How to Fill Out New York Form MV-15: Request for DMV Records

New York Form MV-15 is the mail-in request for certified copies of DMV records: driving abstracts, ticket dispositions, suspension or revocation orders, vehicle plate abstracts, and title (VIN) abstracts. You fill out the one-page form, enclose a $10 check or money order for each record along with a copy of your ID, and mail everything to the DMV in Albany. The copies come back with the DMV’s official seal, which is what courts, insurers, and licensing agencies accept as authenticated.¹

What MV-15 Covers

On the driver side, the form lets you order a standard driving abstract (roughly the last four years), a lifetime abstract, a commercial driving abstract, a ticket disposition, or a suspension or revocation order. On the vehicle side, it covers plate abstracts and title (VIN) abstracts, including ownership history and liens.¹

One thing MV-15 does not cover: crash reports. For a certified copy of a motor vehicle accident report, you need Form MV-198C, which carries a $10 search fee plus a separate $15 report fee.²³

When You Don’t Need MV-15 at All

If you only need your own driving abstract and don’t require a certified copy, the DMV sells Standard, Lifetime, and Commercial abstracts through your MyDMV account for $7, three dollars less than the mail-in price. You get a PDF you can download and print for up to five days after purchase.⁴

The online copy is not certified. For a job application you’re filling out yourself or a quick check of your point total, that’s usually fine. If a court, attorney, or government agency has specifically asked for a certified copy with the DMV seal, use MV-15. The DMV also runs a Record Request Navigator at dmv.ny.gov that routes you to the right method and processes requests within about five business days.⁵

Filling Out the Form

Download MV-15 from dmv.ny.gov or pick one up at a field office. Print clearly in ink. The form has four steps.

Step 1: Your Information

Enter your name, the mailing address where you want the records sent, and a daytime phone number. The DMV uses the phone number to reach you if anything on the request is unclear.¹

Step 2: Select the Record Type

Check the box for each record you want. You can combine types on one form, say a lifetime abstract plus a title abstract, but each item is $10. If you’re asking for more than one ticket disposition, plate abstract, VIN abstract, or suspension order, attach a list and include $10 for every entry on the list.¹

Step 3: Subject Information

Identify whose record this is or which vehicle it covers. For driver records, give last name, first name, middle initial, and date of birth. Add the New York driver or non-driver ID number if you have it; without the ID number, the DMV searches by name alone, which slows things down and can return the wrong file when the name is common.

For vehicle records, fill in plate number, plate year, make, model, and VIN. The more fields you complete, the better your odds of getting the right record on the first attempt.¹

Step 4: Payment and Signature

Multiply $10 by the number of records to get your total. Payment is by check or money order only; no cash, no credit cards. Make it payable to “Commissioner of Motor Vehicles” in U.S. funds. Then sign and date the affirmation at the bottom.¹

Fees

Each certified record is $10.¹ The fee is authorized under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 202, which lets the DMV charge for searching records and furnishing copies, and provides that certification itself carries no extra charge beyond the search and per-page fees.⁶

What Goes in the Envelope

Three things: the completed MV-15, your check or money order, and a copy of your ID. A copy of your driver license or a state-issued ID card works. If you have neither, you can send six points of identification using the point system on Form ID-44. Skipping the ID copy is the most common reason requests come back unprocessed.¹

Mail the packet to:

NYS Department of Motor Vehicles
MV-15 Processing
6 Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12228¹

How Long It Takes

The DMV doesn’t publish a guaranteed turnaround for mailed MV-15 requests. Online Record Request Navigator orders process in about five business days.⁵ Mail runs longer because of postal transit each way and manual handling in Albany. Plan on two to four weeks from the day you drop the envelope to the day certified copies arrive, and leave a bigger cushion if you’re up against a court or licensing deadline.

Requesting Someone Else’s Record

You can use MV-15 to order another person’s driving or vehicle record, but federal law restricts who qualifies. The Driver’s Privacy Protection Act at 18 U.S.C. § 2721 limits release of personal information from state motor vehicle records to specific permissible purposes. Common ones include government functions, use in civil or criminal legal proceedings (including service of process and litigation investigation), insurance claims and underwriting, verification of information submitted to a business, motor vehicle safety and theft research, use by licensed private investigators for an otherwise-permitted purpose, and employer verification of commercial driver’s license information. The statute lists additional uses as well.⁷

These restrictions don’t apply when you’re ordering your own file. You always have the right to your own DMV records.

Standard or Lifetime Abstract?

Because both cost the same $10, it’s worth deciding before you check the box in Step 2. The standard abstract shows roughly the last four years: the DMV generally removes convictions and accidents on January 1 of the fourth year after the year they occurred, so a 2024 conviction typically drops off on January 1, 2028. Serious offenses, including alcohol-related violations, can stay on the record for more than ten years. An uncleared suspension or revocation remains indefinitely until the DMV terminates it, and once cleared, it stays visible for four more years.

The lifetime abstract shows everything, regardless of age. Attorneys and insurers often order it specifically to pick up entries that have already fallen off the standard version. For litigation or an employment background check reaching back several years, the lifetime abstract is usually the safer choice.¹

1
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. MV-15 Request for DMV Records
2
Department of Motor Vehicles. Request Another Person’s Records
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Department of Motor Vehicles. Order and Access Motor Vehicle Crash (Accident) Reports
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Department of Motor Vehicles. Get My Own Driving Record (Abstract)
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Department of Motor Vehicles. Records
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New York State Senate. New York Vehicle and Traffic Law 202 – Fees for Searches and Copies of Documents
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 2721 – Prohibition on Release and Use of Certain Personal Information From State Motor Vehicle Records