Before you start

Pennsylvania residency and two proofs of a Pennsylvania address
Pennsylvania minimum liability insurance in place before you register
Certified English translation of any non-English licence
The vehicle's out-of-state title, not just the registration
A completed Form DL-180R for the licence transfer

Step-by-step

1
Transfer the licence within 60 days
Walk into any PennDOT driver licence centre with Form DL-180R, proof of identity, your Social Security card and two Pennsylvania address proofs. A valid out-of-state licence generally converts on surrender after a vision screening. Expect no appointment requirement, and expect a queue instead.
In personWho: YouWithin 60 days
2
Establish whether you convert or test
A valid licence from another US state generally converts. A foreign licence usually means the knowledge test and the road test unless a specific reciprocity arrangement applies. Confirm your own country's treatment with PennDOT before turning up, because the answer changes how many visits you need.
OnlineWho: YouBefore you go
3
Title, register and get the plate
Bring the out-of-state title, proof of Pennsylvania insurance and a completed application. Pennsylvania authorised agents — many are private tag services rather than PennDOT offices — can do this faster than the state centres, for a service fee. A VIN verification is required for vehicles coming from out of state.
In personWho: YouSoon after arrival
4
Book the safety inspection and, in Allegheny County, the emissions test
Pennsylvania requires an annual safety inspection at a licensed garage, and Allegheny County is one of the counties inside the emissions inspection programme, so registered vehicles here need both. Arriving from a state with no inspection regime is the commonest way people miss this; the sticker on the windscreen is what gets checked.
In personWho: YouWithin the first registration year
5
Choose full or limited tort deliberately when you buy insurance
Pennsylvania is one of a small number of states that make you choose between 'full tort' and 'limited tort'. Limited tort is cheaper and gives up your right to sue for pain and suffering in most circumstances. It is a real trade, it is presented as a checkbox, and it is easy to accept a default you did not understand. Read the notice before signing.
OnlineWho: YouBefore registering
6
Work out whether you need the car every day
Pittsburgh Regional Transit runs a light rail line south from downtown, three dedicated busways and the two inclines. Living car-free genuinely works in downtown, the Strip, Lawrenceville, Oakland, Shadyside, Squirrel Hill and the South Side flats; it stops working abruptly in the hill neighbourhoods and the outer boroughs. Decide before you commit to a place with no parking.
OnlineWho: You
7
Test the actual commute, including the tunnels
Interstate 376 threads the region through the Fort Pitt and Squirrel Hill tunnels and both are chronic bottlenecks — a commute that Google says is 20 minutes can be 50 at the wrong hour. If your job is on the other side of a tunnel from your flat, drive it at the real time of day before you sign anything.
In personWho: YouBefore signing a lease

Documents you’ll need

Foreign or out-of-state driver licence, with certified English translation if needed
Form DL-180R and proof of identity
Social Security card, or evidence of ineligibility
Two proofs of a Pennsylvania residential address
The vehicle's out-of-state title and a Pennsylvania insurance certificate

Things most newcomers don’t know

Pennsylvania makes you pick full or limited tort, and most states do not.

Limited tort trades away your right to recover for pain and suffering after most crashes in exchange for a lower premium. It is a permanent, consequential choice presented as a line on a form, and newcomers routinely take the cheaper option without registering what it means. Ask the agent to explain it out loud before you initial it.

Source: Pennsylvania Insurance Department

Allegheny County requires an emissions test as well as the safety inspection.

Pennsylvania's annual safety inspection is statewide; emissions testing applies only in specified counties, and Allegheny is one of them. People moving from a rural Pennsylvania county — or from a state with no inspection at all — get caught by the second sticker, not the first.

Source: PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services

The tunnels are the commute, not the miles.

Two road tunnels carry the entire regional traffic load through the hills, and both back up predictably. Distance on a map tells you almost nothing about drive time here; which side of the Fort Pitt or Squirrel Hill tunnel you live on tells you nearly everything. It is the single most useful question to ask about any address.

Source: community-reported

Off-street parking is worth more than the rent difference.

In Lawrenceville, the South Side flats, Bloomfield and much of the East End the streets are narrow, permit-zoned and on a hill. A flat with a dedicated space is easier to live in through a Pittsburgh winter than one without, and the premium is usually smaller than the aggravation it removes.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Letting the 60-day window elapse and collecting citations on top of the paperwork.
Choosing limited tort without understanding what right you gave up.
Assuming the safety inspection sticker covers you in Allegheny County — emissions is separate.
Judging a commute on map distance rather than on which side of a tunnel it is.
Signing a lease on a steep street with no off-street parking before seeing it in winter.
Planning to take the road test in a rental car, which most agreements forbid.

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