Your First Arizona Class D License as an Adult

Before you go: do you need a permit?

No. A.R.S. 28-3174's six month permit requirement is for class G applicants under 18. An adult can go straight through the knowledge and road tests toward class D without holding a permit.

If you have never driven, get one anyway. For $7 the instruction permit (A.R.S. 28-3154) gives you 12 months of supervised practice, with any licensed driver 21 or older as your passenger.

A worked example: a 24 year old who has driven on a farm but never on a freeway might take the permit in March, practice freeway merges for two months with a licensed roommate, and test in May.

On test day: what MVD checks

A.R.S. 28-3164 lays out the exam: vision, reading traffic control devices, Arizona traffic law and safe driving (bicycle rules included), the effect of phones and distractions, and showing ordinary, reasonable control of the car.

The knowledge portion is 30 multiple choice questions with an 80 percent pass mark. Extra physical or mental exams are possible when MVD sees a reason, and an authorized third party's exam can sometimes stand in for MVD's own.

Before you go: documents and Travel ID

A.R.S. 28-3158 has every applicant establish legal name, sex, birth date, Arizona home address and lawful presence, and MVD checks your Social Security number. If your old license came from a state that does not check lawful presence, it will not count as your primary ID.

The Arizona Travel ID satisfies federal REAL ID rules for domestic flights and federal facilities. ADOT says it requires one more citizenship or status document, such as a certified birth certificate or U.S. passport, so make the choice before your visit.

Budgeting: fees by age

Under A.R.S. 28-3002 an original class D is $25 through age 39, $20 from 40 to 44, $15 from 45 to 49 and $10 from 50 on. Older applicants pay less because the license only runs until 65.

The statute also lists a permit at $7 and a replacement permit at $2. Drivers arriving from another state may owe $5 for a vision screening and $15 if a class D skills test is needed. The director sets the price of a duplicate license, so ask MVD for the current figure.

If you are moving in from elsewhere

Residency under A.R.S. 28-2001 begins with any of these: seven months in Arizona within a calendar year, voter registration, a job that is not seasonal, a claim to resident tuition, or children in public school at resident rates. At MVD, ADOT expects to see your address proof, Social Security number, proof of authorized presence and your existing license from the other state.

If your previous license was not revoked and expired no more than a year ago, A.R.S. 28-3164 lets MVD excuse you from the road test; ADOT's forms use a comparable one year cutoff for waiving tests. A revoked or older license means full testing.

Special cases: students, military families and renewals

A.R.S. 28-3171 offers a class D good for as long as five years to students from other states (and their spouses) and to close relatives of active duty service members posted here temporarily. A student with seven or more semester hours is not considered a resident.

Licenses normally last until the 65th birthday and then renew every five years. MVD can extend a license that expires while you are away from Arizona, and veterans get six months from discharge to renew.