Before you start

Arizona residency under the state's definition
Your original, unexpired foreign licence, plus a certified translation if not in English
Proof of identity, authorised presence and a Tucson address
A Social Security number, if you have one
An emissions test if the vehicle is registered in the Tucson (Area B) control area

Step-by-step

1
Check whether your country is on Arizona's exemption list
Canada, Germany, South Korea and Taiwan are exempt from both the written and road tests on a valid unexpired licence. Every other country sits both. Arizona's list is short and differs from its neighbours' — someone arriving from Texas with a French licence goes from full exemption to two exams.
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2
Get a certified translation if your licence is not in English
Arizona requires the original licence and a certified translation where it is not in English. Arranging one takes days and it is the most common reason an otherwise complete appointment fails. Sort it before you book, not after.
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3
Consider an authorised third-party office over MVD itself
Arizona licenses private third-party providers to handle many MVD transactions for an added fee, usually with far shorter waits and longer opening hours. In Tucson the surcharge is normally worth it for a newcomer working full time.
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4
Register the vehicle and budget for the Vehicle License Tax
Arizona's annual registration includes a Vehicle License Tax assessed on a percentage of the vehicle's original manufacturer's list price, depreciating each year. On a new car it is a substantial recurring cost; on an eight-year-old one it is trivial. It surprises people expecting a flat plate fee, and it is a real input into what car to buy.
In personWho: You
5
Book the Area B emissions test
Vehicles registered in the Tucson area sit in ADEQ's Area B rather than Phoenix's Area A. Petrol vehicles model year 1967 or newer and more than five model years old need a periodic emissions test before registration renewal; motorcycles, electric vehicles and vehicles from 1966 or earlier are exempt. Arizona has no safety inspection at all, so this is the only test in the cycle — and it is worth confirming your exact address falls inside the area rather than assuming.
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6
Price the free transit into the decision before you buy a car
Sun Tran, Sun Link, Sun Van, Sun On Demand, Sun Express and Sun Shuttle all carry passengers free of charge. Along the streetcar corridor — the university, Fourth Avenue, downtown and Mercado San Agustín — a car is genuinely optional, and a car in Arizona costs insurance, fuel, an annual value-based registration tax and an emissions test. Try a month without one before committing.
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Documents you’ll need

Original, unexpired foreign driver licence with certified English translation where needed
Passport, visa and I-94
Social Security card, if issued
Two proofs of Tucson address
Proof of Arizona liability insurance if registering a vehicle

Things most newcomers don’t know

Driving around a barricade into a flooded wash makes you liable for the rescue.

A.R.S. § 28-910 — the Stupid Motorist Law — lets the responding agencies recover the reasonable cost of an emergency rescue, up to USD 2,000, from a driver who entered a barricaded flooded roadway. Tucson's washes rise from rain falling miles away in the mountains, so the sky over you can be clear while the road ahead is a river. Roughly 60 cm of moving water floats an ordinary car. The detour is always cheaper.

Source: Arizona Revised Statutes § 28-910

The only US interstate signed in kilometres runs south out of Tucson.

I-19, the 63-mile route from Tucson to Nogales on the Mexican border, has been signed in kilometres since 1979, a leftover from the Metric Conversion Act era that locals fought to keep. Exit numbers and distance signs are metric; the mile markers are turned sideways. If you drive south, the exit you want is a kilometre number and your car's odometer is not.

Source: Arizona Department of Transportation

Tucson is in emissions Area B, and it is not the same programme as Phoenix's.

ADEQ runs two vehicle emissions control areas — Area A around Phoenix and Area B around Tucson — with different boundaries, different test stations and slightly different rules. Someone moving down from Phoenix cannot use their old station, and someone living just outside the Tucson boundary may not need a test at all. Check your registration address against ADEQ's locator rather than assuming the county line is the boundary.

Source: ADEQ — vehicle emissions Area A and B explained

The Vehicle License Tax makes a new car meaningfully more expensive to keep.

Arizona assesses an annual tax based on a percentage of the vehicle's original manufacturer's list price, reducing with age. A new car can carry a registration bill in the hundreds of dollars for the first several years while an older one costs very little. It is invisible until the first renewal notice arrives.

Source: Arizona MVD — vehicle registration

Common mistakes to avoid

Driving into water across a road because it looks shallow — it is the classic monsoon fatality here.
Assuming Texas's or Oregon's licence reciprocity list applies in Arizona. The lists differ.
Turning up at MVD without a certified translation of a non-English licence.
Booking a Phoenix Area A emissions station for a Tucson-registered car.
Buying a car in month one without first testing whether the free transit covers your commute.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.