How to Transfer a Car Title in Arizona: Documents, Fees, and Taxes

To transfer a car title in Arizona, the buyer has 15 days from the purchase date to apply for the title and registration at MVD, an Authorized Third Party provider, or online through AZ MVD Now, submitting the signed title (or a notarized Title Transfer Bill of Sale), a completed Title and Registration Application, proof of Arizona liability insurance, any required lien release, and payment for fees and taxes.¹ Miss the 15-day window and you’ll pay $8 for the first late month plus $4 for each additional month, capped at $100.² The seller has separate obligations that run on a shorter clock.

What the Seller Has to Do

The seller’s job is to sign the vehicle over cleanly and then cut ties in MVD’s records. Skip either step and you can end up answering for the buyer’s parking tickets, abandoned-vehicle fees, or worse.

Sign the Title

Sign the back of the title exactly as your name appears on the front. Arizona stores titles electronically by default, so if a paper title was previously issued and lost, the owner of record can order a replacement through AZ MVD Now or by mail using Form 96-0236 for $4. Mail replacements can take up to six weeks, so handle this before you list the vehicle.¹ If you use a Title Transfer Bill of Sale (Form 38-1306) in place of a paper title, that form must be signed and notarized. It is only available for vehicles already titled in Arizona.³

Record the Odometer

Federal law requires you to write the current mileage on the title at the time of sale. Older vehicles are exempt: 2010 and earlier model years once they reach 10 years old, and 2011-and-newer models once they reach 20 years old.⁴

Take Your Plate

Remove the license plate before the buyer drives off. Arizona plates belong to the owner, not the vehicle. You can transfer the plate to another vehicle you own or surrender it to MVD.⁵

File a Sold Notice Within 10 Days

Submit a Sold Notice to MVD within 10 days of the sale.⁶ This is the step sellers forget most often. Until the notice is on file, MVD still shows you as the owner, and an abandoned-vehicle fee alone runs $500 or more.⁷ The fastest route is AZ MVD Now. You can also complete the form printed on the back of your registration card and mail it in.⁸

What the Buyer Has to Do

Sign the back of the title and complete the Title and Registration Application (Form 96-0236), which asks for the VIN, year, make, odometer reading, and both parties’ names and addresses.¹ Line up an Arizona liability insurance policy before you go to the counter. Arizona requires liability coverage on every vehicle driven on its roads, motorcycles and mopeds included, and your registration is not valid until your insurer notifies MVD that coverage is active.⁹

You then have 15 days from the purchase date to file. Options are an MVD office, an Authorized Third Party provider, or AZ MVD Now if the transaction qualifies for the electronic (eTitle) process.¹⁰ At the counter, an agent reviews your paperwork, collects payment, and issues a temporary registration and plate so you can drive legally the same day. The permanent title lives in your AZ MVD Now account.

Emissions Testing

If the vehicle will be registered in the Phoenix or Tucson metro areas, or if you commute into those areas for work, it likely needs a passing emissions test before registration. Exemptions apply to vehicles five model years old or newer, 1966 and older models, and fully electric vehicles.¹¹

Documents to Bring

The signed vehicle title, or a signed and notarized Title Transfer Bill of Sale (Form 38-1306) for a vehicle already titled in Arizona.³
Title and Registration Application (Form 96-0236).
Lien release if the vehicle has an outstanding loan. Arizona’s Electronic Lien and Title (ELT) system handles most releases electronically between the lender and MVD; if ELT doesn’t apply, the lienholder completes a paper Lien Release (Form 48-9901).¹²¹³
Proof of active Arizona liability insurance.⁹
Payment for fees and taxes.

Special circumstances may add paperwork, such as a power of attorney if a third party is handling the transfer for you, or trust documentation for an estate representative.¹

Fees and Taxes You’ll Pay

Base charges at MVD are modest, but the Vehicle License Tax and use tax are where the total climbs.

Title and Registration

Title fee: $4
Registration fee: $8 (varies slightly by vehicle type)
Air quality research fee: $1.50¹⁴

Authorized Third Party providers add a convenience fee on top of the state charges. The tradeoff is usually longer hours and shorter waits.¹⁵

Vehicle License Tax

Arizona’s Vehicle License Tax replaces the personal property tax on vehicles other states charge. It’s calculated on the vehicle’s assessed value, not the purchase price, at $2.80 per $100 of assessed value for new vehicles and $2.89 per $100 for used. The assessed value starts as a percentage of the manufacturer’s base retail price in the first registration year and depreciates each year after.¹⁴

Use Tax on Private-Party Sales

Buy from a private seller instead of a dealer and Arizona charges a use tax of 5.6% of the purchase price, collected at MVD when you apply for the title transfer. Arizona does not add county or city use tax on top of the state rate for private-party vehicle sales. Bring your bill of sale; it establishes the taxable amount.

Bringing a Vehicle from Another State

The same 15-day filing deadline applies when you title an out-of-state vehicle in Arizona, and you’ll need a few extra items:¹⁶

The out-of-state title. If a lienholder holds it, bring the current out-of-state registration instead.
An emissions compliance form if you’ll register in the Phoenix or Tucson metro area.
Lien clearance if applicable.
Original or certified power of attorney from the lessor if the vehicle is leased.
The Title and Registration Application (Form 96-0236) and payment.

Gifts, Inheritance, and Beneficiary Transfers

A gifted vehicle follows the same basic title transfer process, but without a sale price the use tax calculation changes. Check with MVD or the Arizona Department of Revenue before the transfer to confirm the taxable value and any exemptions. Federal gift-tax reporting on IRS Form 709 may apply separately if the fair market value exceeds $19,000.¹⁷

When the owner has died, Arizona allows a non-probate transfer if the deceased person’s total personal property (including vehicles) is worth $200,000 or less, at least 30 days have passed since the death, and the estate is not under probate court jurisdiction. The successor files a Non-Probate Affidavit (Form 32-6901) with the standard application. No death certificate is required. A paper title is needed only for out-of-state titled vehicles; Arizona-titled vehicles can transfer from the electronic record. If co-owners have both died, a separate affidavit is required for each.¹⁸

To skip the affidavit process, a sole owner can name a beneficiary in advance using the Beneficiary Designation form (Form 96-0561). The beneficiary transfers title after the owner’s death by presenting that form with the title. The designation is only available for single-owner vehicles and can be changed or revoked at any time.¹⁹

When There’s No Title: Bonded Titles

Sometimes a buyer ends up with a vehicle and no paperwork. Arizona’s bonded title process handles this, though it takes more work than a standard transfer. It starts with a vehicle inspection by a certified inspector at an MVD office, Authorized Third Party, or law enforcement agency, followed by a Bond Title Application (Form 40-1001) with an affidavit describing how you obtained the vehicle.²⁰

MVD then checks the records. If a prior owner or lienholder appears, you’re responsible for contacting them to obtain proper documentation. If a lienholder is found and won’t release the lien, the process stops and becomes a court matter. Once the records check clears, you purchase a surety bond valued at 1.5 times the vehicle’s appraised value; you don’t pay the full bond value, only a premium to the surety company that underwrites it. Submit the bond and supporting documents to MVD within 30 days of purchase to avoid additional penalty fees.²⁰

Protecting Yourself as a Buyer

Before you hand over money, run the VIN through the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS). The report flags brands like salvage, junk, or flood applied by any state, plus total-loss and salvage history and the last reported odometer reading.²¹ A vehicle with a clean Arizona title can still carry a flood brand from another state.

Confirm the lien is resolved before paying. If the seller has an active loan, the lienholder must release the lien before the title can transfer to you. Arizona’s ELT system handles most releases electronically, but verify the release is on file at MVD. An unresolved lien can make titling the vehicle in your name impossible until the debt is cleared.¹²

1
Department of Transportation. Vehicle Title
2
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 28-2162 – Delinquent Registration Penalty
3
Department of Transportation. Buying or Selling a Used Vehicle
4
eCFR. 49 CFR Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements
5
Arizona Department of Transportation. Selling Your Vehicle
6
Department of Transportation. Sold Notice
7
Department of Transportation. Sold Notice
8
Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) MVD. Sold Notice 46-8502
9
Department of Transportation. Insurance Information and Requirements
10
Department of Transportation. Transferring Ownership of a Vehicle (eTitle Transfer)
11
Arizona Department of Transportation. Emissions Testing
12
Department of Transportation. Vehicle Liens
13
Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) MVD. Lien Release 48-9901
14
Department of Transportation. How Are My AZ Vehicle Registration Fees Calculated
15
Department of Transportation. Authorized Third Party Title and Registration and Driver License Provider Locations
16
Department of Transportation. Out-of-State Vehicles
17
Internal Revenue Service. What’s New – Estate and Gift Tax
18
Department of Transportation. Vehicle Title Transfer After Owner’s Death (Non-Probate Transfer)
19
Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). Beneficiary Designation for Vehicle Title Transfer Upon Death 96-0561
20
Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). Bond Title Application 40-1001
21
VehicleHistory. Understanding an NMVTIS Vehicle History Report