What Is the South Dakota Residency Affidavit for Full Time Travelers?
By Jenna Puetz, owner of Your Best Address
The South Dakota Residency Affidavit is a form used in the Driver Licensing process by qualifying full time travelers who use a mail forwarding service or personal mailbox.
It is not a substitute for all of the other required documents. The affidavit is used together with proof of a qualifying South Dakota overnight stay, documentation of the applicant's personal mailbox address, and the other documents required for the driver's license or ID transaction.
Last reviewed: October 2026
Who needs the South Dakota Residency Affidavit?
The affidavit is relevant to qualifying full time travelers using South Dakota's full time traveler Driver Licensing process. Based on the current form, this can include people who live full time in an RV, camper or hotel, or who travel full time for work, when they meet the current South Dakota requirements.
Not every South Dakota resident needs this form, and not every Your Best Address client needs it either. Whether it applies depends on your situation and the current Driver Licensing requirements.
What is the purpose of the Residency Affidavit?
In plain English, the form is part of how a qualifying full time traveler asks for an exception to the usual proof of residency requirement for a South Dakota driver license or identification card. The current form states its purpose as a request for an exception of the proof of residency requirement for a Driver License and or Identification card.
This is specifically about Driver Licensing. The affidavit does not, by itself, establish domicile for taxes, voting, banking, insurance or every other legal purpose.
What are you confirming when you sign it?
The current official form lists these statements, which the applicant agrees are true and correct to the best of their knowledge:
- I am a South Dakota resident, and I live in a RV/camper/hotel, or I travel full time for work.
- South Dakota is my state of residence, and I will return after being absent.
- I do not stay, live in, or maintain a residence in any another state.
- My personal mailbox service (PMB) is a mail forwarding service, and not a virtual only mail service.
The applicant signs these statements under a perjury declaration printed on the form. The form also notes that South Dakota Driver Licensing records are used as a supplemental list for jury duty selection. Read the current form carefully before you sign it. This article does not offer a legal interpretation of the affidavit.
Does the Residency Affidavit need to be notarized?
The Residency Affidavit must be signed in the presence of either a notary public or a South Dakota driver license examiner. If you are completing your licensing process in person at a South Dakota Driver Licensing location, you may sign the affidavit in front of the examiner there. If you sign it elsewhere or submit it by mail or online when permitted, follow the current South Dakota DPS notarization instructions.
The form also notes that a California notary page must specify the document being signed, and that a parent's signature is required if the applicant is under 18.
Follow the signing instructions on the current form and the current DPS guidance rather than older advice or someone else's experience.
What documents go with the Residency Affidavit?
The affidavit is not submitted by itself. For qualifying full time travelers, current DPS guidance includes:
- A receipt from a South Dakota hotel, motel, campground or RV park showing one night of stay within the last year and including the applicant's name
- One document showing the applicant's name and personal mailbox address
- The other identity, lawful status, Social Security and related documents required for the specific licensing transaction
The current form describes the personal mailbox document as a receipt from the PMB business or a piece of mail with your PMB address on it, no more than one year old.
For the full list, see our guide to the documents full time travelers need for a South Dakota driver's license.
Does signing the affidavit make you a South Dakota resident?
Signing the Residency Affidavit is one part of the South Dakota Driver Licensing process for qualifying full time travelers. Signing the form alone does not establish residency or domicile for every purpose.
Residency, domicile, voting, taxes, banking, insurance and other matters can use different standards. Our South Dakota Residency guide explains the bigger picture, and our article on how residency differs from domicile goes deeper.
Does a mail forwarding account replace the affidavit?
No. Having a South Dakota personal mailbox through a mail forwarding service does not eliminate the affidavit requirement when the current full time traveler Driver Licensing process requires it. The mailbox alone also does not complete the licensing process.
Learn more about using a South Dakota mail forwarding address for a driver's license.
What does the one night stay have to do with the affidavit?
The current form must be accompanied by a valid one night stay receipt. Current DPS guidance requires a receipt from a South Dakota hotel, motel, campground or RV park showing one night of stay within the last year and including the applicant's name.
The one night stay alone does not establish residency for every purpose. Read what the one night stay requirement actually means.
Where do you get the South Dakota Residency Affidavit?
Download the current official South Dakota Residency Affidavit (PDF) from South Dakota DPS, or find it through the DPS Full Time Travelers page.
Always use the current official state form. Do not download an old copy from a blog or third party website, since forms and instructions can change.
Before your appointment, review the current South Dakota residency requirements to make sure the process has not changed.
Can Your Best Address complete the affidavit for you?
No. You are responsible for completing and signing your own affidavit accurately.
Your Best Address can help clients understand where the official form is located and provide applicable documentation related to their YBA personal mailbox service. YBA does not complete, sign, notarize or approve the affidavit for you, and YBA is not part of South Dakota Driver Licensing.
Common Residency Affidavit mistakes
- Using an outdated copy of the form
- Assuming the affidavit replaces the other required documents
- Signing without following the current notarization instructions
- Forgetting the qualifying South Dakota lodging receipt
- Failing to bring documentation of the PMB address
- Using a virtual only address when the current Driver Licensing rules require an accepted PMB setup
- Assuming the affidavit settles tax, voting, insurance or banking residency questions
A simple South Dakota full time traveler checklist
- Set up the appropriate South Dakota mail forwarding or PMB service.
- Review the current DPS Full Time Traveler requirements.
- Download the current Residency Affidavit.
- Gather the required identity and licensing documents.
- Gather your PMB documentation.
- Complete the qualifying South Dakota stay.
- Keep the receipt showing your name.
- Complete and sign the affidavit according to current DPS instructions.
- Attend the required Driver Licensing appointment or complete the applicable process.
Every licensing transaction is different, so confirm what applies to you with DPS before you travel. Full time RVers can also read how full time RVers establish South Dakota residency.
How Your Best Address fits into the process
Your Best Address provides South Dakota mail forwarding and personal mailbox services and can provide applicable YBA mailbox documentation. We also offer educational guidance about the steps in a full time traveler's South Dakota setup, including vehicle registration. YBA does not determine Driver Licensing approval.
This article is general education, not legal, tax or financial advice. Requirements can change. Confirm current requirements with South Dakota DPS. Questions about Jenna's background? Visit the media page.