How to Fill Out New Jersey MVC Form DO-11: Driver Record Request

New Jersey MVC Form DO-11, the Driver License Application Request, is a mail-in form you use to get a copy of your original New Jersey driver license application or an address history tied to your license number. To complete it, fill in Sections A through E, check the record type you want, attach a photocopy of your ID and payment, and mail everything to the MVC’s Business & Government Services office in Trenton.¹

What Form DO-11 Actually Returns

Section C of the form gives you two checkboxes. One returns the oldest available copy of your license application on file, which includes the license issue date and the name and address you gave when you first applied. Some information may be purged as required by law. The other returns a record of addresses associated with your driver license number over a date range you specify.

The license issue date is what sends most people to this form. DO-11 does not return violations, points, suspensions, or accidents; that’s a driver history abstract, requested on Form DO-21. If you need the issue date printed alongside your driving record, the MVC requires you to submit a DO-11 together with the DO-21.²

You need a separate DO-11 for each record type you want.

Filling Out Each Section

Section A: Requestor Information

This is you, the person asking for the record. Enter your name, phone, email, and full mailing address. The completed records will be mailed to whatever address you list here, so double-check it. Check the box that identifies you as either an individual or business requestor, or as a government or law enforcement entity. If you’re filing on behalf of a company or agency, put the organization’s name in the field provided.

Enter your own driver license number or government-issued ID number, and include a photocopy of that ID with the packet. Government and law enforcement applicants attach a copy of their government-issued identification card. Everyone else attaches a photocopy of a driver license, passport, birth certificate, or another valid state or federal ID.¹

The “Your File or Claim #” field is for internal tracking if you’re a business or legal professional handling multiple requests. Leave it blank if it doesn’t apply.

Section B: The Driver Whose Record You Want

If you’re requesting your own record, this repeats much of Section A. Enter the New Jersey driver license number, full legal name, date of birth, gender, and address of the person whose record is being requested. When that person is not you, this section identifies them and Section D becomes mandatory.

Section C: Record Type and Date Range

Check “Copy of Driver License Application,” “Address History of Driver,” or both. If you check address history, fill in the specific date range you want covered. Vague or open-ended date ranges can slow processing.

Section D: Purpose for the Request

Section D is required only when you’re requesting someone else’s record. Initial next to the permitted use that applies, and write out why you need the information and how you’ll use it. If the request is tied to a lawsuit, state the type of lawsuit and your relationship to the case. The permitted uses are drawn from N.J.S.A. 39:2-3.4(c); more on those below.

Section E: Certification and Signature

Read the terms, then sign and date. Your signature certifies that what you wrote is accurate and that the records will be used only for the stated purpose. Misuse is not a paperwork issue: knowingly obtaining or disclosing motor vehicle record information for an unauthorized purpose is a fourth-degree crime under New Jersey law and can expose you to actual damages, punitive damages, and attorney’s fees in a civil suit.¹

Permitted Uses When Requesting Someone Else’s Record

Federal and New Jersey law limit who can access motor vehicle records and why. The federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act sits at 18 U.S.C. § 2721, and New Jersey’s parallel provisions run from N.J.S.A. 39:2-3.3 through 39:2-3.7.³ The purpose codes on Form DO-11 track the categories in N.J.S.A. 39:2-3.4(c). The ones requestors most often rely on:

Government or law enforcement use in the course of official functions.
Motor vehicle safety and theft work, including research, recalls, and emissions monitoring.
Business verification of information a person submitted, but only to prevent fraud, pursue legal remedies, or recover a debt.
Use in civil, criminal, or administrative proceedings, including service of process and pre-litigation investigation.
Insurance claims investigation, antifraud work, rating, or underwriting.
Employer verification of information about a commercial driver license holder as required by federal safety law.
Notarized written consent from the person whose record is being pulled.

If you’re relying on notarized consent (purpose code 10), you also need to submit Form BGS/DO-21A, the Notarized Authorization to Release Personal Motor Vehicle Information. Without it, the MVC will not process the request. Picking the wrong purpose code, or writing a thin explanation in Section D, is one of the fastest ways to have a request rejected.¹

Where to Mail It, What to Include, and How Long It Takes

Send the completed form, a photocopy of your ID, and payment to:

New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
Business & Government Services
225 East State Street
PO Box 142
Trenton, NJ 08666-0142

Payment must be a check or money order made payable to “New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.” Do not mail cash. If you’re submitting more than one request, include a separate check for each record.² The DO-11 itself does not print a fee schedule; the MVC’s general fee for individual record requests is $15, but confirm the current amount on the MVC website or by calling the agency before you send payment.⁴

Turnaround for mail requests processed by this unit runs roughly three to four weeks.² The record comes back by standard mail to the Section A address.

DO-11 or DO-21? A Quick Boundary

These are two different forms with two different outputs, and confusing them is common. DO-11 returns the license application copy (with the issue date) or the address history. DO-21 returns a certified driver history abstract with moving violations, points, suspensions, and accidents, offered as either a complete history or a five-year history at $15 each. If you need both the issue date and your driving record, file both forms together in the same envelope.

1
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Driver License Application Request
2
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Driver History Abstract Application Request
3
Justia. New Jersey Code 39-2-3.3 – Definitions Relative to Privacy of Motor Vehicle Records
4
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Driver History Abstract