Moving to Arizona
Bringing a title, or a licence, from another state
Out-of-state titles, the Arizona Registration Only when a lender still holds yours, and transferring an out-of-state licence or ID.
Chapter 01
Bringing a title from another state
Bring the out-of-state title signed, and notarised if the state it came from requires that. We check it the same way we check an Arizona title, before anything is filed.
If the vehicle is five years old or older, you will also need proof of emissions. Have that in hand along with the title, since a transfer cannot be filed without it.
The Arizona Auto License storefront on Prince Road in Tucson, with a car parked out front and the red on white sign above the door.
When a lender still holds the title
An Arizona Registration Only registers the vehicle here while the title itself stays with whoever holds the lien in the other state. It is issued in place of a full transfer, with proof of the lien required.
This is the normal path when a finance company still holds the title on a car you are bringing into Arizona. The vehicle gets plates and registration here, and the title catches up once it is paid off and released.
Chapter 03
Your out-of-state licence still counts here
Arizona honours the driving privileges you already have from another state. You do not lose the right to drive the day you arrive, but transferring the licence or ID itself is its own counter visit.
Bring your current out-of-state licence, or an MVD driving record if you no longer have the card, along with an original birth certificate or passport and your Social Security number. Licence and ID services run at the Prince Rd and Irvington Rd offices only.
Two errands, not always one trip
A vehicle title and a driver licence are separate transactions with separate document lists, even when they arrive in Tucson on the same day. Call ahead and tell us what you are bringing, the car's title, your licence, or both, and we will tell you exactly what to have with you.
Title and registration work runs at all four offices. If a licence or ID is part of the visit too, plan on Prince Rd or Irvington Rd so both can be handled without a second trip across town.
Arizona Auto License, Licensed, bonded and insured. Call (520) 296-2027.