How to Fill Out South Carolina DMV Forms: Licenses, Titles, and CDLs

Figuring out how to fill out South Carolina DMV forms comes down to picking the right one from a short list: Form 447-NC for a driver’s license, permit, or ID; Form 400 to title and register a vehicle; Form 4057 to report an address or name change; Form 416 to notify the state you’ve sold a vehicle; and Form 447-CDL for a commercial license. Each is a free PDF on the SCDMV site or available in paper at any branch. The forms themselves are short. What trips people up is a missing attachment, a mismatched name, or a blown deadline.

Form 447-NC: License, Permit, or ID Card

Form 447-NC is the single application for a Class D standard license, a Class M motorcycle license, a beginner’s permit, or a state ID card.¹ If you need a commercial credential (Class A, B, or C), use Form 447-CDL instead. The application fee for an eight-year driver’s license is $25.²

Fill in your full legal name exactly as it appears on your identity document. Mismatches between the name on the form and the name on your supporting paperwork are one of the most common reasons applications stall. Your Social Security number is required under S.C. Code § 56-1-90, and you must provide proof of your date and place of birth.³ The form asks you to select the credential class you want and to disclose whether any prior license or permit has ever been suspended, revoked, or refused.

Several optional sections follow. You can opt in as an organ and tissue donor, which places a red heart symbol on your card and operates as a legally binding authorization under the SC Uniform Anatomical Gift Act. You can voluntarily disclose autism or another permanent medical condition, but a licensed physician must certify either disclosure. Veterans who want a veteran designation on the card should bring a DD-214 or NGB Form 22 showing an honorable or general-under-honorable-conditions discharge. The form also includes a voter registration section; your choice to register or decline stays confidential under the National Voter Registration Act.⁴ If a minor is applying, a parent or guardian signs a consent section and assumes responsibility under S.C. Code §§ 56-1-110 and 56-1-120.

Opting Into REAL ID

Federal REAL ID enforcement began on May 7, 2025. A South Carolina license or ID without a star in the upper corner cannot be used to board a domestic commercial flight or enter certain federal facilities.⁵ You can still get a non-REAL ID card, which will say “NOT FOR FEDERAL I.D.” across the front, but most people should select “Yes” for REAL ID on Form 447-NC and bring the extra documents.

The SCDMV’s United States Citizens’ Checklist (Form MV-93) sets out what you need:

Proof of identity and lawful status: an original or certified U.S. birth certificate, an unexpired U.S. passport, or another qualifying document.
Proof of Social Security number: your Social Security card, a W-2, or another document showing the full SSN.
Two proofs of South Carolina address from different organizations, both showing the same address — utility bill, bank statement, voter registration card, county property tax bill, current lease, pay stub, or mortgage statement are all acceptable.

If your current legal name doesn’t match the name on your identity document, bring paperwork bridging the change: marriage license, divorce decree, court order, or amended birth certificate.⁶ International customers follow a separate checklist on Form MV-94.

Form 400: Title and Registration

Form 400 is the Title and/or Registration Application, the single form that puts a vehicle in your name and gets plates on it.⁷ A basic title costs $15; an expedited title processed on the spot at a branch costs $35.⁸

The form has four sections.

Section 1 captures the transaction type, vehicle details, and owner information. Enter the full 17-character VIN, the make, model, year, body style, fuel type, and empty weight. Individuals provide a South Carolina driver’s license or ID number; businesses use a Federal Employer Identification Number, except that a sole proprietorship without employees uses the owner’s Social Security number.⁹ Strikeovers, erasures on the VIN or odometer fields, correction tape, and correction fluid are not allowed anywhere on the form.

Section 2 covers the odometer mileage at the time of transfer, any lien on the vehicle, the prior title number, and purchase information including the seller’s name, date of purchase, and sale price. If the vehicle is financed, the lender’s name and address go in the lienholder fields. Declare any exemptions from the Infrastructure Maintenance Fee or sales tax here. For a private-party purchase titled in South Carolina, the IMF is 5 percent of the sale price, capped at $500.¹⁰ If you bought the vehicle out of state and already titled it there, the IMF drops to a flat $250.

Section 3 handles registration: whether you want a new plate, a plate transfer from another vehicle, or a plate exchange. You certify your insurance here by naming your insurer and listing your policy number. South Carolina requires minimum liability coverage of $25,000 per person for bodily injury, $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $25,000 for property damage.¹¹ Section 4 is for your signature and an optional Donate Life SC contribution.

Pay Property Tax Before You Go

The SCDMV will not issue a registration until you have paid vehicle property taxes at your county auditor or treasurer’s office and brought the paid tax receipt with you. A registration also cannot be issued until a title is issued.¹² First-time buyers who show up with a completed Form 400 but no county tax receipt get sent back across town.

The 45-Day Deadline and Late Penalties

You have 45 days from the purchase date, or from the date you first operate the vehicle in South Carolina, to title and register it. Miss that window and a late penalty stacks on top of the normal fees:⁷

46–60 days late: $10
61–75 days late: $25
76–135 days late: $50
Over 135 days late: $75

Registration Fees

Most registration fees are paid every two years. The biennial fee for a standard passenger car is $40. Residents aged 64 pay $38; those 65 or older, or with a qualifying disability, pay $36. Motorcycles and mopeds are $10. Hybrid vehicles pay an additional $60 on top of the registration fee, and fully electric vehicles pay an additional $120.⁸

Form 4057: Address or Name Change

When you move or legally change your name, South Carolina gives you 10 calendar days to notify the SCDMV in writing under S.C. Code § 56-1-230.¹³ Form 4057 collects both your old and new information. For a residential address change, enter your new street address, city, state, zip code, and county. A P.O. Box does not count as a residence address. For a name change, attach a court order, marriage license, or current passport showing the new legal name. The same form corrects a date of birth or Social Security number on file.

An address change is one of the easiest SCDMV transactions to handle online. The portal at scdmvonline.com lets you update your address without visiting a branch or mailing anything.¹⁴ An address update submitted to the SCDMV also updates your voter registration address automatically unless you opt out on the form.

Form 416: Notice of Vehicle Sold

When you sell or trade a vehicle, notify the SCDMV with Form 416, the Notice of Vehicle Sold. (Older guides sometimes reference a “Form 4031”; the current form is 416.)¹⁵ It’s short, asking for the vehicle make, year, license plate number, VIN, the buyer’s name and address, the date of the sale, and your signature as the seller.¹⁶

Filing Form 416 protects you. Once the SCDMV processes it, your name comes off the active registration, so you aren’t on the hook for parking tickets, toll violations, or accidents involving a vehicle you no longer own. Drop it off at any branch or mail it in.

Form 416 is separate from signing the title over. When you hand the title to the buyer, you must also fill in the back with the odometer reading at the time of sale, the purchase date, and the selling price, then sign.¹⁵ The buyer uses that signed title with their own Form 400 to put the vehicle in their name.

Form 447-CDL: Commercial Driver’s License

For a Class A, B, or C commercial license, or a commercial learner’s permit, use Form 447-CDL, which is separate from the 447-NC used for standard licenses.¹⁷ You may also need the Affidavit of Previous Driver’s License (Form DL-402) and the CDL Medical Certification form (DL-405A) if the SCDMV doesn’t already have a current one on file.

Federal law requires CDL holders to be at least 21 to drive in interstate commerce; drivers as young as 18 can hold a CDL for intrastate routes.¹⁸ The SCDMV verifies your Social Security number through the federal SSOLV system, and any mismatch with Social Security Administration records has to be resolved with the SSA before the CDL can issue.

After passing the CDL knowledge exam for a commercial learner’s permit, first-time CDL applicants must complete an FMCSA-approved Entry Level Driver Training program before taking the skills test. This applies to anyone obtaining a Class A or B CDL for the first time, upgrading from Class B to Class A, or adding a school bus, passenger, or hazardous materials endorsement. Non-excepted interstate drivers, the most common CDL category, must also keep a current federal medical examiner’s certificate on file and submit proof of medical qualification every time they apply, renew, upgrade, or change their address.¹⁹

Where to Send Forms and How to Pay

You can submit most SCDMV paperwork in person at a branch office or by mail. Title and registration applications go to:

SCDMV
10311 Wilson Blvd.
Blythewood, SC 29016-0038⁷

General correspondence uses the P.O. Box: SCDMV, PO Box 1498, Blythewood, SC 29016.²⁰

Branch offices accept credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, personal checks, money orders, and cash.²¹ If you mail a form, include a check or money order and do not send cash. Expedited title processing, which carries a $20 surcharge on top of the $35 expedited title fee, is only available in person at a branch.

What You Can Do Online Instead

The SCDMV portal at scdmvonline.com handles a growing list of transactions without a branch visit:

Address change on file
License, permit, or ID renewal, with payment online
Registration renewal, with a new decal mailed to you
Duplicate title if the original is lost or damaged
Duplicate license or ID card
Certified copy of your driving record

The portal also lets you check the status of a mailed-in license or ID application, verify your CDL medical certificate status, and calculate estimated road-use fees.¹⁴ Transactions that require original documents, such as a first-time REAL ID application, still require an in-person visit.

Active-duty military personnel and their dependents stationed outside South Carolina can renew a driver’s license online or by mail without returning to a branch.²² There is no federal law that automatically extends a state license during deployment, so keeping your South Carolina credential current through remote renewal is the safest approach.

1
South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. Application for Permit, License or ID Card (SCDMV Form 447-NC)
2
South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver’s License
3
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-1-80 – Application for License or Permit
4
Department of Justice. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA)
5
Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID Frequently Asked Questions
6
South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. United States Citizens’ Checklist (SCDMV Form MV-93)
7
South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. Title and/or Registration Application (SCDMV Form 400)
8
South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. Fees
9
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-19-240 – Application for Certificate of Title
10
South Carolina Legislature. 2021-2022 Bill 3505 – Infrastructure Maintenance Fee and Road Use
11
South Carolina Department of Insurance. Automobile Insurance
12
South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. Registration
13
South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. Change of Address, Name, Date of Birth, and/or Social Security Number (SCDMV Form 4057)
14
South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. SCDMV Public Services – Transaction List
15
South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. Buying or Selling a Car
16
South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. Notice of Vehicle Sold (SCDMV Form 416)
17
South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. Commercial Licenses
18
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. FAQs
19
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. How Do I Determine Which of the 4 Categories of Commercial Motor Vehicle Operation I Should Self-Certify To
20
South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. SCDMV Public Services – Transaction Complete
21
South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. More Payment Options Come to SCDMV Offices
22
Military OneSource. Remote Driver’s License and Vehicle Registration Renewal