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
Documentation of legal presence, which North Carolina requires for a driver licence
Two proofs of a North Carolina address
A Social Security number, or documentation of ineligibility

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 NCDMV and the Social Security Administration will ask for. Retrieved electronically from the CBP website, free.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
2
Book an NCDMV appointment immediately, before you need it
This is the single most useful thing in this guide. Mecklenburg County offices are heavily booked; appointments are released on a rolling basis and are taken quickly. Book as soon as you have an address, and check offices in Gaston, Cabarrus, Union and Iredell counties — a forty-minute drive frequently saves six weeks.
OnlineWho: YouDay 1
3
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.
In personWho: YouFrom ~day 10Free
4
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
5
Get the vehicle inspected before you try to register it
North Carolina requires an annual safety inspection statewide and an emissions inspection in a group of counties that includes Mecklenburg. The inspection has to be passed and recorded electronically before the registration will issue, so it comes before the DMV visit, not after.
In personWho: You
6
Licence and register within 60 days
Bring legal-presence documents, two proofs of North Carolina address, your Social Security number or documentation of ineligibility, proof of North Carolina liability insurance, and the out-of-state title. Ask for the REAL ID-compliant credential and bring the full document set in one visit.
In personWho: YouWithin 60 days
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 proofs of a North Carolina residential address
Certified English translations of any non-English documents
Evidence of legal presence — required for any North Carolina driver licence
Proof of North Carolina liability insurance, required before registration

Things most newcomers don’t know

Book the DMV appointment on day one, and look outside Mecklenburg County.

The 60-day window sounds generous and then the appointment calendar eats it. Mecklenburg offices are the most heavily booked in the state; offices in Gaston, Cabarrus, Union and Iredell counties are often weeks quicker and are a short drive. This is the most common way newcomers miss the deadline and it is entirely avoidable.

Source: NC Division of Motor Vehicles

The vehicle inspection comes before the registration, not after.

North Carolina links the inspection record to the registration electronically, so a car that has not passed cannot be registered. Newcomers plan the DMV visit and discover this at the counter. Get the inspection done at any licensed station first — they are on almost every commercial street.

Source: NC Division of Motor Vehicles

There is no local income tax anywhere in North Carolina.

Several US cities in this app levy their own income tax — Columbus, Detroit, Baltimore, Kansas City. North Carolina prohibits it statewide, so a job in Charlotte and a home in Matthews or Fort Mill produces no municipal arithmetic at all. It is one of the cleanest tax positions of any large American city.

Source: North Carolina 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 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

Waiting to book an NCDMV appointment until you are ready, and finding the calendar full past your 60-day deadline.
Visiting a Social Security office in the first week, before DHS records have synced.
Arriving to register a car that has not passed its North Carolina inspection.
Arriving at the DMV without complete legal-presence documentation.
Assuming the 60-day window applies only to the licence. It covers the vehicle too.

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