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 name, date of birth, legal presence, identity and two proofs of Wisconsin residency

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, and there is an SSA field office in Madison.
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 Wisconsin tax filing and is accepted by many banks and landlords. It confers no right to work.
OnlineWho: You
4
Apply for the Wisconsin licence within 60 days
WisDOT gives a new resident 60 days to obtain a regular Wisconsin driver licence, and only 30 days for a commercial one. You apply in person at a DMV service centre with proof of name and date of birth, legal presence, identity, your Social Security number and two proofs of Wisconsin residency. You leave with a paper receipt valid for 45 days and the card arrives by post within about ten business days.
In personWho: YouWithin 60 days
5
Ask specifically for the REAL ID-compliant credential
Wisconsin issues both a REAL ID-compliant licence and a non-compliant one, and the non-compliant card is marked as not valid for federal identification — it cannot board a domestic flight since 7 May 2025. The compliant version needs the full document set at the counter. Ask for it explicitly rather than finding out at the airport, which is the standard Wisconsin mistake.
In personWho: You
6
Use the university and employer immigration offices — they are unusually good here
UW-Madison runs a large international services operation and Epic and the biotech employers process H-1B and J-1 cases at volume. If you are attached to any of them, their advisers know Wisconsin-specific answers — the DMV's document list, the SSA office's habits, the tax treaty position — that a general immigration lawyer will bill you to look up.
Via employerWho: You and your employer

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 legal presence for the Wisconsin driver licence
Two documents proving your Wisconsin residential address

Things most newcomers don’t know

Wisconsin's non-REAL-ID licence is a real product, and it will fail you at an airport.

Wisconsin issues both compliant and non-compliant credentials, and the non-compliant one carries a marking saying it is not valid for federal identification. Since 7 May 2025 it cannot be used to board a domestic flight. It is not obviously worse at the counter, and staff do not always ask which you want. Say 'REAL ID' out loud and bring the full document set.

Source: WisDOT — driver licence application

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

Sixty days sounds generous until you meet the August housing rush.

Madison's rental market turns over almost entirely on 15 August, when the student leases end. A newcomer arriving in July or August is competing for a flat, arranging a lease, registering a car and getting to a DMV appointment in the same three weeks the whole city is moving. If you can time your arrival for September or January, everything on this list gets easier at once.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Treating the visa expiry as your permitted stay rather than the I-94 'admit until' date.
Accepting a non-REAL-ID Wisconsin credential and discovering it at airport security.
Arriving at the DMV without two separate proofs of Wisconsin residency.
Timing an arrival for mid-August, when the entire city changes address at once.
Paying anyone a fee for a Social Security card, which is free.

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