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
Proof of identity, residency and, for a REAL ID, lawful status for the DMV

Step-by-step

1
Download your I-94 in the first few days
It records your class of admission and your 'admit until' date, and it is what employers, the DMV and the Social Security Administration will ask for. It is generated electronically and retrieved from the CBP website — check the details immediately, since corrections are far easier early.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
2
Wait about ten days, then file Form SS-5 in person
The Social Security Administration verifies your status against DHS records that lag entry by one to two weeks, so an immediate visit usually ends in being sent away. Bring passport, visa and I-94. 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 federal and California tax filing and is accepted by many banks and landlords. It confers no right to work.
OnlineWho: You
4
Book a DMV appointment before you arrive if you can
California expects a new resident to obtain a California licence within ten days of establishing residency. Appointments at the Long Beach field offices book weeks out, though the density of offices across south-east LA County — Long Beach, Bellflower, Lakewood, Torrance — means widening the search by a few miles often finds a slot far sooner than waiting for the nearest one.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
5
Register any vehicle you bring within TWENTY days
This is the deadline that catches people. California gives you twenty days from establishing residency to register an out-of-state vehicle, and the penalty for missing it is a stack of back fees rather than a warning. It is shorter than the licence deadline, and it starts the moment you take a job or a lease here.
In personWho: YouWithin 20 days
6
Decide between a REAL ID and a standard licence
REAL ID enforcement began on 7 May 2025 and hardened on 1 February 2026: a non-compliant licence is no longer accepted on its own at the checkpoint, and TSA routes those travellers into an additional screening process for a fee, which is neither guaranteed to clear you nor a substitute for the card. Treat a compliant licence or your passport as the only dependable way to board. California's REAL ID needs the full document set including proof of lawful status; the state also issues a standard licence to residents who cannot document it, marked federal limits apply. Your passport works for flights either way, so for most newcomers this is a convenience decision.
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
Two proofs of California residency for the DMV — a lease and a utility bill work
Out-of-state title and registration if you brought a vehicle

Things most newcomers don’t know

The twenty-day vehicle deadline is shorter than the licence deadline, and almost nobody knows it.

California gives a new resident ten days to get a licence but only twenty days to register an out-of-state vehicle — and the vehicle clock is the one with real money attached, because late registration accrues penalties calculated from the date residency began rather than the date you noticed. Someone driving here from Phoenix or Portland has a fortnight, not a season, and the smog certification the registration requires takes its own appointment.

Source: California DMV — new registration

California issues a driver licence without proof of lawful presence, and it is marked.

Under AB 60 the state issues a licence to a resident who cannot document lawful presence. It is valid to drive and is accepted by police, and it carries 'federal limits apply' — it cannot be used to board a flight or enter a federal building. It is a genuine difference from most states and it matters to mixed-status households, which are common across Long Beach.

Source: California DMV — new to California

The visa sticker's 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- and ten-year visas routinely assume that is the length of their residence, never check the record, and fall out of status without noticing. The I-94 'admit until' date is the only one that governs.

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

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

SSA verifies 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 about day ten turns two visits into one, and nothing else meaningfully depends on 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.
Missing the twenty-day vehicle registration deadline while concentrating on the ten-day licence one.
Visiting a Social Security office before DHS records have synced.
Only checking the nearest DMV office when four others are within twenty minutes.
Paying anyone a fee for a Social Security card — it is free.

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