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
A Nevada address for the DMV, the work card and most account applications
For gaming roles: a job offer, since Gaming Control Board registration is employer-linked

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 DMV 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 and no charge for the card.
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
Find out whether your job needs a work card, before you accept it
Clark County requires a work card for a wide range of positions including alcohol service, security and many casino-floor-adjacent roles. Ask the employer explicitly which card and which registration your specific title needs — the answer differs between the City of Las Vegas, Clark County, Henderson and North Las Vegas.
Via employerWho: You and your employerAt offer stage
5
Apply for the work card through Las Vegas Metropolitan Police
The application involves fingerprinting and a criminal-history check, and is submitted through LVMPD's records and fingerprint bureau. Fees and turnaround are published by the department and change — confirm the current schedule rather than budgeting from a forum post.
In personWho: YouAllow weeks, not daysA published LVMPD fee — verify the current amount
6
Register with the Gaming Control Board if the role is a gaming one
Gaming employees register with the Nevada Gaming Control Board, separately from the police work card. This is state occupational licensing, tied to the employer, and it is why a casino start date is often quoted as conditional.
Via employerWho: You, through your employer
7
Book the Nevada DMV and ask for a REAL ID
Since 7 May 2025 a non-compliant state licence cannot be used to board a domestic flight. Nevada issues REAL ID-compliant licences and IDs; bring the full document set, because a second trip means a second appointment. Your passport also works for domestic flights.
In personWho: YouWithin 30 days of becoming a resident

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
Proof of Nevada residence — a lease, a utility bill, or a bank statement showing the address
Fingerprints and identity documents for the LVMPD work card
Certified English translations of any non-English documents

Things most newcomers don’t know

The work card is the local bureaucracy nobody warns you about.

In most American cities a job offer plus work authorisation is enough to start. In Clark County a broad slice of the job market additionally needs a police-issued work card, and gaming roles need state registration on top. Both involve background checks with timelines you cannot compress, which is why offers here are so often 'conditional on your card'. Ask at offer stage, not on day one.

Source: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department — records and fingerprint bureau

Four separate governments run the valley, and the Strip is in none of the cities.

Las Vegas Boulevard South sits in unincorporated Clark County. Henderson and North Las Vegas are their own municipalities with their own licensing. Business licences, permits, code enforcement and even some work-card requirements differ between them, so 'Las Vegas' on your address line does not tell you which counter you belong at.

Source: Clark County / City of Las Vegas

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 foil and overstay without realising, which has consequences far beyond the trip.

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

Nevada has no state income tax, so it also has no state tax ID to collect.

Several of the administrative steps other states impose simply do not exist here — no state withholding certificate, no state return, no state revenue account for an employee. It genuinely shortens the arrival checklist, and it is the reason the work card looms larger by comparison.

Source: Nevada Department of Taxation

Common mistakes to avoid

Accepting a start date without asking whether the role needs a work card or Gaming Control Board registration.
Visiting a Social Security office in the first week, before DHS records have synced.
Assuming your address is in the City of Las Vegas when it is in unincorporated Clark County, Henderson or North Las Vegas.
Turning up at the DMV without the full REAL ID document set and losing the appointment slot.
Arriving without certified English translations of non-English identity documents.

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