Before you start

A valid visa or other admission category
An electronic I-94 record retrieved from the CBP website
DHS work authorisation for a Social Security number
Proof of a Missouri address — two documents for a licence or ID

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 licence office and the Social Security Administration will ask to see. Retrieved electronically from the CBP site.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
2
Wait about ten days, then apply for a Social Security number
SSA verifies your status against DHS records that lag entry by one to two weeks. File Form SS-5 in person with passport, visa and I-94. There is no fee.
In personWho: YouFrom ~day 10Free
3
If you cannot get an SSN, file IRS Form W-7 for an ITIN
An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number lets you file federal, Missouri and city earnings tax returns, and is accepted by many banks. It confers no right to work.
OnlineWho: You
4
Go to a Missouri licence office within 30 days
Missouri contracts licence offices to local operators rather than running state DMV branches, so opening hours and queues vary considerably between them. Lawfully present non-citizens must present unexpired immigration documents; the credential is then issued only for the duration of the authorised stay.
In personWho: YouWithin 30 days
5
If you live in the City, use city offices for everything county-shaped
The City of St. Louis is not in any county. Its assessor, collector of revenue and recorder of deeds sit at City Hall on Market Street. Anyone directing you to 'the county' for a tax waiver or a record is directing you to a different government entirely.
In personWho: You
6
Ask for a REAL ID-compliant credential
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. Missouri issues both compliant and standard credentials — the compliant one needs the fuller document set, so bring everything to the first visit.
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
Employment authorisation document, where your category requires one
Two documents proving a Missouri residential address

Things most newcomers don’t know

Every 'county' office you need is a city office if you live in the City.

Because St. Louis City belongs to no county, functions that are county-level everywhere else in Missouri — assessment, collection, recording, the circuit court — are performed by the city itself. Search results, form instructions and even other Missourians will send you to St. Louis County, which is a different government with different staff who cannot help you.

Source: City of St. Louis

Missouri licence offices are contracted out, so they are not interchangeable.

The state contracts licence office operations to local agents rather than running uniform state branches. Hours, wait times, card payment acceptance and staff familiarity with immigration documents vary noticeably between offices. It is worth asking a colleague which one to use rather than picking the nearest.

Source: Missouri Department of Revenue

Your Missouri licence expires when your status does.

Lawfully present non-citizens receive a credential limited to the period of authorised stay rather than the standard multi-year term, and each extension of status means another visit. Driving on an expired licence is a separate offence from being out of status.

Source: Missouri Department of Revenue

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 date and overstay without realising.

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

Common mistakes to avoid

Going to a St. Louis County office when you live in the City — they are separate governments.
Missing the 30-day deadline because the licence and the plates are two separate errands.
Visiting a Social Security office before DHS records have synced.
Asking for a standard credential and discovering later it cannot board a flight.
Turning up without two acceptable proofs of a Missouri address.

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