Before you start

New York residency, and 30 days from the date it began
Documents totalling six points on the NY DMV's identification scale
Your original, unexpired foreign or out-of-state licence
Proof of New York insurance to register a vehicle
An annual safety and emissions inspection once registered

Step-by-step

1
Assemble six points of ID before booking anything
New York's DMV scores your documents on a points scale and will not proceed below six. A foreign passport, an immigration document and proof of a New York address is the usual combination for a newcomer. Check the published points table against what you actually hold, because the trip is wasted otherwise and reservations at the Erie County offices are not always immediate.
OnlineWho: YouBefore booking
2
Exchange the licence within 30 days of becoming a resident
New York states plainly that a new resident must get a New York State driver licence within 30 days. Whether you sit tests depends on where your existing licence is from — New York has reciprocal arrangements with a specific and short list of jurisdictions, and everyone else takes the written test, and usually a road test after a permit period. Confirm your own country against the DMV's current list rather than another state's.
In personWho: YouWithin 30 days
3
Register the vehicle and book the annual inspection
Every vehicle registered in New York must have a safety inspection every twelve months at a DMV-licensed station, and most also need an emissions inspection on the same annual cycle. Diesel vehicles in the designated area face additional testing. There is no biennial option — this is a yearly errand, and driving on an expired inspection sticker is a ticket the police here actively write.
In personWho: You
4
Buy winter tyres, not all-seasons
This is the single most useful driving purchase you will make in Buffalo, and southern arrivals resist it every year. Lake-effect snow arrives fast and heavy, the plough cannot be everywhere at once, and all-season tyres lose grip well above the temperatures normal here from December to March. Buy a second set on their own rims; the swap then costs minutes twice a year instead of a fitting fee.
In personWho: You
5
Learn how lake-effect forecasting works before your first storm
Bands are narrow and stationary — the Southtowns can take several feet while the Northtowns get nothing, or the reverse, depending on wind direction over Lake Erie. Read the forecast for your own town, not for 'Buffalo'. Install Erie County's ReadyErie preparedness app, keep a shovel, a scraper, a blanket and boots in the car, and treat a driving ban or advisory as instruction rather than opinion.
Mobile appWho: You
6
Apply for NEXUS if you will cross the border regularly
NEXUS is the joint US–Canada trusted traveller programme and it gives you a dedicated lane at the Peace Bridge and the Niagara crossings. In a border city that is a meaningful weekly saving rather than a travel luxury. Application involves a fee, a background check and an interview, and eligibility depends on your citizenship or status — check before you assume.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Documents totalling six points on the NY DMV identification scale
Original, unexpired foreign or out-of-state driver licence
Passport, visa and I-94 where applicable
Proof of New York address and New York insurance
Title and out-of-state registration for a vehicle

Things most newcomers don’t know

New York inspects every car every year, for safety and emissions both.

Arizona has no safety inspection at all and only tests emissions in two metropolitan areas; Rhode Island inspects every two years; New York does it annually and checks the whole vehicle. Someone moving from Phoenix will meet a genuine mechanical bill in their first year on a car that passed everything back home, because the standards being applied are different, not just the calendar.

Source: New York DMV — vehicle inspections

Lake-effect snow is a hyper-local phenomenon and the city-level forecast is useless.

A band a few miles wide can sit over one part of Erie County for a day. The Southtowns and the Northtowns routinely have completely different weather, and where the band sets up depends on the wind direction over Lake Erie. Newcomers read a Buffalo forecast and conclude the warnings are exaggerated, then get caught. Read your own town's forecast, and note that lake-effect largely stops once the lake freezes over.

Source: National Weather Service — Buffalo

NEXUS is normal household infrastructure here, not a frequent-traveller perk.

The Peace Bridge is ten minutes from downtown and Toronto is under two hours. Buffalo residents cross for flights, shopping, sport and family, and the difference between the general queue and the NEXUS lane on a Friday afternoon is measured in the tens of minutes. It requires a fee, a background check and an interview, and eligibility turns on citizenship or immigration status, so check yours early.

Source: US Customs and Border Protection — NEXUS

Transit exists, and it caps your fare automatically.

NFTA Metro runs the bus network and a light rail line along Main Street. A single ride is $2.00, a day pass $5.00 and a seven-day pass $25.00, and regular-fare riders travel free for the rest of the month once they have spent $75 in a calendar month — automatic fare capping, so you never need to decide in advance whether a pass is worth it. For a household weighing a second car against transit through a Buffalo winter, that is a real number.

Source: NFTA Metro — fare information

Common mistakes to avoid

Turning up at the DMV without six points of identification.
Running all-season tyres through a Buffalo winter to save a few hundred dollars.
Assuming another state's inspection cycle applies — New York inspects annually, and both safety and emissions.
Reading the 'Buffalo' snow forecast rather than your own town's during a lake-effect event.
Assuming you are eligible for NEXUS or an Enhanced Driver Licence without checking your status.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.