How to Fill Out and Submit Form DL-503: PA Driver Record Request

To request a Pennsylvania driving record using Form DL-503, download and print the form from PennDOT, fill in the driver’s information and the record type you need, sign it, and mail it with a check or money order payable to “PennDOT” to the Bureau of Driver Licensing, P.O. Box 68695, Harrisburg, PA 17106-8695.¹ A non-certified record costs $15. A certified record costs $47. The form must be completed on paper; there is no electronic version of the DL-503 itself.

Pick the Record Type First

The record type you check at the top of the form sets the fee you enclose. Every non-certified option is $15, and both certified options are $47.

Basic Information ($15): name, address, driver number, date of birth, license class, and license status only. No violations or accidents.
3-Year Driver Record ($15): the basic information plus all violations, departmental actions, and accidents from the last three years.
10-Year Driver Record ($15): the same content over ten years. The form restricts this option to employment purposes.
Full History ($15): the complete history of violations, actions, and accidents on file in Pennsylvania.
Copy of Document from File ($15): a microfilm copy of a specific document, such as an old accident report or suspension notice.
Certified Driver Record ($47): a full history certified by the department.
Certified Copy of Document from File ($47): a certified copy of a specific document from the driver’s file.

For personal use, insurance shopping, or a routine employer background check, the 3-year or full history at $15 is almost always what you want. Pay the $47 for the certified version only when a court or administrative body needs a record it can admit into evidence without further proof of authenticity.²

Filling Out the Form for Your Own Record

If you are requesting your own record, skip Section A. Go straight to Section C, “Driver Information,” and enter your full legal name (last, first, middle initial), current residential address, date of birth, and Pennsylvania driver’s license number.¹ PennDOT identifies you by your driver number, not your Social Security Number. The form warns that a name and address alone, without the driver number or date of birth, may not be enough to locate the correct file.

Sign and date the bottom. Your signature is a sworn statement that the information on the form is true, subject to Pennsylvania’s unsworn-falsification statute. Submitting false information is a third-degree misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $2,500, up to one year of imprisonment, or both.³ An unsigned form comes back unprocessed.

Filling It Out for Someone Else’s Record

Requesting another person’s driving history means completing three sections instead of one. Section A (“Requester Information”) captures your name, address, and contact details. Section C still needs the driver’s identifying information: name, address, date of birth, and driver number. Section D is where you declare your legal reason by checking a purpose code:¹

B, Driver Release: the driver has authorized you in writing and must also sign Section E.
C, Credit or Business Transaction: you have a legitimate business need tied to a transaction the driver initiated, or you are assessing credit or payment risk on an existing obligation.
E, Employment: you are evaluating someone for hiring or continued employment. The driver must sign Section E.
R, Insurance Company: you are an insurer requesting the record of someone you insure, intend to insure, or have rejected for coverage.
K, Court Order: you must attach the court order. PennDOT also accepts a subpoena issued under Pa. R.C.P. 4009.21, but only if the filed copy of the certificate prerequisite accompanies it.
L, Attorney: you represent the driver named in Section C, and the driver must sign Section E.

Any purpose code that references Section E means the driver being searched has to sign that section personally, authorizing the release. Skip that signature when it is required and the form comes back.

How to Submit the DL-503

Attach your check or money order, made payable to “PennDOT” (not “Commonwealth of Pennsylvania”), and mail everything to:

Bureau of Driver Licensing
P.O. Box 68695
Harrisburg, PA 17106-8695¹

Do not send cash. PennDOT explicitly prohibits it and will not be responsible if cash goes missing in the mail. If your payment is for the wrong amount or the form is unsigned, the bureau mails everything back for correction, and the clock resets when you resubmit. PennDOT does not publish an official processing timeline for mailed requests, so budget at least a few weeks if you need the record by a specific date.

When You Don’t Need the DL-503 at All

If you only need a non-certified copy of your own driving record, you can skip the paper form. PennDOT lets you request, download, and print your own record through its driver services portal.⁴ The online option does not work for certified records, which must be requested in person or by mailing the DL-503.⁵ It also does not work for requesting someone else’s record, since the third-party authorization sections cannot be submitted electronically.

What the Record Will Show

A Pennsylvania driving record lists violations, departmental actions (suspensions, revocations, restorations), and reportable accidents for whatever time window you selected.⁵ Every version also includes the driver’s name, address, driver number, date of birth, license class, and current license status. The full history and certified record go back to the beginning of the driver’s file in Pennsylvania, so they capture old suspensions and violations that have long since dropped off the shorter reports.

Common Mistakes That Delay Your Request

Most returned DL-503 forms share a handful of problems. Leaving the driver’s license number blank is probably the most common; people assume a name and date of birth will be enough, and the form warns otherwise. Writing the check to “Commonwealth of Pennsylvania” instead of “PennDOT” can cause a rejection. An unsigned form guarantees a return trip. Third-party requesters who skip Section D, or fail to get the driver’s signature in Section E when their purpose code requires it, find their form in the return mail a few weeks later with the processing clock starting over.

Double-check the fee before sealing the envelope. A common mix-up is sending $15 for a certified record or $47 for a basic one. If you need records for multiple drivers, each driver requires a separate DL-503 with its own payment attached.

1
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. DL-503 Pennsylvania Driver Record Request Form
2
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 75 – Section 6328
3
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 18 – 4904 – Unsworn Falsification to Authorities
4
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Request a Copy of Driver Records
5
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Driver History Request Frequently Asked Questions