How to Renew a Car Registration in Arizona

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) provides several options to renew car registration renewal in Arizona. After obtaining a vehicle registration for the first time, you must renew it every year or every couple of years.

Depending on your preferred method, you may choose to renew your credentials online, by mail or by telephone. If you do not apply for a DMV registration renewal by the expiration date, you may be subject to a penalty fee.

As a reminder to renew your vehicle’s registration credentials before they expire, ADOT sends a reminder notice by mail or email. Typically, you will receive this reminder notice about one month prior to the expiration date.

However, even if you do not receive this reminder notice for any reason, you are still be responsible for renewing your registration credentials before they expire. To learn more about the AZ tag renewal application process, review the information below.

Arizona License Plate Renewal Requirements

Before you may renew registration online, by mail or by telephone, you must determine whether your vehicle needs to pass an emissions test.

If your vehicle does not need to pass an emissions test prior to its plate renewal, you may renew your credentials as early as six months in advance.

If you do need to submit your vehicle for an emissions inspection, you may renew your registration credentials as early as three months in advance, after your automobile passes the emissions test.

Download our helpful guide to find out more about the process.

Before renewing your credentials, you may check your vehicle registration status online on the ADOT website to determine if your vehicle needs to pass an emissions inspection or meet any other requirements prior to renewal.

You must be able to provide several pieces of information from your vehicle’s current registration card or renewal notice, including the last two digits of its identification number (VIN) and its eight-digit record number.

If your vehicle must pass an emissions inspection prior to renewal, ADOT will automatically receive the test results at the end of the inspection.

Renewing Car Registration in Arizona

To apply for an Arizona MVD auto registration renewal before your license plates expire, you must decide whether to complete the process online, by mail or by telephone. Learn more about each of these application methods in the sections below.

Online

After performing your online car reg check and meeting the renewal requirements, you can simply renew your registration directly through the ADOT website. To do so, you must be able to provide information from your vehicle’s current registration card or renewal notice. Additionally, you must pay the applicable registration fee.

By Mail

To apply for a DMV car registration renewal by mail rather than online, you must return your application to the address listed on your reminder notice. To avoid late fees, your payment must be postmarked by your registration’s expiration date.

By Phone

If you prefer to perform your car registration check and renewal by telephone, you may use the ADOT’s automated phone system to renew your credentials.

If you do not complete your telephone renewal before your vehicle registration expires, however, you may need to pay a late fee.