Life in Australia Guide

When you move in Australia, you need to tell your new address to the various government, financial and everyday-service organisations you deal with. Changing it in one place does not update it everywhere; in many cases each organisation must be updated separately. If you don't update your address, you may miss important mail such as tax, medical, visa or fine notices and be disadvantaged as a result. For some linked services, you can choose to send your new address through myGov when the sending conditions are met. Use a checklist to confirm each service’s update status and the other organisations’ separate processes.

After changing your address in myGov, choose which linked services to send it to. You can send the update if you have linked the ATO, Centrelink or Medicare, your home and postal addresses are both Australian addresses, and the date of your update is today or in the past. The changes may not appear straight away, so check the update status with each service. If the sending conditions are not met or a service is not listed, follow that organisation's address update guidance. Private services such as banks and telcos can usually be updated in the 'My details' menu of their app or website.

Address update obligations and deadlines depend on the organisation and your circumstances. For your driver licence, vehicle registration and electoral roll, check the relevant organisation’s official guidance. For your visa, check Home Affairs guidance and your own visa conditions. Prioritise items with deadlines that apply to you.

• Driver licence and vehicle registration: many states require notification within about 14 days (check your state road authority for the exact deadline)
• Visa holders: check Home Affairs contact details guidance and your own visa conditions for notification obligations and deadlines
• Electoral roll: citizens who are eligible to vote are obliged to update their details with the AEC when they move

Out of the many organisations, we've singled out the 4 key places that are both easy to overlook and important. Taking care of just these four prevents most serious problems.

Ticking off the following in order helps you miss fewer places. It's easiest to go government → road/electoral/visa → private → mail redirection.

• Choose supported linked services in myGov to receive your new address and check the update status
• Change your driver licence and vehicle registration address with your state road authority (within the legal deadline)
• If applicable, update the AEC electoral roll; visa holders notify Home Affairs
• Update your address with your bank, telco (mobile/internet), insurance, and electricity and gas providers
• If needed, apply for Australia Post mail redirection to catch mail sent to your old address

Here are tips for getting your address changes done smoothly. Pay particular attention to items with legal deadlines and to keeping evidence.

• Check each organisation’s guidance and your own visa conditions, then prioritise items with deadlines that apply to you.
• If your residential address and postal address differ, enter them separately and accurately.
• Capturing and keeping the completion screen and confirmation email is useful later if there's a dispute.
• Add small accounts too — subscriptions, deliveries, recurring payments — to your list and update them as well.
• Figures, deadlines and requirements change often, so don't assume — confirm the latest information on each agency's official website.