Registrations

New Car & Initial Vehicle Registration

Arizona law requires that motor vehicle owners must register their vehicle with the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division before taking it on the road. Both new and second-hand vehicles must be registered, regardless of whether they are purchased from a dealer or an individual.

In addition, new Arizona residents who have registered their vehicle in another state must register their vehicle in Arizona. The initial vehicle registration must be done in person, and registration renewals must be done annually, either in person, online or by mail.

INITIAL REGISTRATION

If you are registering a previously owned motor vehicle in Arizona for the first time, you must complete the following steps:

• Take your vehicle for emissions testing if it’s more than 5 model years old. Emissions tests must be performed at an inspection station or by an inspector that has been licensed by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ). Find out more about vehicle inspections in Arizona, or locate an inspection station near you. Once the vehicle passes inspection, you will be issued an inspection certification.
• In certain cases, you may need to get a VIN assigned and a physical inspection completed. This is usually required when the original VIN is not present, or it has been altered. For more information, see our Vehicle Inspections section.
• Complete an Arizona vehicle title and registration application form.
• Visit your MVD or Authorized Third Party office, and bring the completed title and registration application form with you, along with the inspection certification from ADEQ. You will need to provide proof of Arizona auto insurance also.
• For vehicles that have been registered in another state, you must also bring the original, out-of-state title. If the title is unavailable, bring the registration document, along with proof of sales tax payment.

Vehicle Registration Renewals

Golf carts which are modified for highway use, meaning they meet the requirements below, are eligible to be titled and registered. For an initial title transaction, Highway Use Certificate (form # 96-0371) must be completed.

Arizona MVD requires the following to qualify:

• Must exceed 5 horse power, or
• Be designed to operate at more than 25 MPH
• Must have a piston displacement of more than 50 cubic cm

Must have the following safety equipment:

• Head lights
• Tail lights
• License plate light
• Rearview mirror
• Reflectors
• Horn
• Brakes
• Stop lights
• Windshield (if manufactured or modified for highway use after 6/17/1998)

Additional Requirements:

• May display a personalized, disability, or personalized disability motorcycle plate.
• Golf carts are exempt from emissions testing, AQF, and ACQF fees.
• Must comply with Arizona’s financial responsibility requirements (Insurance)
• Must pay applicable title/registration transaction fees.

Golf Carts & OHV Decals

Golf carts that are not designed to be used off-road are not eligible for an OHV decal. Arizona MVD distinguishes between the two, using the following criteria… Golf carts that are not manufactured or modified primarily for travel over unimproved terrain are not eligible for an OHV decal. Golf carts that have been designed by the manufacturer for travel over unimproved terrain and golf carts that have been modified primarily for travel over unimproved rain may qualify for an OHV decal.

• Requires documentation from the manufacturer or modification facility clearly showing the vehicle is designed primarily for travel over unimproved terrain, or has been modified for travel primarily over unimproved terrain.
• The documentation must include the vehicle’s make, and model year.

If a golf cart is modified primarily for travel over unimproved terrain by the customer, receipts must be submitted for the items purchased that would clearly show the golf cart was modified for use on unimproved terrain.

These items may include, but are not limited to:

• Tires
• Axles
• Engine
• Lift kit

Arizona Registration Only (ARO)

Arizona MVD allows a vehicle to be registered via an ARO, only when the vehicle is not eligible to be titled in the state of Arizona. To qualify for an ARO, the vehicle must be titled in a “title-holding” state, meaning the title is not provided to the owner until the lien is paid or otherwise satisfied; the lien holder has possession of, and is holding, the title. Arizona MVD and Authorized Third Party offices will verify for you whether the state the vehicle is titled in, is a title-holding state.

Customers wishing to get an ARO will be required to show proof of registration from another (title-holding) state. The out-of-state registration may be expired. A non-validated registration renewal document will be treated as an acceptable document, however, a temporary registration (or permit) will not be accepted. Out-of-State license plates must be surrendered.

ARO customers will not receive an Arizona certificate of title for their vehicle. The names and legal status shown on the out-of-state registration provided cannot be changed. The names and legal status will be entered into Arizona’s records exactly as they are shown on the out-of-state registration document.

If no ownership documents are presented, a level one physical inspection will be required, and a 90-day resident registration will be issued until the customer can provide an ownership document. This gives you time to contact the state where it is titled, to obtain the required documents. ARO customers must comply with Arizona’s emissions testing requirements, if applicable.

Once a lien has been paid off on an ARO vehicle, the customer will be required to return to Arizona MVD, or an Authorized Third Party provider, to convert the ARO record to an Arizona title and standard registration.

Special Interstate Registrations (SPI)

A Special Interstate Registration (SPI) is for a vehicle that is titled and registered in another state, and is owned by a non-resident who conducts business between his/her home state and Arizona. An Arizona title will not be issued to the owner/operator, and they will retain their out-of-state registration. Vehicles must meet Arizona’s requirements for registration, and an SPI will not be issued to a vehicle which is eligible to be titled in the state of Arizona.

The following circumstances are eligible for an SPI:

• A non-resident who conducts business between his/her home state and Arizona.
• An applicant who owns or uses a vehicle that is titled and registered out-of-state, and who has established concurrent residency, and uses the vehicle in Arizona.
• A vehicle titled in another state and routinely operated in Arizona by a resident who is not the owner of the vehicle.
• An applicant who is registering a leased vehicle.

In addition to all other registration requirements, the applicant must submit satisfactory evidence that the vehicle is currently titled in another state. When an out-of-state resident owns the vehicle, the applicant must present a notarized power of attorney from the out-of-state owner, authorizing the applicant to register the vehicle in Arizona.

The names that appear on the SPI record will exactly match the names that appear on the out-of-state registration document. When the out-of-state registration document lists a lessee that is not the current lessee, the out-of-state title must be submitted to Arizona MVD. An Arizona title in the name of the lessor will be issued, and the current lessee will be indicated as the registrant (at the option of the lessor). The Lessor Authorization Form (form # 40-0207) will be required in order to indicate the lessee as the registrant.

For the purposes of issuing an SPI, the following clarifications have been made by MVD:

• A non-resident who conducts business between their home state and Arizona must have a current registration for their out-of-state vehicle.
  • Example: The applicant owns or uses a vehicle that is titled and registered out-of-state, who has established concurrent residency and uses the vehicle in Arizona.
    • The vehicle will carry current registration in both states.
    • When in Arizona, the vehicle will display the Arizona license plate assigned to it.
    • When in their home state, the vehicle will display the license plates issued to it by that state.
• A vehicle titled in another state and routinely operated in Arizona by a resident who is not the owner of the vehicle.
  • Example: The applicant is a student going to ASU, paying resident tuition. The vehicle is owned by their parents who live in Utah.
    • Arizona registration and a power of attorney are needed.
• A leased vehicle which the owner presents an out-of-state title has moved to Arizona
  • Example: The applicant(s)
    • Names and legal status cannot be changed
    • If both the lessee and lessor names appear on the out-of-state registration, a completed Lessor Affidavit must be included with the application.
      • The lessee may complete the form with a power of attorney from the lessor. This allows the lessee to renew the vehicle without another power of attorney.
      • If the lessor’s name is the only name on the out-of-state registration, the SPI will be processed in the lessor’s name only.
      • The lessee must have a notarized power of attorney from the lessor to perform the original SPI transaction.
      • The lessee will need a power of attorney to process a renewal of the SPI registration.

Neighborhood Electric Vehicle Registration (NEV)

Arizona defines a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) as a vehicle which is self-propelled, and meets the following criteria:

• Emission free.
• Designed to carry four or fewer persons.
• Designed to be, and is, operated at speeds of 25 MPH or less.
• Has at least four wheels in contact with the ground.
• Complies with low speed vehicles set forth in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 500 and 49 Code of Federal Regulations.
• When these vehicles are initially titled, the owner must sign a statement regarding the operational restrictions that apply to the vehicle. Form 96-0124, Neighborhood Electric Vehicle is completed by the owner.

The following restrictions apply to the NEV:

• Cannot be operated at a speed of more than 25 MPH.
• Cannot be driven on a highway that has a posted speed limit of more than 35 MPH, but can cross a highway with a posted speed limit of more than 35 MPH at an intersection.
• A notice of the operational restrictions applying to the vehicle must be permanently attached to, or painted on the vehicle in a location that is in clear view of the driver.
• An NEV is eligible for the Alternative Fuel Plate and reduced VLT.
• If manufactured prior to June 17, 1998, the NEV must have a Level I Inspection to verify that the vehicle meets the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). Those standards are as follows:
• Head lamps
• Front and rear lamps
• Tail lamps
• Stop lamps
• Reflectors
• Exterior mirror on driver’s side of vehicle
• One additional mirror located either on the interior or the passenger side of the vehicle
• Parking brake
• Windshield
• VIN#
• Seat belt
• The NEV must be retrofitted if manufactured before June 17, 1998 and the Alternative Fuel Plate and reduced VLT rate are to be obtained.
• NEV’s must be titled regardless of the registrations status.
• Registration and insurance are required to operate on roads in Arizona
• NEV’s are exempt from paying both the AQCF ($0.25) and the AQF ($1.50) at the time of registration