Temporary Tag Arizona — the dealer's 45-day plate, and four permits for everyone else.
Buy from an Arizona dealer and you usually leave on a temporary registration plate that's void after 45 days or as soon as your real plate arrives. Buy privately and the state offers a short list instead: a $1 one-trip permit good for up to 3 days, a $15 30-day general use permit you can get once a year per vehicle, and $15 90-day permits for residents whose title paperwork isn't complete and for out-of-state buyers. Here's which fits, and the rules on each, from the Arizona Revised Statutes.
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Quick Answer
- How long is a temporary tag good for in Arizona?
- A dealer's temporary registration plate expires when your license plate or year tab arrives, or 45 days after it was issued, whichever is first (§ 28-4551). The state's own permits last up to 3 days (one-trip, weekends and holidays not counted), 30 days (general use) or 90 days (resident or nonresident).
- How do I get a temporary permit in Arizona after a private sale?
- From ADOT's Motor Vehicle Division, or online through AZ MVD Now. For a single trip to get the car inspected, emissions tested, titled or registered, a one-trip permit costs $1 and runs up to 3 days. To drive it normally for a while, a 30-day temporary general use registration costs $15, needs proof of ownership and insurance, and is limited to one per vehicle in 12 months.
- Can an out-of-state buyer get an Arizona temporary tag?
- Yes: a special 90-day nonresident registration permit, $15, from the dealer, an authorized third party or ADOT. You show an out-of-state driver license and sign an affidavit that you'll register the car in your home state within 90 days. If you register it in Arizona within 365 days instead, you owe the sales tax the dealer didn't collect.
Five ways to drive an unregistered car in Arizona
Start from how you bought the car and what you need it to do.
- 1Bought from a dealerA temporary registration plate, issued with your title and registration applications. Up to 45 days.
- 2One trip to the MVD or emissionsA one-trip permit, $1, up to 3 days not counting weekends and holidays.
- 3A few weeks of normal drivingA 30-day temporary general use permit, $15, once per vehicle in 12 months.
- 4Title paperwork incompleteA 90-day resident registration, $15, once ADOT accepts you own the car.
- 5You live in another stateA 90-day nonresident permit, $15, to drive it home and register it there.
How Temporary Registration Works in Arizona
Arizona's rule is simple: § 28-2153 says no one may drive, move or leave standing on a highway a vehicle that isn't registered for the current year, in Arizona or in the owner's home state. Every temporary tag or permit is an exception to that, and each has its own section of title 28. Dealers get theirs from §§ 28-4546 to 28-4554, the temporary registration plate. Everyone else uses the special registrations in § 28-2154 (the 90-day permits), the one-trip permit in § 28-2155, or the temporary general use registration in § 28-2156. The fees for all of them are set in one place, § 28-2003.
ADOT's Motor Vehicle Division issues the state permits, and the nonresident permit can also come from an authorized third party or a dealer. Online, ServiceArizona's own pages say the Restricted Use 3-Day Permit and the 30-Day General Use Permit have moved to AZ MVD Now, ADOT's newer portal, and that you need to set up an account there, not continue as a guest, to buy one.
Arizona Temporary Plates and Permits
From the Arizona Revised Statutes, read on 21 October 2026. Fees are the state fees in § 28-2003.
| Plate or permit | Who issues it | State fee | How long | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temporary registration plate (TRP) | New and used dealers | Part of the sale | 45 days, or until the plate or tab arrives | Only to the buyer of an unregistered vehicle |
| One-trip registration permit | ADOT | $1 | Up to 3 days, excluding weekends and holidays | 3 per vehicle in 12 months |
| Temporary general use registration | ADOT | $15 | Up to 30 days | 1 per vehicle in 12 months |
| Special 90-day resident registration | ADOT | $15 | 90 days | A second in set cases; more at the director's discretion |
| Special 90-day nonresident permit | Dealer, third party or ADOT | $15 | Up to 90 days | Out-of-state buyers and tribal members living on a reservation |
| Duplicate permit | ADOT | $4 | Same as the original | — |
There is one more: if another state's court judgment would suspend an Arizona resident's registration, ADOT may instead issue a special temporary registration for up to 180 days (§ 28-2154(G)).
Buying From an Arizona Dealer
The dealer's temporary registration plate comes with conditions on the dealer, not just on you. Under § 28-4547 a dealer may issue one only to the bona fide buyer of a vehicle that isn't registered for the current year, and only if you file applications for the title and for annual registration before or when the plate is issued, backed by the manufacturer's certificate of origin, a properly signed title or a title transfer form. The dealer then sends both applications and the fees to ADOT as your agent. Before handing you the plate, it must send ADOT an electronic record of it, which counts as written notice of the sale; sending it through ADOT's electronic service provider costs the dealer $1.
The plate shows the dates of issue and expiry and the car's make and VIN. It must not show your name or address anywhere legible from outside the car. Section 28-4551 makes it void when your license plate or year validating tab arrives, or after 45 days, whichever is first, and tells you to destroy it then. If the real plate hasn't come in 45 days, the temporary one still has to go, and the question is what's holding up the registration.
At an Arizona dealer
- You sign: title and registration applications.
- You get: a temporary registration plate.
- It lasts: 45 days, or until the plate comes.
- It shows: dates, make and VIN; not your name.
Arizona Temporary Permits at a Glance
The dealer's plate and the four state permits, with the fee, the length and the yearly limit.
Every figure comes from title 28 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, read on the date shown.
The One-Trip (3-Day) Permit
The cheapest permit, and the most restricted. Section 28-2155 lets you drive an unregistered vehicle, or one with a suspended registration, from a named origin to a named destination.
Emissions inspection
Getting the car to a vehicle emissions inspection.
Title or registration
Driving it to the office to title or register it.
Officer inspection
An inspection of the vehicle by the registering officer.
Repairs to pass
Taking it for repairs it needs to pass emissions or the officer's inspection.
3 days, 3 a year
Issued for no more than 3 days, not counting weekends and holidays, and no more than 3 for a vehicle in 12 months.
Insurance and display
You must meet Arizona's mandatory insurance rules, and the permit must be clearly visible from outside the vehicle.
The 30-Day and 90-Day Permits
The 30-day temporary general use registration in § 28-2156 is for someone who doesn't qualify for one of the special registrations in § 28-2154 or the other routes the statute names. It lets you drive normally for up to 30 days, for $15, if you show proof of ownership or authorized possession and carry Arizona's mandatory insurance. The registering officer may not issue more than 1 for the same vehicle in 12 months, so it can't be strung together into a season of driving unregistered.
The 90-day resident registration is for an Arizona resident who owns the car to ADOT's satisfaction but doesn't have complete documents for a title, $15 from ADOT. A second consecutive one is allowed if you've applied for a bonded title that hasn't come, are waiting on an estate settlement, lien clearance or a hearing on a title complaint, or are waiting for honorary consular plates; the director can allow more. One catch: the vehicle license tax on your eventual annual registration is assessed from the date the first 90-day registration was issued.
Second 90 days if you're
- Waiting on: a bonded title.
- Or: an estate settlement.
- Or: lien clearance.
- Or: a title complaint hearing.
Applying for a Bonded Title or Waiting on a Lien?
Those are the cases where title trouble hides. Enter the VIN for a free preview of the title brands and junk and salvage records on file before you spend more on the car.
Out-of-State Buyers: The 90-Day Nonresident Permit
Section 28-2154 requires one for a nonresident who buys an unregistered car in Arizona to take home. Section 28-2154.01 sets the procedure.
Where
From the department, an authorized third party, or a licensed Arizona motor vehicle dealer.
Proof you live elsewhere
A current, valid driver license from another state showing an address outside Arizona.
The affidavit
That you aren't an Arizona resident, will register the car out of state within 90 days, and aren't buying it for an Arizona resident.
$15, up to 90 days
With proof of ownership shown at application. Dealers and third parties record each permit electronically with ADOT.
The 365-day catch
Register the car in Arizona within 365 days and you owe the tax, penalty and interest the dealer would have paid; the dealer must tell you this in writing.
What the permit shows
Issue and expiry dates, make and VIN, and never your name or address where it can be read from outside.
Penalties and How to Spot a Fake
What the statutes say happens when the tag is missing, expired or invented.
$300 civil penalty
For driving a vehicle that must be registered without current registration or plates. The court dismisses it if you then register (§ 28-2532).
A fictitious plate
Displaying a registration card or plate you know is fictitious, altered, stolen or canceled is a class 2 misdemeanor (§ 28-2531).
Dealer offenses
Issuing a temporary plate before sending ADOT the electronic record, or with a misstatement of fact, is a class 3 misdemeanor; knowingly writing false information on it, class 2.
Past 45 days
A dealer's temporary plate is void after 45 days. One with a later expiry, or none, isn't a genuine Arizona TRP.
Wrong VIN
Every dealer plate and nonresident permit carries the vehicle's make and VIN. Check it against the car.
Borrowed plates
A dealer may not lend a temporary plate to anyone or use one on a vehicle it owns (§ 28-4553).
One-Trip Permit or 30-Day Permit
Two ways to move a privately bought car before it's registered. Pick by the trip, not by the price.
One-trip (3-day) permit
- $1 state fee.
- Up to 3 days, weekends and holidays not counted.
- Only to emissions, inspection, repairs or the title office.
- 3 per vehicle in 12 months.
30-day general use permit
- $15 state fee.
- Up to 30 days of normal driving.
- Needs proof of ownership or authorized possession.
- 1 per vehicle in 12 months.
If you can title and register the car on the day you buy it, neither is needed.
Related Checks and Guides
The national temporary-tag guide, the other state pages, and the next steps of buying a car.
Where These Facts Come From
From the Arizona Revised Statutes as published by the Arizona Legislature, and ADOT's ServiceArizona notice, read on 21 October 2026. ADOT's main site blocks automated readers, so its pages weren't used; check fees with ADOT or a third-party office before you go.
CarCheckerVIN is not affiliated with the Arizona Department of Transportation or any authorized third-party office, and does not sell permits. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Temporary Tag Arizona — Frequently Asked Questions
What Arizona buyers ask most.
How much is a temporary permit in Arizona?+
State fees under § 28-2003: $1 for a one-trip permit, $15 for a 30-day temporary general use registration, $15 for a 90-day resident registration and $15 for a 90-day nonresident permit. A duplicate permit is $4.
How many 30-day permits can I get in Arizona?+
One per vehicle in any 12-month period (§ 28-2156(E)). The one-trip permit is limited to 3 per vehicle in 12 months.
Does the 3-day permit count weekends?+
No. Section 28-2155 has the permit issued for not more than 3 days, excluding weekends and holidays.
What if my dealer temporary plate expires before my plate arrives?+
The temporary plate is void after 45 days regardless, and you're told to destroy it. Ask the dealer, which filed your title and registration as your agent, what's holding them up; driving on without registration risks the $300 civil penalty in § 28-2532.
Can I get an Arizona temporary tag online?+
The state permits, yes: ServiceArizona says the Restricted Use 3-Day Permit and the 30-Day General Use Permit are now sold through AZ MVD Now, with an account. Dealer temporary plates come only from the dealer at the sale.
I'm waiting on a bonded title. Can I keep driving?+
A 90-day resident registration covers you while ADOT processes the paperwork, and a second consecutive one is allowed when a bonded title applied for during the first hasn't been issued. Each costs $15.
Check the VIN Before You Buy the Permit
Enter any 17-character VIN for a free preview. The full report lists title brands, NMVTIS junk and salvage records, insurance total-loss records, odometer readings, and auction records with the damage the auction recorded and its photos.
CarCheckerVIN is an independent vehicle-history service and is not affiliated with the Arizona Department of Transportation. Requirements are summarized from the Arizona Revised Statutes and ADOT's ServiceArizona notice and are not legal advice. Records in our reports reflect what was reported to our data providers. Our reports do not include police or repair-shop accident entries.
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