Address confidentiality programs are state-run services that give survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking a substitute legal address so their real home doesn’t appear in public government records. A state office, usually the Secretary of State or Attorney General, holds your actual address in confidence and forwards your mail to you. The substitute address goes on your driver’s license, voter registration, school enrollment, and other records that agencies would otherwise have to disclose in response to a public records request.
The program is a privacy tool, not a shelter or a relocation service. It works best as one part of a broader safety plan.
Who Qualifies
Every state that runs a program covers survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Many also cover human trafficking victims, and a smaller group extends eligibility to people at risk because of their involvement in reproductive healthcare or criminal justice proceedings. The specific qualifying offenses vary by state, but those core categories are consistent nationwide.
Most programs require that you have either already moved to an address the person who harmed you doesn’t know, or that you’re actively planning to move. The substitute address can only shield a location the abuser hasn’t already found.
Roughly half of all states also ask applicants to attest, sometimes under penalty of perjury, that public disclosure of their real address would put them at risk. Some states accept a general fear-of-safety statement. Others want documentation of specific threats. The program is reserved for people facing a genuine safety risk, not anyone who simply prefers privacy.
How the Substitute Address Works
Once you’re accepted, the state assigns you a substitute address, typically a post office box maintained by the sponsoring state office. That office becomes your legal agent for receiving mail and, in most states, for accepting service of legal documents like lawsuits and subpoenas. Service through the program carries the same legal effect as personal service at your door, so court papers can’t be ignored just because they arrived at a state office.
State and local agencies must accept the substitute address anywhere they would normally collect a residential address. That covers driver’s licenses, motor vehicle records, voter registration, public benefits, and school enrollment. The state office forwards first-class, certified, and registered mail to your actual home. Packages, magazines, and bulk mail generally aren’t forwarded and are usually returned to the sender.
The program only applies going forward. It doesn’t erase records that existed before you enrolled. If your address appears in old court filings, property records, or government databases, those records stay as they are unless you separately petition to seal or redact them.
What the Program Does Not Cover
The most important limit: private businesses and federal agencies aren’t required to accept the substitute address. State law can bind state and local agencies, but a private landlord, employer, insurance company, or online retailer has no legal obligation to use it. Many will cooperate voluntarily once you show your authorization card and explain the situation, but you can’t force them.
The program also can’t take back information you release yourself. Giving your real address to a friend, posting it on social media, or entering it on a commercial website puts it beyond the program’s reach. Your participation status and the substitute address itself are not confidential either, since those are the parts meant to be public-facing.
Enrollment does not guarantee safety. It provides no shelter, crisis counseling, legal representation, or relocation money. Treating it as a complete safety strategy leaves serious gaps.
How to Apply
You don’t apply directly to the state office. In most states, you first meet in person with a trained application assistant at a domestic violence shelter, victim advocacy organization, or similar community program. The assistant walks you through the paperwork, helps you decide whether the program fits your safety plan, explains the protections and the limitations, and confirms your application is complete before it goes to the state.
The core form asks for your real residential address, which the state holds in strict confidence and shields from public records requests. You’ll also list any household members who need coverage under the same enrollment, such as your children. Supporting documentation typically includes one or more of the following:
- A temporary or permanent protective order from a family or criminal court.
- A police report documenting specific incidents.
- A written statement from a victim advocate, therapist, or healthcare provider describing the safety concern.
- A sworn statement, sometimes notarized, attesting that you fear for your safety if your address becomes public.
Not every state requires all of these. Some accept a single sworn statement; others want a protective order or police report as well. The application assistant will know what your state requires. Enrollment is free, and there’s no charge for mail forwarding.
Renewal, Termination, and Moving Out of State
Enrollment isn’t permanent. Most states certify participants for three or four years, after which you must actively renew. If you miss the renewal deadline, your enrollment ends and the substitute address stops working. Some states send reminders, but treat this like any other critical deadline. A lapse means your real address could surface in records that previously showed only the substitute.
States can also terminate enrollment early. Common reasons include forwarded mail returning as undeliverable, moving out of state without notifying the program, and providing false information or using the program to evade law enforcement, which can also lead to criminal charges.
There’s no reciprocity between states. If you move to a new state, your original enrollment ends and you must apply again in the new state under its own eligibility rules and processing timeline. Plan the transition carefully, because there will be a gap between when the old enrollment ends and the new one takes effect.
Banking and Mortgages
Opening a bank account used to be a serious obstacle because federal anti-money-laundering rules require banks to collect a residential street address, and a post office box didn’t qualify. FinCEN resolved this by treating program participants as individuals who do not have a residential address. Under that ruling, banks should collect the street address of the sponsoring state agency rather than the participant’s actual home or the program post office box.1Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Customer Identification Program Rule – Address Confidentiality Programs
Not every branch employee knows this. If someone refuses to open your account without a residential address, asking to speak with a compliance officer and pointing to the FinCEN exception usually resolves it. Bring your authorization card.
Getting a conventional mortgage is possible while enrolled. Fannie Mae requires lenders to flag these loans with a Special Feature Code and to notify any future servicer of the borrower’s enrollment if servicing rights transfer.2Fannie Mae. Selling Guide Announcement SEL-2022-06 The property address itself still appears in the loan file, because the lender needs to know what it’s financing. The protection applies to your mailing address and contact information, not to the existence of the property.
Voting
To register to vote, provide your real address on the registration application along with your program authorization card. Once processed, you appear on the voter rolls under your substitute address, keeping your actual location out of the public voter file. In some states, participants register under their physical address but can have the record flagged as confidential so it doesn’t appear in public databases.3National Association of Secretaries of State. Voting and State Address Confidentiality Programs
How you cast a ballot depends on the state. Some require participants to vote early and in person at a county election office. Others allow absentee ballots on request or send them automatically. Many let participants vote at their regular polling place on Election Day.3National Association of Secretaries of State. Voting and State Address Confidentiality Programs
Buying Real Estate
Property ownership is a particularly hard problem because county land records are public. Deeds and assessor records typically list the owner’s name and mailing address, and in many places these records are searchable online. The substitute address doesn’t automatically apply to county property records, since counties and title companies often aren’t required to accept it without a specific request.
Participants who need to buy property while staying confidential often work with an attorney to purchase through a trust or LLC, which keeps the participant’s name off the public deed. This requires legal guidance because the entity structure has to satisfy both the lender and the state’s program rules. Some counties will redact or flag a participant’s records once shown the authorization card and a written confidentiality request, but the process varies widely and isn’t guaranteed.
Title companies, mortgage servicers, and banks aren’t bound by state program laws. Tell each one about your enrollment up front and ask for confidential handling. Cooperation is common but not legally required, and some companies have no internal process for it.
When a Court Can Reveal Your Address
Program protections are strong against routine public records requests but not absolute against court orders. A judge can order the state to disclose your actual address in certain situations, such as custody disputes where the other parent argues they need it to exercise parenting rights, or criminal cases where a defendant claims the address is material to their defense. Law enforcement can also request it for legitimate investigations.
When this happens, the program office usually notifies you before or at the time of disclosure so you can take protective steps. Notification requirements vary by state. If you’re heading into litigation where your address could become relevant, raise it with your attorney early. That gives you the best chance of persuading the court to impose protective conditions, such as limiting who sees the information or sealing the relevant filings.