwork keeps chasing you to the old house. And the license deadline has two competing versions.
What order should you change your address in after a Minnesota move?
Mail, license, vehicle, vote, utilities. Everything else can follow in your first month.
| What to update | Where | When | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mail forwarding | usps.com | About two weeks before the move | $1.25 identity verification fee online |
| Driver's license or ID | A DVS office, in person only | Within 30 days to satisfy both the statute and DVS | $26 duplicate driver's license |
| Vehicle registration | Deputy registrar office, or online | A separate transaction from the license | Not covered by the $26 license fee |
| Voter registration | mnvotes.sos.mn.gov | 21 days before an election, or at the polls | Free |
| Electricity and natural gas | Xcel Energy, CenterPoint Energy | Seven business days ahead for gas | Deposit may apply |
| Water, sewer, trash | The city you are moving into | Before closing or lease start | Varies by city |
Step 1: Start with USPS mail forwarding
Do this about two weeks out. Everything downstream depends on mail reaching you, including the confirmation letters the state sends back. We are not re-explaining the form here, because we already published the screen-by-screen USPS walkthrough: the online fee, the identity check, how long forwarding runs, and what happens when it lapses. Do that step there. Everything below is the Minnesota half, the half with deadlines, counters, and the records a forwarding order will never touch.
Step 2: How do you change your address with Minnesota DVS?
This is the step people get wrong, and the one with two competing clocks. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services instructs drivers to "update the address on your card within 60 days of your move or within 30 days if you are a commercial driver." But Minn. Stat. § 171.11 says a person who changes permanent residence "shall, within 30 days thereafter, apply for a duplicate driver's license." The agency's guidance and the statute do not line up. Handle it within 30 days and you satisfy both, which is why we treat 30 as the real number.
The bigger surprise is that you cannot do it from your couch. DVS is explicit: "You must update your address in person by applying for a duplicate or renewing your card." Bring your current card and the fee; a new card is issued. Pre-applying online shortens the counter visit but does not replace it.
On the DVS fee schedule, a duplicate driver's license is $26. An enhanced license adds $15 to the applicable card fee. An ID card is $35.50 under age 65 and $32 at 65 and older. Some offices add a filing fee, so confirm the total.
DVS also states plainly: "The Post Office will not forward mail from Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS)." Renewal notices and plate tabs do not follow a forwarding order, so the DVS update is its own errand no matter how early you filed with USPS.
One constraint catches people living between houses. The DVS address page defines a residential address as "the address where you live or your primary residence if you have multiple addresses," and states that "a PO Box cannot be a residential address." The exception runs the other way: Safe at Home enrollees are required to use the Safe at Home PO Box.
What documents do you need to bring?
For a standard Minnesota license or ID, DVS does not require proof of your new address. A REAL ID, the gold-star card, takes two proofs of residence, and an enhanced card takes two as well. Read the accepted-document list first; originals are generally expected rather than photocopies.
Does changing your license address update your vehicle registration?
No, and this trips up almost everyone. DVS puts it directly: "Changing the address on your license or ID does not change the address on your motor vehicle records. Update the address for your motor vehicles at a deputy registrar office or online." Two transactions, two records. The DVS online services page is where the online route starts.
New to Minnesota rather than moving across town? A separate clock applies. DVS gives new residents 60 days to register a passenger vehicle, motorcycle, utility trailer, or house trailer, and requires it immediately if the registration is expired or the vehicle is a commercial trailer or truck.
Step 3: Do you need to re-register to vote after moving in Minnesota?
Yes. The Minnesota Secretary of State says "You will need to re-register if your name or address changes," even for a move of three blocks. You can update online using your Minnesota driver's license number, ID card number, or the last four of your Social Security number, another reason to do DVS first.
Pre-registration closes 21 days before Election Day, 11:59 p.m. online and 5 p.m. for paper, and paper applications must be received by then rather than postmarked. The next statewide general election falls on November 3, 2026, which puts the pre-registration deadline at October 13, 2026. Miss it and you are still fine. Minnesota allows Election Day registration at the polls, so a move costs you time in line, not your vote.
One point gets widely garbled: the 20-day residency requirement in Minn. Stat. § 201.014 is about residing in Minnesota for 20 days before the election, not about how long you have lived in your new precinct. Moving from Northeast Minneapolis to Woodbury in October 2026 does not put your ballot at risk. Moving here from another state in late October 2026 might.
Step 4: Who bills you for what across the Twin Cities metro?
Scheduling a shutoff and a startup is covered in our guide to handling utilities during a local move. What it cannot tell you is who sends the bill, and in this metro that changes when you cross a city line.
Gas and electric are the straightforward part. CenterPoint Energy, the natural gas provider across most of the metro, tells customers to submit a start-service request seven business days before move-in, and says those requests are usually completed within three business days. Have the address, the move-in date, and a payment method ready in case a deposit applies. Xcel Energy supplies both electricity and natural gas here, and its Minnesota rates have to be approved by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. Start, stop, and transfer run through that page or 800-895-4999.
Water, sewer, and trash are the part nobody warns you about, because they are municipal rather than utility-company. The City of Minneapolis bills residents directly for water, sewer, solid waste and recycling, and stormwater, at 612-673-1114. Cross the river and it is a different operation: Saint Paul Regional Water Services serves Saint Paul and several suburbs, approximately 450,000 customers, at 651-266-6350. Landing elsewhere? Look up that city before closing or lease start.
If you move between November and March, do not let gas or electric lapse for a single day at either address. Frozen pipes cost more than a deposit. Our winter moving page covers the rest.
Step 5: The accounts people forget
- Banks and credit cards. Update these before a fraud hold catches you at a gas station in the new neighborhood.
- Auto and home insurance. Premiums are rated partly by address, so crossing a city line can change what you pay.
- Employer and payroll. Your W-2 goes to whatever address HR has in January.
- Social Security and Medicare. The Social Security Administration lets people on retirement, survivors, or disability benefits, or enrolled in Medicare, change a mailing address through a my Social Security account, though not for SSI.
- Pharmacy, subscriptions, and the pet microchip registry. These route to the address on file, and none of them read a forwarding label.
What does a realistic Twin Cities timeline look like?
| When | What you handle |
|---|---|
| Two weeks out | USPS forwarding, Xcel and CenterPoint, city water and trash |
| Moving week | Nothing administrative. Load, drive, unload. |
| First two weeks in | DVS office visit, vehicle record, voter registration |
| First month | Banks, insurance, employer, Social Security, pharmacy |
Moving week stays empty on purpose. Nobody does good paperwork the day the truck shows up. It has its own list anyway: a crew will not load propane tanks, gasoline, ammunition, or open liquids, so the non-allowable items have to be drained or hauled in your own car first. Once the boxes are in, our post-move checklist takes over.
Who handles the move while you handle the paperwork?
All of this assumes you have the bandwidth for a DVS counter and a utility hold line, which you will not if you are also carrying a couch down a stairwell off Lyndale. That part is ours. Minnē Movers runs crews out of Minneapolis, Burnsville, and Blaine at $85 per mover per hour on weekdays, $95 on weekends and holidays.
Book the crew before you budget the rest of it; it is the bigger number. We break the whole bill down in what movers cost in Minneapolis, line by line: hourly labor, the $150 truck fee, the $1 per mile fuel surcharge, and what a two-bedroom actually lands at. Get an instant quote online or request a free estimate, then stand in the DVS line with an empty afternoon.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to change my address on my Minnesota driver's license after I move?
Minnesota DVS instructs drivers to update a license or ID address within 60 days of a move, or 30 days for commercial drivers. Minn. Stat. § 171.11 separately requires applying for a duplicate license within 30 days of changing permanent residence. Handling it within 30 days satisfies both, so treat 30 as your deadline.
Can I change my driver's license address online in Minnesota?
No. DVS states you must update your address in person by applying for a duplicate or renewing your card. There is no online or mail-only option for the license itself in Minnesota. You can pre-apply online to shorten the counter visit, but you still have to appear in person.
How much does it cost to change your address on a Minnesota driver's license?
The DVS fee schedule lists a duplicate driver's license at $26. An enhanced driver's license adds $15 to the applicable card fee. An ID card is $35.50 under age 65 and $32 at 65 and older. Some offices add a filing fee, so confirm the full total before you go.
Does changing my driver's license address also update my vehicle registration?
No. DVS says changing the address on your license or ID does not change your motor vehicle records. That is a separate transaction, handled at a deputy registrar office or online. People who are new to Minnesota get 60 days to register a passenger vehicle, motorcycle, utility trailer, or house trailer with the state.
Do I have to re-register to vote if I move within Minnesota?
Yes. The Minnesota Secretary of State says you must re-register whenever your name or address changes, including a move within the same city. You can update online with your Minnesota driver's license number, ID card number, or the last four of your Social Security number. Pre-registration closes 21 days before an election.
Will the Post Office forward my mail from the DMV?
No. DVS is explicit that the Post Office will not forward mail from Driver and Vehicle Services, and that you must notify the Post Office separately. Renewal notices and registration materials do not follow a forwarding order. Update USPS first, then update your address directly with DVS in person.
