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
Documents proving identity, lawful presence and Kansas residency for the licence

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 licence office 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 Wichita.
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 Kansas tax filing and is accepted by many banks and landlords. It confers no right to work.
OnlineWho: You
4
Apply for the Kansas licence within 60 days, not 90
K.S.A. 8-240 provides that failing to apply within 60 days of becoming a Kansas resident adds a penalty to the licence fee. The penalty itself is a token USD 1, so nobody treats it as a hard stop — but the deadline in the statute is 60 days, and the widely-repeated '90 days' is not what the law says. Kansas requires documentary proof of lawful presence, so bring passport, visa and I-94 alongside proof of your Wichita address.
In personWho: YouWithin 60 days
5
Decide whether you want the REAL ID version
A Kansas credential that is not REAL ID-compliant cannot be used to board a domestic flight since 7 May 2025. Kansas issues both, and the compliant one requires the full document set. If you fly domestically at all — and from Wichita almost every trip involves a connection — get the compliant one first time rather than repeating the visit.
In personWho: You
6
Check which county and school district your address is in
This is not a formality in the Wichita metro. A Wichita postal address can sit in USD 259, 260, 262, 265 or 266, and Andover is in Butler County rather than Sedgwick. County decides your mill levy and the rate used for the annual vehicle tax; the district decides your children's schools. Look the parcel up before you sign a lease or a contract.
OnlineWho: YouBefore signing

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 lawful presence for the Kansas driver's licence
Two documents proving your Kansas residential address

Things most newcomers don’t know

The Kansas deadline is 60 days, not the 90 you will read everywhere.

K.S.A. 8-240 attaches a penalty to a licence application made more than 60 days after you become a Kansas resident. Almost every relocation guide says 90, and the discrepancy matters less for the USD 1 penalty than for what it signals: people also assume a 90-day window on the vehicle, and K.S.A. 8-127 does not give one at all — it requires registration before the vehicle is operated in the state. Read the statute rather than the summary.

Source: K.S.A. 8-240 and 8-127

Kansas will not license someone who cannot document lawful presence.

This is a real state-by-state divide and it catches people who have read about a different state. New York, Minnesota, Colorado and Illinois issue a standard licence regardless of immigration status; Kansas, like Texas and Nebraska, requires proof of lawful presence. Bring the immigration documents to the counter and expect them to be examined, not glanced at.

Source: Kansas Division of Vehicles

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.
Assuming Kansas gives 90 days for the licence — the statute says 60.
Arriving at the licence office without documentary proof of lawful presence.
Accepting a non-REAL ID credential and discovering it at airport security.
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.