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 an Alabama address
The full STAR ID document set, if you want the REAL ID-compliant credential

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 Driver License Division 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, so an application filed on day two is usually rejected. File Form SS-5 in person with your passport, visa and I-94. There is no fee.
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
Note the 30-day licence window and find the right office
A new Alabama resident with a valid out-of-state licence may drive on it for 30 days after establishing residency. Licensing is run by ALEA's Driver License Division through examining offices, and in many Alabama counties the probate office or licence commissioner handles the transaction — so 'where is the DMV' is the wrong question. Check ALEA's office list for Jefferson County before you set out.
In personWho: YouWithin 30 days
5
Ask for the STAR ID if you will fly domestically
Alabama's REAL ID-compliant credential is the STAR ID and it requires a fuller document set than an ordinary licence — identity, Social Security number and two Alabama residency documents. Full federal enforcement at airport security began on 7 May 2025. Bring everything the first time; a second trip is a wasted morning.
In personWho: You
6
Work out which city you actually live in, and which school system
The metro is a patchwork of separate incorporated cities — Homewood, Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills, Hoover, Irondale, Trussville, Bessemer, Fairfield — and Alabama lets a city run its own school system entirely separate from the county's. Birmingham City Schools, Jefferson County Schools, Homewood City Schools, Mountain Brook City Schools and several more all exist side by side, and the city boundary is what decides which you are in. Check both against the exact street address.
OnlineWho: You
7
Understand what the occupational tax will do to your payslip
If your workplace is inside the Birmingham city limits, your employer withholds the city's 1% occupational tax on your wages regardless of where you live. It is not a residence tax and moving to a suburb does not avoid it. Confirm the current rate with the city's Tax and License Division and factor it into any offer comparison.
Via employerWho: 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
Out-of-state or foreign driver licence
Two proofs of an Alabama residential address, for the STAR ID
Certified English translations of any non-English documents

Things most newcomers don’t know

There is no Alabama DMV building to go to.

Licensing runs through ALEA's Driver License Division examining offices, and in many counties the probate judge's office or the licence commissioner handles renewals and duplicates. Searching for 'Alabama DMV' produces a state web page rather than a place, and newcomers lose time going to the wrong counter. Start from ALEA's own office list.

Source: Alabama Law Enforcement Agency

Alabama gives you thirty days, and it starts when you become a resident.

A valid out-of-state licence carries you for 30 days after you establish residency, and a licence expired less than a year generally converts without an examination. It is a shorter window than Texas's 90 days and a longer one than California's 10, and people arriving from either get it wrong in opposite directions.

Source: Alabama Law Enforcement Agency — driver licence information

The city boundary decides your school system, not the county.

Alabama lets municipalities run school systems entirely independent of the county's, and the Birmingham metro has a large number of them — Mountain Brook, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Hoover, Trussville and more, alongside Birmingham City Schools and Jefferson County Schools. Which city you live in is therefore a schooling decision as much as a tax one, and postal addresses conceal it.

Source: community-reported

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

Looking for a state DMV office when Alabama licenses through ALEA offices and county probate offices.
Letting the 30-day window run out because you assumed a Texas-style 90 days.
Getting an ordinary licence rather than a STAR ID and discovering it at airport security.
Visiting a Social Security office in the first week, before DHS records have synced.
Assuming a Birmingham postal address means the City of Birmingham and Birmingham City Schools.

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