Before you start

A valid visa or other admission category
An electronic I-94 record from the CBP website
Work authorisation from DHS for a Social Security number
Documented lawful presence for a Texas driver licence or ID

Step-by-step

1
Download the I-94 in your first few days
It records your class of admission and your 'admit until' date, and it is what employers, DPS and the Social Security Administration will ask to see. It is generated electronically and retrieved from the CBP website. Errors are common and far easier to correct in week one.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
2
Wait about ten days, then file Form SS-5 in person
SSA verifies your status against DHS systems that lag entry by one to two weeks, so an immediate visit usually ends in being sent away. Bring passport, visa and I-94 to a Social Security office. There is no fee for the card.
In personWho: YouFrom ~day 10Free
3
File IRS Form W-7 for an ITIN if you are not work-authorised
Dependants and others without work permission cannot get an SSN. An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number covers tax filing and is accepted by many banks. It grants no right to work.
OnlineWho: You
4
Book a Texas DPS appointment as soon as you have an address
Driver licence offices across the Metroplex run on appointments and wait times can reach several weeks. That is manageable inside 90 days if you book on arrival and stressful if you leave it. Suburban offices in Garland, Carrollton and Mesquite often have earlier slots than central Dallas.
OnlineWho: You
5
Ask for a REAL ID-compliant licence
Since 7 May 2025 a non-compliant state licence cannot be used to board a domestic flight. Texas licences issued on lawful-presence documents are generally compliant, but confirm at the counter and check for the marking on the card. Your passport also works.
In personWho: You
6
Track your own status expiry
Nobody will remind you. USCIS extension and change-of-status petitions run for months, so start well before the I-94 date. Falling out of status is far harder to fix than staying in it.
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
Employment authorisation document or approval notice, where applicable
Two proofs of Texas residency for DPS

Things most newcomers don’t know

Texas requires lawful presence for any state ID; several other states do not.

Texas DPS will not issue a driver licence or state identification card without documentation of lawful presence. Oregon, Washington, New York and California all issue a standard licence without it. If your status is pending, in a gap between petitions, or complicated, this is a hard difference between states — and in a metro area where you cannot function without driving, it is not a small one.

Source: Texas DPS — driver licence requirements

A temporary visa produces a short-term licence and repeated renewals.

Because a Texas licence is capped at the end of your authorised status, a two-year status produces a two-year card rather than the standard multi-year one. Every renewal means presenting current immigration documents again, in person, at an appointment you have to book weeks ahead. It is a recurring administrative cost that nobody budgets for.

Source: Texas DPS — apply for a Texas driver licence

The visa expiry date 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. Holders of five- or ten-year visas routinely assume that is how long they may live here and fall out of status without ever noticing. The I-94 'admit until' date is the only one that governs, and checking it is free.

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

Applying for a Social Security number too early is the classic wasted trip.

SSA checks your status against DHS records that take one to two weeks to sync after entry. Turning up on day two normally means being told to come back. Waiting until roughly day ten turns two trips across a very large metro area into one, and nothing else meaningfully depends on having the number before then.

Source: Social Security Administration — noncitizens and Social Security numbers

Common mistakes to avoid

Treating the visa expiry as your permitted stay rather than the I-94 'admit until' date.
Assuming Texas issues IDs without lawful presence the way Oregon and New York do.
Visiting a Social Security office before DHS records have synced.
Paying anyone a fee for a Social Security card — it is free.
Leaving the DPS appointment to day 80 of 90 and finding no slots anywhere in the Metroplex.

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