Why ACP Was Built for This Situation
Address Confidentiality Programs were created specifically for domestic violence survivors. Every state that has an ACP includes domestic violence victimization as a qualifying category — and the programs are designed around the practical reality that survivors often need to establish a new address quickly, may not have police reports or protective orders, and need a solution that works immediately across all government records simultaneously.
This guide explains how ACP specifically serves domestic violence survivors — what it covers, how fast you can get enrolled, what documentation you actually need, and how to use the program alongside safety planning.
The Specific Problem ACP Solves for DV Survivors
When a survivor leaves an abusive relationship and establishes a new address, that new address quickly surfaces in public records through routine activities: updating a driver's license, re-registering to vote, updating benefit programs. An abuser who searches public records — or pays a data broker service to do a "people search" — can find the new address within weeks.
ACP interrupts this pattern at the source. Instead of your new home address entering government databases, the state's substitute P.O. box enters those databases. The forwarding connection between the substitute address and your real home exists only in the confidential ACP program records — which are explicitly exempt from public records laws in every ACP state.
What Documentation You Actually Need
This is the most common source of confusion. Many survivors believe they need a police report or active protective order to apply. They do not — at least not in most states.
What you actually need:
- A sworn statement that you are a victim of domestic violence and that you fear for your safety if your address were disclosed — this is the primary requirement in every state ACP
- Your current state residency — you must currently live in the state where you are applying
- Access to a certified Application Assistant — who helps you complete the paperwork and provides advocacy verification
If you have additional documentation, include it:
- Active Emergency Protective Order (EPO) — can qualify you for emergency/expedited processing in most states
- Temporary or Permanent Restraining Order — strengthens the application
- Police report or incident report number
- Letter from a shelter, counselor, therapist, or advocate confirming your situation
- Medical records related to injuries from domestic violence
None of these are required in most states — but any of them strengthen the application and make processing faster, particularly if you need emergency enrollment.
ACP as Part of Safety Planning
ACP works best when coordinated with broader safety planning. The most important sequencing consideration: apply for ACP before you move to the new address, so your substitute address is in place before the new address appears in any government database.
If you've already moved and your new address is already in some government records, ACP can still help — the program will update those records to the substitute address as you work through the record-update process — but the ideal timing is to have the substitute address ready before the move.
ACP cannot undo records that have already been created. It can only prevent future records from showing your real address and prompt updates to existing state records.
Covering Your Children
Minor children who live with you can be enrolled as secondary participants in most state ACPs. This is important because children's school records are a common way an abuser locates a survivor — the school enrollment address can appear in various district records.
When enrolling children, ask your Application Assistant specifically about adding them to your enrollment. The process is typically handled as part of your own application and does not require a separate application for each child.
After enrollment, when you enroll children in school, present your authorization card to the registrar and specifically request that:
- The home address field reflects the substitute address, not your real home
- Your real home address not appear on emergency contact lists distributed to other parents or staff
- Bus routing records not show your home address
- Your address not be disclosed to non-custodial parents without a court order requiring disclosure
FAQs
ACP is designed to protect a new address you are establishing — not to hide an address that the abuser already knows. If your abuser knows your current address, the immediate priority is your physical safety, not address privacy. Contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233) for safety planning. Once you have relocated to a new address, ACP prevents that new address from being discoverable through public records.
Child support enforcement agencies are state agencies and are required to accept your ACP substitute address. If there is an active child support case, contact your state's child support agency and provide your authorization card. Request that all records be updated to the substitute address and that your real home address be flagged as confidential. Note that federal child support enforcement systems may not be fully covered by state ACP — discuss this specifically with your Application Assistant if child support is a concern.
Your ACP substitute address appears on all court filings. When you file documents, write the substitute address as your mailing address on every page. Present your authorization card to the clerk and ask that your real home address be suppressed from all records and exhibits. If the other party's attorney tries to obtain your real address through discovery, your ACP enrollment provides strong grounds to resist disclosure — discuss this with your attorney before the case proceeds to discovery.