If you’re buying a vehicle for the first time or you don’t have any experience selling cars in AZ, you might need some help with the process of a car title transfer in AZ. You’ve come to the right place if you would like to skip the confusion of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and learn about car title transfer in Arizona.
What Do I Need For a Car Title Transfer in AZ?
There are a few things that are standard from state to state that you will need to bring or present to complete the car title transfer process, regardless of your location. However, states vary widely on some of the other requirements.
The title transfer documents that are required in Arizona include the following.
1. Proof of Ownership
You’ll need to present the title itself in order to prove that you actually own the vehicle before you can legally transfer a title to someone else, and vice versa. Since titles are the single most important document when it comes to proving ownership, you should be prepared to present yours upon request.
If the address on the title doesn’t match the address that the DMV has on file for you or if it doesn’t match the address on your license, you may have to provide additional documentation, such as bank statements, electric bills, or other tangible documents proving your permanent address.
While this part might seem like nitpicking, it can have a direct effect on taxation and fees.
2. Title and Registration Application
A Title and Registration Application is a government form that can be wildly confusing. Still, it is a strict requirement if you’re looking at buying a vehicle or selling cars in Arizona. It helps to cement the information outlined above. It also serves as that extra layer of state government paperwork assurance that everything is legitimate.
3. Bill of Sale
Much like the Title and Registration Application, a Bill of Sale must be submitted. This provides proof via the signatures of both involved parties that the terms have been formally and legally agreed upon.
4. Release of Lien
If you’ve finished paying off your vehicle and you get to keep your title due to full repayment, you’ll need a release of lien. This is a document filled out by the lienholder (often the bank that provided you with your car loan) and submitted so that the title transfer can be officially processed.
Payment of Applicable Fees
As with most government documents and processes, some fees will be paid for administrative duties performed, etc. In Arizona, these include the following.
1. Title Transfer Fee
This self-explanatory fee of $4 is for precisely the aforementioned reason – administrative processing. A standard process, regardless of your home state, is very similar in AZ.
2. Registration Fee
Another example of a simple governmental administrative fee. The registration fee is much the same as the title transfer fee; only it costs $8 normally rather than $4. Chalk it up to “just one of those things you’ve got to pay to get the deal done.”
3. Air Quality Research Fee
This fee is going to set you back $1.50. This is to pay for a quick test on the emissions of your vehicle to make sure that the vehicle being transferred meets air quality standards. $1.50 per title transfer is a small price to pay toward promoting clean air, right?
4. Vehicle License Tax
This amount will vary based on the make and model of the vehicle. Other key factors include the age and selling or buying price of the vehicle. Since it is a purchase being made and property changing hands, many states will tax this activity and Arizona is one of those places.
5. Highway Patrol Operations Fees
This fee was set at $32 per vehicle per year and $5 for golf carts and off-highway vehicles per vehicle per year in 2018. However, this fee is no longer enforced in most cases.
Have Transfer Processed
Once you have paid all of the applicable and above-mentioned fees and filled out the necessary paperwork, it’s time to submit your documents. There are a few different ways that you can go about this process, and really the whole process from start to finish.
Do It Yourself
You can go through all of the processes outlined in this guide. Gather all of the necessary paperwork, prepare to pay all of the necessary fees, and contact the lienholder and anyone else that needs to be alerted. Depending on the amount of extra time you have on your hands and the level of inconvenience that you can stomach, this may be the way or you to go.
Involve a Third Party
The other route is to hire a third-party title transfer service. They can wrangle all of that information for you, make all of the phone calls, and process all of the paperwork. They will even work directly with the DMV as much as legally allowed to save you the hassle, and all for a small fee.
Let Someone Else Do the Dirty Work
It depends on how much you value convenience and speed, but hiring a third-party service can take a huge burden off of your back when it comes to a car title transfer in AZ. Car title transfers in Arizona can be a bit complicated and confusing, so buying someone’s expertise to get your title transfer expedited is a truly valuable service.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us or check out our blog for other DMV-related administrative services that you may need help processing.
