An Illinois change of address starts with the Secretary of State’s free online portal at apps.ilsos.gov/addrchange/, which updates your driver’s license and vehicle registration together within the 10 days state law allows after a move.1Illinois Secretary of State. Address Change That one portal does not reach the rest of your records, though. Voter registration, state income tax, FOID and concealed carry cards, professional licenses, and property tax exemptions each live with a different agency, and each has to be updated on its own.
Driver’s License and Vehicle Registration
Under 625 ILCS 5/6-116, anyone who moves from the address on an Illinois driver’s license or permit has 10 days to notify the Secretary of State’s Driver Services Department in writing with the old address, new address, and license or permit number.2Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 625 ILCS 5/6-116 – Notice of Change of Residence Address or Legal Name The online portal satisfies this at no cost.1Illinois Secretary of State. Address Change If you want a paper route, Form VSD 165 (Notice of Address Change) can be mailed in.
Vehicle registration sits in a separate system from your driver’s license, so the portal walks you through both as distinct updates. Neither update costs anything online.
The online or mail update changes the digital record only. You do not get a new physical card unless you go in person to a Secretary of State facility, show acceptable ID, and pay $5 for a corrected driver’s license or $10 for a corrected state ID card.3Illinois Secretary of State. Driver’s License and State ID Card Information Most drivers skip the new card, which is legal. If you do go in, bring one proof of residency for a standard card or two for a REAL ID — a current lease or mortgage, a utility bill, a bank statement within 90 days, and recent government mail all qualify, and the full accepted list is in the Secretary of State’s document guide.4Illinois Secretary of State. Document Requirements to Obtain a Driver’s License/State ID Card
Commercial driver’s license holders have a different rule. A CDL holder must visit a facility and get a corrected hard card within 30 days of the move.1Illinois Secretary of State. Address Change
Missing the 10-day deadline is a petty offense under Illinois law, meaning a fine rather than jail. You are unlikely to be stopped for an outdated address on its own, but it can tack onto a citation during another traffic stop.
Voter Registration
If you moved within the same county, you can transfer your registration by applying to the county clerk in person or by mail.5Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 10 ILCS 5/4-16 – Change of Residence You can also use the state’s online voter registration system at ova.elections.il.gov to update your address.6Illinois State Board of Elections. Illinois Online Voter Registration Application If you moved to a different county, you have to register fresh in the new county; the online transfer path is only for same-county moves.
The online system shuts down before each election. For the November 2026 general election, online registration closes at 11:59 PM on October 18, 2026, and reopens on November 5, 2026.6Illinois State Board of Elections. Illinois Online Voter Registration Application Miss that window and you can still use the grace period, which lets you register in person at your local election authority through Election Day.
Illinois Income Tax
The Department of Revenue does not get your new address from the Secretary of State or from the post office. Most DOR mail is not forwarded by USPS even if you have a forwarding order active, so refunds and notices can go astray if you skip this step.7Illinois Department of Revenue. How Can I Change My Address for Individual Income Tax
Two ways to handle it. If you have not filed your Form IL-1040 or IL-1040-X for the current year, the new address on the return updates your record automatically. If you have already filed, log into the MyTax Illinois portal at mytax.illinois.gov to change it there.8Illinois.gov. IL-1040 Address Change
Tell your employer too. You can file a new Form IL-W-4 at any time, and if your claimed withholding allowances decrease because of the move, you are required to file an updated IL-W-4 within 10 days.9Illinois Department of Revenue. Form IL-W-4 Employee’s and Other Payee’s Illinois Withholding Allowance Certificate
FOID Card and Concealed Carry License
Firearm Owners Identification cardholders have 30 days under the FOID Card Act to notify the Illinois State Police of an address change. Update it through the Firearm Services section of the ISP website.10Illinois.gov. Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) Card Address Change Concealed Carry License holders use the same ISP Firearm Services portal.11Illinois State Police. Firearms Services – Concealed Carry License Keeping both current avoids problems at a point-of-purchase check or during a stop.
Professional Licenses
If you hold a license through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation — nursing, real estate, cosmetology, pharmacy, and many others — you are required to keep your address, email, and phone current with the agency.12IDFPR. Name/Address Change Request An active licensee with an IDFPR Online Service Portal account can change the address directly in the portal. Anyone without a portal account, anyone who applied through the CORE system, international residents, and holders of inactive or non-renewed licenses have to submit the Personal Information Change Request Form instead. A name change (marriage, court order) uses the same form plus supporting documentation such as a marriage certificate or court decree.
Property Tax Homestead Exemption
Your General Homestead Exemption does not travel with you. If you had one at your old home, you have to file a new application with the county assessor where your new home sits. The exemption reduces the equalized assessed value of your primary residence, so a gap means a higher tax bill until the new application is in.13Illinois Department of Revenue. Property Tax Relief – Homestead Exemptions, PTELL, and Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral Program
Call the new township assessor’s office or the chief county assessment office to see how they take applications; some counties accept online filings, others want paper. Any additional exemptions you qualified for at the old address, such as the Senior Citizens Homestead Exemption or the Homestead Exemption for Persons with Disabilities, also have to be reapplied for at the new property.
USPS Forwarding Is Not a Substitute
A USPS change of address catches stray mail, but the Postal Service is explicit that forwarding only updates your mailing address with the post office. It does not notify the Secretary of State, the Department of Revenue, the State Board of Elections, or any other government agency.14USPS. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address The Department of Revenue specifically warns that most of its mail will not be forwarded even with an active USPS order.7Illinois Department of Revenue. How Can I Change My Address for Individual Income Tax Treat forwarding as a backstop while you work through each agency on its own.