Before you start

A valid visa or other admission category
An electronic I-94 record retrieved from the CBP website
DHS work authorisation for a Social Security number
Proof of an Ohio address — two documents for a licence or state ID

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 to see. Retrieved electronically from the CBP site; nothing is stamped in the passport any more.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
2
Wait about ten days, then apply for a Social Security number
SSA verifies your status against DHS records that lag entry by one to two weeks, so an immediate visit usually wastes the trip. File Form SS-5 in person with passport, visa and I-94. There is no fee.
In personWho: YouFrom ~day 10Free
3
If you cannot get an SSN, file IRS Form W-7 for an ITIN
An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number lets you file federal, Ohio and municipal returns, and is accepted by many banks. It confers no right to work.
OnlineWho: You
4
Visit a BMV deputy registrar or exam station within 30 days
Ohio's 30-day clock covers the licence, the title and the registration together. The BMV sends no reminder and driving past the deadline is a citable offence. Non-permanent residents follow a specific documentation route set out by the BMV.
In personWho: YouWithin 30 days
5
Bring proof of legal presence, Ohio residency and your full legal name
Ohio requires documents proving identity, legal presence, a Social Security number if issued, and two proofs of Ohio street address. Any document not in English needs a certified translation.
In personWho: You
6
Choose a compliant credential
Since 7 May 2025 a non-compliant state licence cannot board a domestic flight. Ohio issues both compliant and standard credentials and will ask you which you want — the compliant one requires the fuller document set, so bring it all to the first visit rather than returning.
In personWho: 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
Employment authorisation document, where your category requires one
Two documents proving an Ohio street address

Things most newcomers don’t know

One 30-day clock covers three separate things.

Licence, vehicle title and vehicle registration all have to be transferred within 30 days of establishing Ohio residency. People handle the licence and forget the title, which is a separate transaction with its own fee and its own penalty. Do all three in one visit.

Source: Ohio BMV — new to Ohio

Residency starts earlier than it feels like it does.

Ohio treats taking a job, signing a lease or enrolling a child in school as establishing residency. An arrival who spends six weeks in temporary accommodation before 'properly' moving is already past the deadline on the day they sign a lease backdated to their start date.

Source: Ohio BMV — new to Ohio

Your Ohio licence expires when your status does.

Non-permanent residents receive a credential limited to the period of authorised stay rather than the standard multi-year term, and it must be renewed each time status is extended. Driving on an expired licence is a separate offence from being out of status.

Source: Ohio BMV — non-permanent residents

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 plan around the visa date and overstay without realising.

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

Common mistakes to avoid

Transferring the licence within 30 days but forgetting the vehicle title and registration.
Assuming the 30 days runs from when you feel settled rather than from the lease or the job.
Visiting a Social Security office before DHS records have synced.
Turning up without certified translations of non-English documents.
Asking for a standard credential and discovering later it cannot board a flight.

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