Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 17, 2011

 File No. 002-96461

 File No. 811-04257

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D. C. 20549

FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933	|___|
Pre-Effective Amendment _____	|___|
Post-Effective Amendment No. 51	| X |
and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE
INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940	|___|
Amendment No. 55	| X |

DWS Variable Series I

 (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

345 Park Avenue, New York, NY  10154

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)     (Zip Code)

Registrant's Telephone Number, including Area Code:  (617) 295-1000

Caroline Pearson

Deutsche Investment Management Americas Inc.

One Beacon Street

Boston, Massachusetts  02108

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):

|X|	Immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
|__|	On _______________ pursuant to paragraph (b)
|__|	60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
|__|	On _______________ pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
|__|	75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
|__|	On _______________ pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
|__|	On _______________ pursuant to paragraph (a)(3) of Rule 485
	If appropriate, check the following box:
|__|	this post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.

This filing relates solely to the following Funds, each a series of the Registrant:

·   DWS Bond VIP – Class A

·   DWS Capital Growth VIP — Classes A and B

·   DWS Global Small Cap Growth VIP (formerly DWS Global Opportunities VIP)  — Classes A and B

·   DWS Growth & Income VIP — Classes A and B

·   DWS International VIP — Classes A and B

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this amendment to its Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereto duly authorized, in the City of New York and the State of New York on the 29th day of April 2011.

DWS VARIABLE SERIES I

By:  /s/Michael G. Clark

Michael G. Clark*

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Post-Effective Amendment to its Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated:

SIGNATURE	TITLE		DATE
/s/Michael G. Clark
Michael G. Clark*		President		April 29, 2011
/s/Paul H. Schubert
Paul H. Schubert		Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer		April 29, 2011
/s/John W. Ballantine
John W. Ballantine*		Trustee		April 29, 2011
/s/Henry P. Becton, Jr.
Henry P. Becton, Jr.*		Trustee		April 29, 2011
/s/Dawn-Marie Driscoll
Dawn-Marie Driscoll*		Trustee		April 29, 2011
/s/Keith R. Fox
Keith R. Fox*		Trustee		April 29, 2011
/s/Paul K. Freeman
Paul K. Freeman*		Chairperson and Trustee		April 29, 2011
/s/Kenneth C. Froewiss
Kenneth C. Froewiss*		Trustee		April 29, 2011
/s/Richard J. Herring
Richard J. Herring*		Trustee		April 29, 2011
/s/William McClayton
William McClayton*		Trustee		April 29, 2011
/s/Rebecca W. Rimel
Rebecca W. Rimel*		Trustee		April 29, 2011
/s/William N. Searcy, Jr.
William N. Searcy, Jr.*		Trustee		April 29, 2011

/s/Jean Gleason Stromberg
Jean Gleason Stromberg*	Trustee	April 29, 2011
/s/Robert H. Wadsworth
Robert H. Wadsworth*	Trustee	April 29, 2011

*By:           

/s/Caroline Pearson

Caroline Pearson **

Chief Legal Officer

** Attorney-in-fact pursuant to the powers of attorney that are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 43 to the Registration Statement, as filed on April 28, 2008; and as filed on February 19, 2009 in Post-Effective Amendment No. 44 to the Registration Statement.

EXHIBIT INDEX

Index No.	Description of Exhibit
EX-101.INS	XBRL Instance Document
EX-101.SCH	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
EX-101.CAL	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase
EX-101.DEF	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase
EX-101.LAB	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase
EX-101.PRE	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase