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
Proof of US citizenship or lawful immigration status, which Nebraska requires for a driver licence
At least two documents proving a Nebraska address
A Social Security number, or documentation of exemption

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 Nebraska licensing will ask for the number or for proof you are exempt.
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
Get the Nebraska licence within 30 days
Nebraska requires a new resident holding a valid licence from elsewhere to convert within 30 days. Bring proof of citizenship or lawful status, two proofs of a Nebraska address, and your Social Security number or exemption evidence. A vision test is always required; whether a written or road test is added depends on what you can surrender.
In personWho: YouWithin 30 days
5
Title and register the vehicle at the county treasurer, not the DMV
Titles and registrations in Nebraska go through your county motor vehicle office. That is a separate visit to a separate building from the licence, and the county office is where the $10 sheriff's VIN inspection required of a new resident's vehicle is arranged.
In personWho: YouWithin 30 days
6
Decide which state you are actually living in
Council Bluffs, Carter Lake and the rest of the Iowa side are part of this metro and a short drive from downtown Omaha, but they are Iowa. Your licence, your vehicle rules, your landlord-tenant law, your state income tax return and your Medicaid programme all change at the river. Make that a deliberate decision before you sign a lease.
OnlineWho: You
7
Keep a copy of every immigration document in two places
The I-94, visa page, approval notices and SSN card are asked for repeatedly across the first year — by employers, banks, landlords, the DMV and the 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 documents proving a Nebraska residential address
Certified English translations of any non-English documents
Proof of US citizenship or lawful immigration status — required for any Nebraska driver licence

Things most newcomers don’t know

Licences and number plates are two different agencies in two different buildings.

The Nebraska DMV handles driver licensing; your county treasurer's motor vehicle office handles titles, registration and plates. Newcomers routinely turn up at one expecting the other, and the 30-day clock runs on both simultaneously. Do the licence and the vehicle as two separate errands, planned as such.

Source: Nebraska DMV

The 'inspection' a new resident's car needs is not a test it can fail.

Nebraska has no safety inspection and no emissions testing anywhere in the state. What a new resident needs is a $10 sheriff's inspection at the county office, which verifies the vehicle identification number against the out-of-state title. People arrive braced for a smog check and are relieved; people who assume no inspection at all are turned away at the counter.

Source: Nebraska DMV — new to Nebraska

Nebraska will not license a resident who cannot document lawful status.

Like Texas and Ohio, and unlike California, Illinois or Maryland, Nebraska requires proof of US citizenship or lawful immigration status for a driver licence. In a metro where transit is thin outside a few corridors, that makes the immigration paperwork and the ability to get to work the same problem. Sequence accordingly.

Source: Nebraska DMV

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

Going to the DMV for plates, or the county treasurer for a licence.
Visiting a Social Security office in the first week, before DHS records have synced.
Letting the 30-day window lapse on the vehicle, which is a separate clock from the licence.
Arriving without two documents evidencing a Nebraska address.
Signing a lease in Council Bluffs without realising it changes your state entirely.

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