How to check the conditions for sending your address to linked services through myGov, and the separate update processes for your driver licence, vehicle registration, electoral roll, visa, bank, telco and insurance after moving in Australia.
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.
For supported services linked to myGov, such as Medicare, Centrelink and the ATO, you can choose which services receive your new address when the sending conditions are met. Linking alone does not automatically update them all, so check the update status with each service. Check each organisation's separate address update process for your driver licence, vehicle registration, electoral roll, visa, bank, telco, insurance and utilities. Distinguishing 'sending through myGov' from 'individual updates' helps you miss fewer places.
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.
Prepare the information needed for identity verification and account linking, and check the conditions for sending your address.
Check which services can receive your new address through myGov and the sending conditions. For your driver licence, vehicle registration, electoral roll and visa, check the relevant organisation’s update process separately, outside of myGov.
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.
Deadlines and requirements vary by state and visa type and can change. This guide is for reference only; always confirm with the relevant agency's official guidance.
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.
Supported linked services such as Medicare, Centrelink and the ATO. Check the sending conditions in myGov and choose which services to send your new address to. Check the update status with each service too.
Notify your state's road authority separately (Service NSW in NSW, VicRoads in VIC, etc.). There is a legal deadline (usually 14 days).
Citizens who are eligible to vote are obliged to update their enrolled address with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).
Check the Department of Home Affairs' contact details guidance and your own visa conditions for the notification process and any applicable deadlines.
Ticking off the following in order helps you miss fewer places. It's easiest to go government → road/electoral/visa → private → mail redirection.
Here are tips for getting your address changes done smoothly. Pay particular attention to items with legal deadlines and to keeping evidence.
myGov — the government portal where you can choose linked services to receive your new address when the sending conditions are met.
Services Australia — explains how to change your Medicare and Centrelink address online or by phone.
AEC (Australian Electoral Commission) — handles electoral roll enrolment and address updates for citizens.
Department of Home Affairs — explains how temporary and permanent visa holders notify an address change.
Australia Post — the paid mail redirection service that forwards mail sent to your old address to your new one.
You may miss important mail such as tax, medical, visa or fine notices. Check each organisation’s official guidance for address notification obligations and deadlines, and check your own visa conditions for visa-related requirements.
No. In myGov, you must choose whether to send your new address to linked services that meet the sending conditions. Check the update status with each service, and check the separate processes for your driver licence, vehicle registration, electoral roll, visa, bank, telco, insurance and utilities.
Many states require you to notify within about 14 days of moving, but the exact deadline and method vary by state. Check the latest deadline on the official website of your state's road authority (for example, Service NSW in NSW, VicRoads in VIC).
Follow the Department of Home Affairs' official contact details guidance to update your address. Check your own visa conditions for any notification obligations and deadlines.
If you are an Australian citizen who is eligible to vote, you are obliged to update your enrolled address with the AEC when you move. Temporary and permanent residents who are not citizens are not required to enrol, so this does not apply to them.
It is not mandatory, but it helps you avoid missing mail from places where you haven't yet changed your address. It is a paid Australia Post service that forwards mail sent to your old address to your new one for a set period.
You can reduce the chance of missing something by working through this order: (1) myGov (supported linked services), (2) driver licence and vehicle registration, (3) electoral roll (if applicable), (4) visa (if applicable), (5) bank, telco, insurance and utilities, and (6) mail redirection if needed.
