Before you start

A valid visa or other admission category, and work authorisation from DHS for anything paid
An electronic I-94 record from the CBP website
Evidence of lawful presence, which Ohio requires for a driver licence
Two proofs of an Ohio address
A Social Security number, or documentation of ineligibility

Step-by-step

1
Download your I-94 in the first few days
It records your admission class and 'admit until' date, and it is what employers, the BMV and the Social Security Administration will ask for. Retrieved electronically from the CBP website, free.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
2
Wait about ten days, then apply for a Social Security number
The SSA verifies your status against DHS systems that lag entry by one to two weeks. File Form SS-5 in person with your passport, visa and I-94. There is no fee.
In personWho: YouFrom ~day 10Free
3
If you cannot get an SSN, file for an ITIN
IRS Form W-7 produces an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number for tax filing, accepted by many banks and landlords. It grants no right to work.
OnlineWho: You
4
Choose your STATE before you choose your neighbourhood
Covington, Newport and Fort Thomas are minutes from downtown Cincinnati and are in Kentucky; Lawrenceburg is in Indiana. Which state you live in decides your income tax return, your local payroll fees, which health marketplace you use, which DMV licenses you and which landlord-tenant code applies. Make it a deliberate decision in week one.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
5
Work out which BMV location you need — there are two kinds
Ohio splits the BMV between deputy registrar agencies, which issue licences, titles and plates, and driver exam stations, which conduct knowledge and road tests. A foreign licence holder generally needs both. Plan the sequence before you drive to the wrong one.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
6
Transfer the licence, title and registration within 30 days
Ohio's window covers all three, not just the licence. Bring the lawful-presence documents, two proofs of Ohio address, and the out-of-state title if you brought a vehicle.
In personWho: YouWithin 30 days
7
Establish which municipality and school district you are actually in
A 'Cincinnati, OH' postal address may sit in Norwood, Saint Bernard, Elmwood Place, Cheviot, Deer Park or unincorporated township land, each with its own municipal income tax rate, and the school district is drawn separately again. This determines your local tax rate, whether a school district income tax applies and which police force answers. Check the specific parcel on the county's lookup.
OnlineWho: You
8
Keep a copy of every immigration document in two places
The I-94, visa page, approval notices and SSN card are asked for repeatedly across the first year — by employers, banks, landlords, the BMV and the marketplace. Scan them once and keep the set reachable from a phone.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport with valid visa
I-94 admission record from the CBP website
Form SS-5 for a Social Security number, or IRS Form W-7 for an ITIN
Two proofs of an Ohio residential address
Certified English translations of any non-English documents
Evidence of lawful presence — required for any Ohio driver licence

Things most newcomers don’t know

Choosing a neighbourhood here is choosing a state, and almost nobody realises that in week one.

Covington and Newport are a ten-minute walk across the Roebling bridge from downtown Cincinnati and they are in Kentucky. Lawrenceburg is a half-hour drive west and is in Indiana. Your income tax filing, your local payroll fees, your health marketplace, your driver licensing authority and your tenancy law all change with that choice, and none of it is visible from a rental listing. Decide the state first, then the neighbourhood.

Source: community-reported

The BMV is two different organisations as far as you are concerned.

Deputy registrar agencies issue licences, titles and plates. Driver exam stations run the knowledge and road tests. They are separate places with separate hours, and a newcomer converting a foreign licence needs both in the right order. This trips people up far more often than the 30-day deadline does.

Source: Ohio BMV

Ohio will not license a resident who cannot prove lawful presence.

Like Texas and Nebraska, and unlike California, Maryland or Illinois, Ohio requires documentation of lawful presence for a driver licence. In a hilly metro where transit is a bus network plus a short streetcar loop, that makes the immigration paperwork and the ability to get to work the same problem.

Source: Ohio BMV

The visa sticker's expiry is not your permission to stay.

A visa authorises travel to a port of entry; the officer there decides how long you may remain and records it on the I-94. People routinely plan around the wrong date and discover the error at renewal.

Source: US Customs and Border Protection — I-94 record

Common mistakes to avoid

Signing a lease in Covington or Newport without realising it changes your state.
Driving to a deputy registrar for a test, or an exam station for a licence.
Visiting a Social Security office in the first week, before DHS records have synced.
Letting the 30-day window pass on the vehicle title, which people forget is included.
Assuming a Cincinnati postal address means the City of Cincinnati governs it.

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