How to Fill Out the Arizona Driver License Application (Form 40-5122)

Arizona Form 40-5122 is the single application the Motor Vehicle Division uses for an original driver license, instruction permit, commercial driver license, or state ID card. The short version: download or pick up the form, fill in your legal name, Social Security number, address, and physical description, check the boxes that apply to you (Travel ID, organ donor, veteran, voter registration), and bring the signed form to an MVD office or Authorized Third Party location with your original supporting documents and payment. You take any required tests on the same visit, walk out with a 30-day paper license, and the plastic card arrives in the mail about ten days later.¹

Before you touch the form, make one decision and gather one stack of documents. Everything else follows from those two steps.

Decide First: Standard License or Travel ID

Form 40-5122 can produce either credential, and the box you check changes what you need to bring. A standard Arizona license works for driving and routine identification. It will not get you through a TSA checkpoint or into a restricted federal building. Since May 7, 2025, domestic air travel requires a REAL ID-compliant credential, a U.S. passport, or another federally approved document.² Arizona’s REAL ID version is called the Travel ID and carries a star in the upper corner of the card.

Document-wise, a standard license needs one identity document, your Social Security number, and one proof of Arizona residency. A Travel ID needs the same identity document and SSN but two residency documents from different sources.² Expiration differs too: a standard license runs until your 65th birthday, while a Travel ID must be renewed every eight years.³

Documents to Bring to the MVD

Every document must be an original or a copy certified by the issuing agency, and all must be in English. Photocopies are not accepted.⁴

One Proof of Identity

Pick one from this list:

U.S. birth certificate (original or certified copy from any state or territory; hospital-issued certificates and California Certified Abstracts of Birth are not accepted)
Unexpired U.S. passport or passport card
Permanent Resident Card (I-551)
U.S. Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship
Unexpired USCIS Employment Authorization Document
I-94 with an unexpired foreign passport and unexpired U.S. visa (visa waiver participants excluded)

Arizona law prohibits the MVD from issuing a license to anyone who cannot demonstrate authorized presence in the United States.⁵

Social Security Number

Write the number on the form. For a standard license, no physical card is required. For a Travel ID, the MVD verifies the number electronically, and you may be asked for a Social Security card, W-2, or SSA-1099 if verification fails.⁴

Arizona Residency

One document for a standard license, two for a Travel ID, each showing your name and current Arizona residential address. Utility bills, bank or credit card statements, insurance policies, and government-issued documents all qualify, as do items the MVD itself has mailed you.⁴ If you can only produce one residency document for a Travel ID, a Residency Affidavit can stand in for the second, but at least one standalone document is still required.

Name Change Paperwork

If your legal name no longer matches your identity document, bring the paper trail: marriage certificate, divorce decree specifying the name change, court-ordered name change, or adoption decree. Bring documentation for each change if you have had more than one. Update your name with the Social Security Administration at least 24 hours before your MVD visit.⁴

Filling Out the Form, Section by Section

Download the form from the Arizona Department of Transportation website or pick one up at any MVD office.⁶ Completing it at home shortens the counter visit considerably. The same form covers driver licenses, ID cards, instruction permits, and commercial driver licenses.

Personal Information and Physical Description

The top of the form asks for your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and mailing address. You also enter height, weight, eye color, and hair color, which print on the card.⁷ Make every field match your identity document character for character. A mismatch between the form and your birth certificate or passport will stall the application at the counter.

Medical Disclosure

The form asks whether you have any medical condition that could affect your ability to drive safely. A “yes” answer sends the application into medical review, where the MVD may request documentation from your physician.⁸ You are legally required to report conditions that impair your driving. A yes answer does not automatically disqualify you; the MVD evaluates each case individually.⁹

Organ Donor, Voter Registration, Veteran Designation

Checkboxes let you join the DonateLifeAZ organ and tissue donor registry (adding the “DONOR♥” indicator to your card), register to vote or update an existing registration, and request a veteran designation. The donor and voter entries feed directly into state databases, so accuracy matters.⁷ For the veteran designation, bring one qualifying document to the office: a DD-214, active duty military ID, Certificate of Honorable Discharge, VA medical card, or a membership card from an organization such as the VFW or American Legion. The initial veteran designation requires an in-person visit with a new photo.¹⁰

Selective Service

By submitting the application, male applicants consent to Selective Service registration if required under federal law. Males under 18 at the time of application are automatically registered when they turn 18.⁷

Sign Honestly

Knowingly providing false information on the form, giving a false name, making a false statement, or concealing a material fact, is a class 2 misdemeanor in Arizona.¹¹

Where to Submit and What Happens at the Counter

You must appear in person for an original license so the office can take your photo and inspect your documents. Two options:

An MVD field office. Schedule through AZ MVD Now at azmvdnow.gov to avoid long waits, especially in the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas.¹² Bring your completed form, originals of every supporting document, and payment.

An Authorized Third Party provider. These private contractors handle written tests, road tests, photos, and in many cases full driver license applications. They charge a convenience fee on top of the state fee, posted alongside the state fee so you see the total before you commit.¹³¹⁴ Either way, the card is printed centrally and mailed, not handed to you on the spot.

Tests

First-time applicants face three. A vision screening requires uncorrected acuity of 20/40 or better in at least one eye for an unrestricted license; wear your glasses or contacts if you need them, and expect a “B” restriction requiring corrective lenses while driving.¹⁵¹⁶¹⁷ A road skills exam follows a parking test and three-point turn, with an examiner grading specific maneuvers and overall safety. Your single application fee covers up to three attempts at each test within a 12-month period.

Transferring a valid out-of-state license may reduce you to just the vision screening, at the MVD’s discretion.

Fees

For the common Class D, G, and M licenses, state fees slide by age:

Age 39 or younger: $25
Age 40–44: $20
Age 45–49: $15
Age 50 or older: $10

Commercial classes are flat: $25 for Class A or B, $12.50 for Class C.¹⁸ Add the third-party convenience fee if you use one.

After You Leave

The technician issues a temporary paper license valid for 30 days once you pass. That paper is your legal driving credential and ID until the plastic card arrives by mail from a central production facility, about ten days later by the MVD’s estimate.¹ If a few weeks pass with no card, you can print a replacement temporary from the AZ MVD Now portal rather than returning to an office.¹⁹

If You’re Applying for a Commercial License

Form 40-5122 is also the CDL application, but it carries federal baggage a standard license does not. You self-certify your operating category based on interstate or intrastate commerce and any exemption, and most CDL holders fall into “non-excepted interstate,” which requires a current Medical Examiner’s Certificate (Form MCSA-5876) from an examiner on the FMCSA National Registry.²⁰²¹ The written and skills tests are more extensive, and you must supply a vehicle of the appropriate class for the road exam.

1
Arizona Department of Transportation. What to Expect When You Are Expecting Your Travel ID in the Mail
2
Arizona Department of Transportation. Arizona Travel ID
3
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 28 – 28-3171
4
Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division. Arizona DL/ID Requirements
5
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-3153 – Driver License Issuance Prohibitions
6
Arizona Department of Transportation. License/Identification Application (40-5122)
7
Arizona Department of Transportation. Arizona Driver License / Identification Application
8
Arizona Department of Transportation. Medical Review Request
9
Arizona Department of Transportation. Medical Review
10
Arizona Department of Transportation. Veteran Designation
11
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 28-3478 – Unlawful Use of License Classification
12
AZ MVD Now. Schedule an Appointment
13
Arizona Department of Transportation. Authorized Third Party Providers
14
Arizona Department of Transportation. Authorized Third Party Services
15
Arizona Department of Transportation. Medical and Vision Screening
16
Arizona Department of Transportation. Permit Test (at Home or in an Office)
17
Arizona Department of Transportation. Practice Tests
18
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-3002 – Fees Driver Licenses Disposition Exemption
19
Arizona Department of Transportation. You Can Now Print Duplicate Temporary Driver Licenses or IDs at Home
20
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical Examiners Certificate (MEC) Form MCSA-5876
21
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. How Do I Determine Which of the 4 Categories of Commercial Motor Vehicle Operation I Should Self-Certify To