Moving to Arizona: Driver's License, Vehicle Registration, Emissions and Voting Checklist

Moving to Arizona comes with a short list of state paperwork: a new driver license, Arizona plates, possibly an emissions test, and a new voter registration. The rules below come from Arizona law and the Motor Vehicle Division of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT MVD).

When you become a resident

For driving and vehicle purposes, Arizona law counts you as a resident if any one of these applies [1]:

• You stay in Arizona a total of 7 months or more in a calendar year, wherever your permanent home is.
• You work or accept a job here (seasonal farm work and some short seasonal jobs excepted).
• You enroll children in public school without paying nonresident tuition.
• You declare Arizona residency to get a state license or in-state tuition.
• You register to vote in Arizona.

Some people are not counted as residents, including out-of-state students taking 7 or more semester hours [1]. ADOT also says active-duty military based in Arizona who qualify under the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act aren’t considered residents [2].

ADOT’s driver license manual says state law requires you to get an Arizona driver license and registration immediately once any of these applies [2].

Getting your Arizona driver license

If you hold a valid license from another state, you can transfer it to an Arizona license of the same class [2]. Bring proof of identity and authorized presence in the U.S., your current out-of-state license, and your Social Security number [2].

An Arizona license lasts a long time. A standard license is valid until your 65th birthday; after 60, it renews in five-year periods [4].

Registering your vehicle

ADOT says to register an out-of-state vehicle here as soon as you become a resident [2]. In the Phoenix and Tucson areas, a car that needs an emissions test can’t be registered until it passes [7].

The vehicle license tax

Arizona charges a vehicle license tax (VLT) each time you register [5].

So the VLT is highest on a new vehicle and falls every year as the value drops [5].

Emissions testing in Phoenix and Tucson

Arizona requires emissions tests only in two zones: Area A, which covers parts of Maricopa, Pinal and Yavapai counties around Phoenix, and Area B, part of Pima County around Tucson [6]. The test applies to vehicles registered in those areas, and to vehicles registered elsewhere that are used to commute to a main workplace in either area [7].

Exempt vehicles include [7]:

• New vehicles in their first five registration years
• Models from 1966 or earlier
• Electric vehicles
• Motorcycles and golf carts

The test has to be done no more than 90 days before your registration expires [7].

Registering to vote

You can vote in Arizona if you’re a U.S. citizen, will be 18 by the next general election, and have lived in Arizona at least 29 days before the election [8]. To vote in a given election, your registration must be in before midnight on the 29th day before it [9].

Arizona requires proof of citizenship to register. An Arizona driver license or ID issued after October 1, 1996 counts if it shows you proved citizenship; so do a copy of your birth certificate, a copy of your U.S. passport, naturalization documents or number, or a tribal enrollment number [10]. Proof that you were registered in another state doesn’t count [10].

Registering to vote also makes you a resident for vehicle purposes [1], so it starts the license and registration clock.

Your move-in checklist

1. Decide your residency date: new job, school enrollment, voter registration or 7 months in the state [1].
2. Gather documents: out-of-state license, proof of identity and authorized presence, Social Security number [2].
3. Get your Arizona driver license through ADOT MVD [2].
4. If you’ll live in the Phoenix or Tucson area, get an emissions test unless your vehicle is exempt [6][7].
5. Register and title your vehicle, and pay the vehicle license tax [2][5].
6. Register to vote with proof of citizenship, at least 29 days before the next election [9][10].
7. Update ADOT within 10 days any time you move again [3].