Moving After Stalking or Abuse: Keeping Your New Address Private

Last checked: Oct 12, 2026. Programs and rules differ by state. Please confirm details with an advocate or your state's program.

If you're in danger right now, call 911. National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 (1-800-799-SAFE), text START to 88788, or chat at thehotline.org. Free, confidential, 24/7. If you're worried someone is monitoring your devices, consider reading this on a device they can't access, such as a library or work computer or a friend's phone.

If you're planning a move, or you've already moved, to get away from someone who hurt or followed you, you deserve to be safe in your new home. None of what happened is your fault, and keeping your address private is not something you "should have done" sooner. It's hard, partly because so many systems share addresses by default.

This guide covers the main ways a new address gets out and what you can do about each. Not every step will fit your situation. An advocate can help you decide which ones matter most for you.

#Start with a safety plan, and an advocate

Advocates at the National Domestic Violence Hotline help with personalized safety planning, including planning a move and online privacy (The Hotline). If you're dealing with stalking, the Hotline also has a stalking safety-planning guide, and the Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC) at stalkingawareness.org has information on how stalking works. SPARC doesn't counsel survivors directly; it points to local services. For referrals to local victim services, VictimConnect is at 1-855-484-2846 (call or text).

Local domestic violence programs often know things national guides can't, such as how your county handles court records or which landlords have worked with survivors before.

#Step 1: Ask about your state's Address Confidentiality Program (ACP)

This is the most important tool most people haven't heard of.

What it is. Most states run an ACP, sometimes called "Safe at Home." It gives eligible survivors a substitute address, usually a post office box run by the state, that you can use on public records instead of your real address. The program then forwards your mail to you (NNEDV Safety Net; NASS).

Who's eligible. It varies by state. Programs commonly cover survivors of domestic violence, and many also cover sexual assault, stalking and sometimes human trafficking (NASS). Some states require you to enroll through an approved advocate.

What it usually covers. State and local government agencies generally must accept the substitute address. Many programs also let participants register to vote confidentially (NASS). Private businesses, like your bank or employer, may not be required to accept it, though many will.

How to find yours. The National Association of Confidentiality Programs keeps a state-by-state list with contacts (nacap.org). The National Association of Secretaries of State publishes a brief on which agency runs each state's program (NASS, Jan. 2026). Many programs are run by the Secretary of State or Attorney General. An advocate can help you apply.

Timing matters. If you can, ask about the ACP before you move or update records. It's much easier to keep a new address out of records than to remove it later.

#Step 2: Be careful with mail forwarding

This is a common way addresses leak, and it's not obvious.

• When you file a USPS change of address, USPS sends a move validation letter to your old address and a notification to the new one (USPS). If the person you're leaving still has access to the old address, that letter is a risk.
• Businesses that send bulk mail can update their lists from USPS change-of-address data through licensed services (NCOALink), so a filed forward can spread your new address to mailers' lists (USPS PostalPro).

Before filing a change of address, talk to an advocate or your ACP. ACP participants generally have mail routed through the program instead. Other options people use include updating accounts one by one with a PO box or ACP address, rather than relying on a forward.

#Step 3: Decide which address goes where

Make a quiet list of everyone who might need an address. Then decide for each one: substitute address, PO box, or real address?

#Step 4: Remove your information from people-search sites

People-search sites compile addresses from public records and purchased data and publish them to anyone (FTC). For survivors, these sites are a serious risk.

• Search your name first, privately, to see what's out there. Use a device the other person can't access.
• Opt out of each listing. Our Whitepages removal guide shows how one major site works; the pillar guide, how to remove your personal information from the internet, covers 15 sites.
• Use a separate email address for opt-outs, one the other person doesn't know.
• Give forms only what they require. Never enter your new address on a site that doesn't already show it. If a listing only shows your old address, you can opt it out using the old address.
• Remove Google results that show your contact details using Google's Results about you (our Google guide). Google also accepts removal requests for content that shares personal information to cause harm (Google Search Help).
• If you live in California, a single DROP request goes to 600+ registered data brokers (our DROP guide).
• Check relatives' listings. Your name and city can show up on a parent's or sibling's page. If it's safe to involve them, ask them to opt out too.

Re-check regularly. New addresses can show up in records within months, and listings can return after opting out. Put reminders on your calendar for every 1 to 3 months for the first year. If doing this yourself feels like too much, a trusted friend can do the searches for you, or a removal service like UndoLeak can take over the repeat checks; the opt-outs themselves are free either way.

#Step 5: Check your devices and accounts

Technology can reveal a location even when records don't.

• Location sharing: review Find My, Google Maps location sharing, family-sharing plans and fitness apps.
• Shared accounts: cloud photo libraries, streaming and shopping accounts, and phone plans can show addresses or locations. Change passwords and turn on two-factor authentication.
• Photos: turn off location tagging in your camera, and watch for house numbers or street signs in the background of posts.
• Unknown devices: if you suspect a tracking device or monitoring software, contact an advocate before removing it, since removing it can alert the person. NNEDV's Safety Net Project (techsafety.org) has guides for survivors on technology safety.

#Step 6: Tell people carefully

Decide who needs your new address and who only needs a way to reach you. Friends and family can unintentionally share it, and so can kids' schools and activity groups. Give people a clear, specific ask: "Please don't share my address with anyone, even people you trust, and don't post photos tagged at my place."

Schools and employers can often flag records as confidential when asked. An advocate can help with that conversation.

#A fictional example

Dana moved two hours away after leaving an abusive partner. An advocate from her local program helped her apply to her state's ACP before she signed her lease. She used the ACP address for her driver's license and voter registration, didn't file a USPS forward, and updated her bank and phone bill one at a time. She then searched her name on a library computer, found her old address on four people-search sites, and opted out using a new email account. Three months later she checked again and found one new listing with her new city, and opted out of that too. Her safety plan wasn't perfect, and it didn't need to be. Each step made her harder to find.

#Sources

1. National Domestic Violence Hotline. https://www.thehotline.org/ · Stalking safety planning: https://www.thehotline.org/resources/stalking-safety-planning/
2. SPARC, Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center. https://www.stalkingawareness.org/
3. VictimConnect Resource Center. https://victimconnect.org/get-help/
4. NNEDV Safety Net Project, Address Confidentiality Programs and tech safety guides. https://www.techsafety.org/address-confidentiality-programs
5. NASS, "Voting and State Address Confidentiality Programs" (Jan. 2026). https://www.nass.org/sites/default/files/2025-12/Voting%20and%20State%20Address%20Confidentiality%20Programs%20January%202026%20Update.pdf
6. NACAP, Address Confidentiality Programs by State (June 2025). https://nacap.org/uploads/8/8/9/9/88992652/acp_list_for_website_6.2025.pdf
7. USPS, "Standard Forward Mail & Change of Address." https://www.usps.com/manage/forward.htm
8. USPS PostalPro, NCOALink. https://postalpro.usps.com/mailing-and-shipping-services/NCOALink
9. FTC, "What To Know About People Search Sites That Sell Your Information." https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-people-search-sites-sell-your-information
10. Google Search Help, "Remove my private info from Google Search." https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/9673730

"Dana" is a fictional example. This guide is general information, not legal advice.