Arizona driver license and ID for new residents

Step 1 — Check if the “right away” rule applies

Licenses, ID cards and vehicle registration come from the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD), part of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) (MVD — New to AZ). Arizona doesn’t give you a set number of days. You need an Arizona license as soon as one of these is true (MVD — Driver License Manual):

• you work in Arizona (seasonal farm work doesn’t count);
• you are registered to vote here;
• your children go to school here without paying nonresident tuition;
• you get a state license, or pay school tuition, at the resident rate;
• you stay in Arizona seven months or more in a calendar year, wherever your permanent home is.

Full list: MVD’s residency page. Out-of-state students enrolled in seven or more semester hours don’t count as residents, even if they work, and neither do active-duty service members who qualify under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (MVD — Residency).

Only visiting? You can drive on a valid license from your home country; an International Driving Permit isn’t required, but MVD recommends one because it’s printed in English (MVD — Foreign applicants).

Step 2 — Choose a Travel ID or a standard card

• Arizona Travel ID. This is Arizona’s name for REAL ID, as a license or an ID card. It’s optional, and a star in a circle shows it’s ready for TSA airport security (MVD — Travel ID).
• Standard license or ID card. You can drive with it and use it as ID for most purposes, but not for domestic flights or federal buildings (MVD — Foreign applicants). It’s labeled “NOT FOR FEDERAL IDENTIFICATION” (MVD form 40-5144).

Arizona doesn’t let you hold an ID card and a driver license at the same time (MVD — Driver License Manual). For a first Travel ID without an Arizona card, you apply in person, at an MVD office or an Authorized Third Party driver license location (MVD — Travel ID).

If your stay has an end date. Your Arizona license expires on the same date as your authorized presence document, and you renew with updated immigration documents when your status is extended (MVD — Foreign applicants). A non-citizen’s Travel ID ends when the immigration documents you showed expire, and never lasts more than eight years (MVD — Travel ID). REAL ID across the U.S.: our guide to licenses and state IDs.

Step 3 — Gather proof of authorized presence

MVD must not issue or renew a license or ID card unless you prove that your presence in the U.S. is authorized under federal law (Arizona Revised Statutes § 28-3153(D)) (MVD — Driver License Manual). Every document must be an original or a certified copy, in English (MVD form 40-5144).

• Your immigration document. For a Travel ID, the list includes an unexpired green card (Form I-551), an unexpired Employment Authorization Document (EAD), or an I-94 with an unexpired foreign passport and an unexpired U.S. visa, but not for Visa Waiver Program travelers (MVD form 40-5144). With an F-1 or J-1 I-94, also bring your I-20 or DS-2019 (MVD — Foreign applicants). Visa Waiver visitors (classes WB and WT) can get an ID card only (MVD form 40-5144). See our I-94 guide.
• Your Social Security number. State law requires it; MVD uses it to verify your identity, not as your license number (MVD — Residency). If you have an EAD, you must provide your number or card (MVD — Foreign applicants). See our Social Security number guide.
• Two proofs of your Arizona address, for a Travel ID: mail from a business, organization or government agency, with your name and physical address, such as a utility bill or rental agreement (MVD form 40-5144). Missing one? An Arizona Residency Affidavit (form 40-5143) can count as one of the two (MVD — Travel ID).
• A different name? Bring legal proof of the change, and change your name with Social Security at least 24 hours before your visit (MVD form 40-5144).

Address proofs take time, so renting your first apartment and opening a bank account usually come first.

Step 4 — Find out which tests you need

Expect a vision screening at MVD (MVD — Foreign applicants). The tests depend on the license you bring:

• From another U.S. state: bring your license; MVD uses it as a second ID, and it may waive the written and road tests (MVD — Driver License Manual), if it or your driving record expired less than a year ago (MVD form 40-5144).
• From Canada, Germany, Taiwan or South Korea: with a current, valid license, you may skip both the written and the road test; for Taiwan and South Korea, only at 18 or older (MVD — Permit Test).
• From any other country: you take both tests (MVD — Foreign applicants).
• Never licensed in the U.S.? Whatever your age, you pass a permit test before you can schedule a road test (MVD — Permit Test). With an instruction permit, a licensed driver at least 21 years old must sit beside you (MVD — Driver License Manual).

Step 5 — Pick MVD, a third party or AZ MVD Now

• MVD offices take walk-ins for new residents (MVD — New to AZ), and you can also book any MVD service, including Travel ID and road tests, at AZMVDNow.gov (MVD — Travel ID).
• Authorized Third Party providers are private businesses that ADOT allows to offer driver license services, including written and road tests and the Travel ID; they may charge a convenience fee on top of state fees (MVD — Third Party locations).
• AZMVDNow.gov is MVD’s official service website. You can fill in your application there before you go (MVD — Driver License Manual), and the older ServiceArizona.com is being replaced by it (ServiceArizona).

For a shorter wait, MVD suggests avoiding the first two and last two days of the month and the day after a holiday; most offices are also closed until noon on the second Wednesday of each month (MVD — Driver License Manual).

Step 6 — Pass the written and road tests

• Written test. Study the Driver License Manual for its 30 multiple-choice questions; you need 80% or higher to pass (MVD — Permit Test). In an office, you take it on a touch screen, with an audio version available (MVD — Permit Test).
• Languages. The written test comes in English, Arabic, French, German, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese (MVD — Permit Test). If you read a language that isn’t offered, or find reading hard, MVD may give a verbal test instead, by appointment (MVD — Permit Test).
• Road test. MVD strongly encourages booking it at AZMVDNow.gov (MVD — Driver License Manual). You bring a car in good working order, you can’t use driver-assistance features such as auto-drive or parking assist, and you must respond to directions in English, such as “stop” and “change lanes” (MVD — Driver License Manual).

Step 7 — Register your car and keep records current

• Register right away. A vehicle from another state must be registered as soon as you become a resident; bring its current title and registration (MVD — New to AZ).
• Emissions test, in two metro areas. Testing is required in the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas, even if you only commute into them; to save time, do it before your MVD visit (MVD — Emissions). Vehicles five years old or less, 1966 models or older and electric vehicles usually don’t need it (MVD — Emissions).
• Arizona insurance. Your policy must be an Arizona-based policy from a company licensed here, and insurers tell MVD about new and canceled policies (MVD — Driver License Manual). More: buying and insuring a car.
• Moving again? Tell MVD about a new name or address within 10 days (MVD — Driver License Manual). Many noncitizens must also tell USCIS: change of address.