How to Fill Out and Submit Maryland Form DR-057: MVA Records Request

Maryland Form DR-057 is the Motor Vehicle Administration’s records request form, used to obtain driving histories, title records, registration information, and other documents from the MVA’s database. Download it from the MVA website or pick up a copy at any full-service branch, fill in the subject’s identifying details and your permissible-use purpose, check the record type you need, sign it, and submit it by mail or in person with payment. A non-certified record costs $12 and a certified record costs $15.¹

Before you start filling anything in, check whether you actually need the form. If you just want your own driving record, a free myMVA account will get it to you faster (see below). DR-057 is the route when you need a record type the online portal doesn’t offer, when you’re requesting someone else’s record, or when you need a physical certified copy carrying the MVA’s official seal for court or a government agency.

Pick the Right Record Type

The form lists these record types as checkboxes. Choose the one that matches what you need:

Three-year driving record: violations, convictions, crashes, suspensions, and points from the last three years. This is what most employers and insurers ask for.
Complete driving record: your entire driving history in the MVA database, with no time limit. Useful for court proceedings or license reinstatement.
PBJ driving record: includes probation-before-judgment entries, and, for commercial driver’s license holders, medical certification information.
Application for driver’s record or identification card: a copy of the original application on file.
Title record: the ownership history for a specific vehicle.
Certified copy of Maryland title for vehicle export: needed when shipping or permanently moving a Maryland-titled vehicle out of state.
Registration record: current and historical registration information tied to a vehicle.
Original issue date of license: confirms when a driver’s license was first issued.

There’s also an “Other” field for requests that don’t fit these categories.²

Filling Out the Form

DR-057 is one page. Most fields are straightforward, but mistakes in the identifying information section are the main reason the MVA returns forms as unprocessable.

Subject of the Record

This is the person or vehicle whose records you want. Enter the subject’s full legal name and date of birth exactly as they appear in MVA records. For driver-related records, include the Maryland driver’s license number. For vehicle-related records like title or registration histories, enter the full seventeen-character Vehicle Identification Number instead.² A single transposed digit is enough to get the form kicked back, so check every character against the license or title document before you mail it.

Certified or Non-Certified

Check the box for the record you need, then choose between certified ($15) and non-certified ($12). A certified record carries the MVA’s official seal and is accepted in court, by government agencies, and for most employment purposes. A non-certified copy is fine for personal review or informal verification.¹ If you’re not sure which you need, ask the entity requesting the record. Sending a non-certified copy to a court that requires certification means paying the fee again.

Requester Information and Purpose

Fill in your own name, address, and contact information. You also have to state the purpose of your request by selecting from the authorized categories on the form. These correspond to the permissible uses under the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act, which controls who can access motor vehicle records and why. If you’re the record subject requesting your own information, the purpose section is simple. Third-party requesters need to identify a specific legal basis. Sign and date the form; unsigned forms won’t be processed.

Who Can Request Someone Else’s Records

The Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (18 U.S.C. § 2721) prohibits state motor vehicle agencies from releasing personal information except for a defined set of reasons. Maryland’s own records statute works alongside the federal law: MVA records are technically public records, but access to personal information within them is restricted.³ The MVA can furnish copies or certified copies of any record in its system, but only to requesters who qualify.⁴

The permissible uses that come up most often in practice include:

Government functions: any government agency, court, or law enforcement body carrying out its duties, or a private entity acting on behalf of one.
Litigation: civil, criminal, administrative, or arbitral proceedings, including service of process and investigation in anticipation of litigation.
Insurance activities: claims investigation, antifraud work, rating, or underwriting by an insurer or self-insured entity.
Business verification: verifying or correcting personal information that an individual submitted to a legitimate business, but only for fraud prevention, legal remedies, or debt recovery.
Employment verification: an employer verifying information about a commercial driver’s license holder as required by federal trucking regulations.
Licensed investigators: a licensed private investigative agency or security service, for any purpose otherwise permitted under the statute.
Research and statistics: research activities producing statistical reports, as long as personal information is not published or used to contact individuals.
Consent: any use, if the state has obtained the express consent of the person whose information is being requested.

The full statute contains fourteen permissible uses.⁵ If your reason doesn’t fit any of them, you need written consent from the record subject before the MVA will release the information.

Extra Rules for Employers

Employers who pull driving records as part of a hiring or retention decision trigger additional requirements under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. Before obtaining the record, the employer has to give the applicant a standalone written notice that a driving record may be used, and get written authorization back. If the employer decides to take adverse action based on what the record shows (declining to hire, demoting, or terminating), the employer must first provide the applicant with a copy of the record and a summary of FCRA rights. After the adverse action, a follow-up notice has to identify the consumer reporting agency, state that the agency didn’t make the decision, and inform the individual of the right to dispute inaccuracies and request an additional free report within sixty days.

How to Submit and Pay

By Mail

Send the completed DR-057 and payment to:

Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration
6601 Ritchie Highway, N.E., Room 102
Glen Burnie, Maryland 21062¹

Pay by check or money order made out to the Motor Vehicle Administration. Don’t send cash. A non-certified record is $12 and a certified record is $15.² If the payment doesn’t match the record type you checked, the MVA will return the form.

In Person

Full-service MVA branch offices accept DR-057 at the counter. Branches typically take credit or debit cards in addition to check or money order. Depending on the branch’s workload and system availability, you may receive your record the same day.

Skip the Form for Your Own Driving Record

If you’re requesting your own driving record and don’t need a title, registration, or other vehicle-related record, the myMVA online portal is faster. Create a free account at the MVA website, verify your identity, and order either a three-year or complete driving record without touching DR-057.¹

Non-certified records ordered online are available immediately as a downloadable PDF. Certified records ordered through the portal are mailed to the address the MVA has on file, so confirm your address is current before placing the order. The online route doesn’t help third-party requesters. Employers, insurers, attorneys, and investigators still have to submit DR-057 with the appropriate permissible-use justification.

How Long It Takes

Mailed requests take several business days to a few weeks, depending on mail transit and MVA processing volume. The MVA doesn’t publish a guaranteed turnaround, so build in extra time if you have a court date or employment deadline. In-person requests at a branch can sometimes be handled on the spot. Online orders for non-certified records are instant.

Records are mailed to the address you provide on the form. If a mailed request hasn’t arrived within a reasonable window, contact MVA customer service at 410-768-7000 (Maryland Relay: 7-1-1) to check the status.

Penalties for Misusing MVA Records

Obtaining or using MVA records under false pretenses is a federal offense under the DPPA. A person who knowingly violates the statute faces criminal fines.⁶ On the civil side, any person whose information was improperly obtained can sue for actual damages, with a floor of $2,500 in liquidated damages per violation, plus punitive damages for willful or reckless conduct and reasonable attorney’s fees.⁷ Putting a fabricated permissible use on DR-057 is not just a form rejection; the $2,500 minimum makes even a single unauthorized disclosure worth pursuing for the affected individual.

1
MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration. PIA Request and Driving Record Information
2
Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. DR-057 Maryland MVA Records Request Form
3
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Transportation 12-111 – Records of Administration in General
4
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Transportation 12-113 – Records Copies Certified Copies Use in Judicial Proceedings
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2721 – Prohibition on Release and Use of Certain Personal Information From State Motor Vehicle Records
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2723 – Penalties
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2724 – Civil Action