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
Documentation of lawful status, required by the BMV for any credential
An Indiana address, evidenced with two documents
A Social Security number, or a letter of ineligibility from the SSA

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 records that lag entry by one to two weeks, so going in on day two usually wastes the trip. 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
Apply for the Indiana driver's licence or state ID within 60 days
Indiana gives new residents 60 days to convert. Take the passport, visa, I-94, Social Security card and two proofs of an Indiana address to a BMV branch. Non-citizen applications are handled at the branch and the credential's expiry is tied to your authorised stay.
In personWho: YouWithin 60 days of establishing residency
5
Establish which municipality and township you are in
Marion County contains four excluded cities with their own governments — Beech Grove, Lawrence, Southport and Speedway — plus nine townships that organise the school districts and the trustee's office. Both facts change who you deal with for permits, schools and local services, and neither is visible in a postal address.
OnlineWho: You
6
Register with the Mayor's Action Center for city services
Indianapolis does not use 311. Potholes, code complaints, bulk pickup and animal control go through the Mayor's Action Center by phone or through the city's request system. Note the number before you need it.
OnlineWho: You
7
Keep a copy of every immigration document in two places
The I-94, visa page, approval notices and SSN card get asked for repeatedly across the first year — by employers, banks, landlords, the BMV and the health 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 Indiana residential address
Certified English translations of any non-English documents
Documentation of lawful status, required by the BMV

Things most newcomers don’t know

A 'Indianapolis' address may be governed by another city entirely.

Unigov consolidated the city and Marion County in 1970 but excluded Beech Grove, Lawrence, Southport and Speedway, which still run their own police, courts and ordinances. Residents there pay county taxes and vote for the Unigov mayor, but the municipality they actually live in handles permits, code enforcement and local policing. Check the specific address, not the postal town — this is the same trap San Antonio's enclaves set, and it catches people the same way.

Source: City of Indianapolis and Marion County / Indiana Code Title 36 Article 3

Townships are a live layer of government, not a historical curiosity.

Marion County's nine townships organise school districts and elect trustees who administer emergency assistance for rent, utilities and funerals. For a newcomer that means two things: the school your children attend is determined by township, and if you hit a crisis there is a local office designed for exactly that. Almost no other US metro has this.

Source: City of Indianapolis and Marion County

The 60-day licence window is short by US standards.

Texas gives new residents 90 days and several states give longer. Indiana gives 60, and the same 60 days applies to titling an out-of-state vehicle — with a $30 administrative penalty per vehicle for a late title application. Do both in the same trip.

Source: Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles

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

Letting the 60-day licence and title window lapse and paying the title penalty.
Visiting a Social Security office in the first week, before DHS records have synced.
Arriving at the BMV without documentation of lawful status.
Assuming an Indianapolis postal address means the City of Indianapolis governs it.
Looking for a 311 line that does not exist here.

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

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