Policy

A client who requests a motor vehicle and/or driver's licence service must provide a physical Alberta address in accordance with the Operator Licensing and Vehicle Control Regulation.

• A physical address means the location of a person’s residence in Alberta at which the person can be physically served with documents under the Traffic Safety Act.

A client must either:

• Reside within Alberta and provide a physical Alberta address.
• Reside within the boundaries of Alberta with the nearest post office being located across the border within another province/territory.
  or
• Be a member of the Canadian Armed Forces currently stationed outside of Alberta but normally considered an Alberta resident.

Note:
A client is not required to provide proof of address. Proof of address and proof of Alberta residency are not one and the same; see 2.05.02 Acceptable ID / Enrolment.

MOVES Create/Modify Client Screen

In most situations a client’s physical address is the same as their postal address. The MOVES create/modify client screen has fields to record both the postal and physical address of a client. The physical address field must be used when the postal address is not the same as the physical address or the client is using a post office box. Postal codes are not required for physical addresses. Example:

Postal Address

PO Box 1234
Edmonton AB
T5T 1K2

Physical Address

10365 97 St NW
Edmonton AB

 Rural clients may provide their legal land description or rural (911) address if a physical address is not available.

• Legal land description is a standard method of identifying specific parcels of land according to the Alberta Township Survey incorporating meridian, ranges, townships, sections, or plan, blocks and lots.
• A rural (911) address provides a coordinate that gives a street, an avenue and a distance from an intersection to access a property from a Range Road or Township Road.

Only the postal address will print on the client’s driver’s licence/identification (ID) card and vehicle registration certificate.

If the client requests to have both the postal and physical addresses on their driver’s licence or ID card and vehicle registration certificate, use the following format in the Postal Address fields:

10365 97 St NW
PO Box 1234
Edmonton AB

Physical Addresses for Hutterite Colonies or First Nation Reservations

Reservation or Hutterite colony names, followed by the house number, and the name of the city or municipal district are sufficient as a physical address for clients living there.
 
Addresses should be created as follows:

Tsuu T’ina First Nation Reserve
House #2
Calgary AB

Three Hills Hutterite Colony
House #5
Three Hills AB

Capital Letters in Postal Addresses

An address may contain capital letters at the beginning of a word within the address. A registry agent must not enter addresses completely in capital letters. Examples of correct capitalization:

123 Main St NW
Lethbridge AB
T0T 0T0

5 Rimrock Ave SW
Red Deer AB
T6T 6T6

Out of Province Address
A client may provide a physical address from a jurisdiction other than Alberta when:

• The Motor Vehicle service requested does not require Alberta residency. Example:
  • A motor vehicle search product.
  • A copy of their driver’s abstract.

Note:
A driver’s licence or ID Card may only be issued with an out of province address if the client resides in Alberta but their nearest post office is located across the border within another province/territory.

Address Format

A registry agent must:

• Record, on MOVES, the client’s complete physical address including the apartment number, if applicable.

c/o Address

The use of c/o in a client’s address is only allowed when it is followed by the name of a business or organization.  Example:

• c/o University of Alberta (enter in line one of the postal address field).
  • The use of c/o followed by an individual’s name is not permitted. 

General Delivery

General Delivery addresses may be used for mailing addresses. The client must:

• Provide a physical address.
• Provide proof of Alberta residency for driver’s licence/ID card services; see 2.05.02 Acceptable ID / Enrolment.

Hotel/Motel Address

Hotel/motel addresses are allowed. When the client is requesting a driver's licence or ID card service, the client must provide proof of residency; see 2.05.02 Acceptable ID / Enrolment.

Address Changes

Driver’s Licences / Identification (ID) Cards

A client has the following options when changing their postal address on their driver’s licence/ID card:

• A client can renew their driver's licence / ID card, extending their expiry date to a maximum of a five year term from their next birthdate, see 3.15.03 Operator Renewal. The licence expiry date term is calculated according to the client’s:
  • Driver licence class; see 3.00.01 Driver Licence Classifications. 
  • Age; see 3.05.03 Expiry Terms.
  • Medical condition(s), if applicable; see 3.00.02 Condition Codes.

Or

• A client can replace (exchange) their driver's licence or ID card; see 3.15.06 Operator Exchange.

Vehicle Registrations

A client has the following options when changing the postal address that displays on their vehicle registrations(s):

• A client can renew their vehicle registration(s) extending the expiry date; see 4.55.02 Vehicle Renewal.

Or

• Vehicle registration(s) can be printed in the registry agent office using the Reprint Vehicle Registration Certs option under the Miscellaneous Functions Menu. 
  • A registry agent may charge the maximum service fee allowed for a change of name and/or address in accordance with the Registry Agent Product Catalogue (pdf) for each vehicle registration printed in their office. No government fee is assessed.

No Charge Address Change

When Canada Post or a municipality requires an address change and the client has not physically moved there is no government fee for an operator exchange service, however a registry agent may charge a service charge. The client must:

• Present the letter from Canada Post or the municipality. 
• Surrender their previous driver’s licence or ID card.

Out of Province Address

An out of province address change for a client is processed when a client has taken up permanent residence outside of Alberta. An Alberta driver's licence or vehicle registration must not be issued with an out of province address. The address change is only processed to ensure that all future correspondence is forwarded to the correct address (e.g., refund cheques, etc.).

Permanent Fleet Clients Address Change

When a client with a permflt attribute requests an address change, the registry agent is able to process the address change by removing the permflt attribute, changing the address, then adding the permflt attribute back on to the clients file.

Returned Mail

When a returned mail flag is indicated on the MOVES client file, a registry agent must obtain the client’s updated postal address and physical address (as applicable) prior to completing a motor vehicle service.

Acceptable Abbreviations

The province, territory, or state is entered in MOVES using the standard abbreviation; see QR 3.12 Acceptable Jurisdiction Abbreviations (pdf). 

Date Originally Issued: Nov 14, 1989
Date Last Revised: Feb 07, 2022