How do you update your address after moving in the United Kingdom in 2026?

If you have a visa, eVisa, or expired biometric residence permit, report a change of address to the Home Office. People with UKVI account access can often update details online after signing in. Others use the official change-of-circumstances routes, including the address-update form that asks for a Home Office reference, old postcode, new address, and recent proof of residence.

Keep your digital status usable after the move by confirming the account still matches your identity documents: Set up a UK eVisa.

Drivers must tell the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) when a permanent address changes. Update the photocard licence and, if you are the registered keeper, the vehicle log book (V5C). Vehicle tax Direct Debit details may need a separate DVLA call. Failing to tell DVLA about an address change can lead to a fine of up to £1,000. Northern Ireland driving records sit with a separate local process if your licence is issued there.

Register with a local doctor or transfer from your previous practice once the new postcode is settled: Register with a GP. Practices use different national patient identifiers across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, so a move between nations can create a new patient number.

Tell your bank and any lenders in writing or through their app so statements, fraud alerts, and card deliveries follow you. Many tenancy and mortgage packs from How to rent a home already list the new address; reuse that proof for Home Office and DVLA checks when dated within the last three months.

Open or transfer local property tax through the council that covers the new home: Register for Council Tax. Northern Ireland uses Domestic Rates instead of Council Tax, so use the rates body for that nation.

Electoral registration is separate. Paying Council Tax does not put you on the electoral register. Each eligible adult must register to vote again at the new address and include the previous UK address so the old entry can be removed.

Fold these steps into your wider paperwork after moving list so immigration, driving, health, money, tax, and voting each get a dated confirmation.