We spoke to a representative from the Arizona Motor Vehicles Division of the DOT about your situation. He stated that as long as any tickets you had received in your previous state of Michigan were taken care of then they should not keep you from getting an AZ driver's license and they will not transfer onto your new Arizona license. So neither the offense nor points will be put on your Arizona driving record for previous offenses in Michigan.
The representative did say though to get an Arizona license you will need to bring a birth certificate since they only accept a Michigan license as a second form of identification and not a primary form of ID. You will need to take a vision test to obtain your AZ license but not a driving test.
Insurance coverages differ from Michigan to Arizona as you are probably aware since Michigan has different coverages then most other states within the United States. Michigan has the most comprehensive no-fault auto insurance system in the nation.
There are three basic parts to a Michigan no-fault policy that must be purchased and carried on every vehicle. They are Personal Injury Protection (PIP), Property Protection (PPI) and Residual Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability Insurance (BI/PD) - Residual bodily injury and property damage liability (BI/PD) pays your defense costs and any damages you are found liable for as the result of an auto accident, up to the limits of the policy.
The minimum limits of coverage that everyone in MI must purchase are $20,000 for a person who is hurt or killed in an accident, $40,000 for each accident if several people are hurt or killed, and up to $10,000 for property damage in another state. These minimum limits are often referred to as 20/40/10. You can also purchase additional limits of BI/PD coverage.
Arizona's auto insurance system is a lot simpler. AZ requires that every motor vehicle operated on our roadways be covered by one of the statutory forms of financial responsibility, more commonly called liability insurance, through a company that is authorized to do business in Arizona. This includes golf carts, motorcycles and mopeds. Minimum levels of financial responsibility for motor vehicles in Arizona are 15/30/10 meaning:
- $15,000 bodily injury liability for one person and $30,000 for two or more persons
- $10,000 property damage liability
Arizona is a tort state while Michigan is a no-fault state.You can review the CarInsurance.com Premium Index - CPI at any time to learn more about average premiums and state differences in pricing.
Whether your particular auto insurance rates will go up or down will depend upon various rating factors by the AZ insurer, such as where you live within AZ, the types of cars you have, etc and the coverages you place on your vehicles. And even though your Michigan driving record does not transfer to your new Arizona driver’s license, your insurer will pull your Michigan MVR to help them determine your rates. You can get free auto insurance quotes for Arizona here with us if you know the zip code to which you will be moving to.