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
Evidence of lawful presence, which Texas requires for a driver licence
A Texas address, evidenced for the licensing application
A booked DPS appointment

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, DPS and the Social Security Administration will ask for. Retrieved electronically from the CBP website, free. On the border you will refer to it more often than most people do.
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. 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
Book a DPS driver licence appointment immediately
Texas gives new residents 90 days, but appointment availability at El Paso-area DPS offices is the binding constraint and slots go weeks out. Book as soon as you have a Texas address you can evidence, and treat any cancellation slot as a win.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
5
Understand exactly what your status permits before you cross for the first time
Leaving the United States and returning is an admission, and each one is decided at the port of entry. Some categories re-enter routinely, some need a valid visa stamp rather than just an approval notice, some need advance parole, and an expired stamp with valid status is a common and expensive trap. Check your own category before a casual first trip to Juárez, not while standing in the lane.
OnlineWho: YouBefore any crossing
6
Consider SENTRI once your status is settled
SENTRI gives dedicated northbound lanes at the El Paso crossings and turns a variable wait into a predictable one. It requires an application, a fee, a background check and an in-person interview, and eligibility depends on your status and history. It is a normal thing for a border household to hold; it is not a substitute for having your immigration position right.
OnlineWho: You
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, DPS and the marketplace, and on this border by CBP. 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 Texas residential address, as specified by DPS
Certified English translations of any non-English documents
Evidence of lawful presence — required for any Texas driver licence

Things most newcomers don’t know

On this border, your immigration paperwork is a weekly document, not an annual one.

In most US cities a newcomer's status paperwork sits in a drawer between renewals. In El Paso, crossing to Juárez for family, dentistry, food or work is ordinary, and every return is a fresh admission decided at the port of entry. Categories that re-enter without difficulty and categories that need a valid visa stamp or advance parole look identical until the first crossing. Know which you are before you go, not after.

Source: US Customs and Border Protection

Texas will not license a resident who cannot prove lawful presence.

Some states — California, Illinois, Maryland among them — issue a driving credential regardless of immigration status. Texas does not. In a metro this spread out, with one bus network and a heritage streetcar, that makes the immigration paperwork and the ability to get to work the same problem.

Source: Texas Department of Public Safety

The 90-day rule is not the constraint; the appointment calendar is.

Texas gives new residents 90 days to convert, which sounds ample. DPS appointment slots routinely run weeks out, so someone who starts looking at day 70 can miss the deadline through no fault of their own. Book in week one and gather documents afterwards.

Source: Texas Department of Public Safety

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 — or, here, at a bridge.

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

Common mistakes to avoid

Crossing to Juárez casually before checking what your category needs for re-entry.
Waiting until late in the 90-day window and finding no DPS appointments.
Visiting a Social Security office in the first week, before DHS records have synced.
Arriving at DPS without complete lawful-presence documentation.
Assuming a valid status also means a valid visa stamp for re-entry. It frequently does not.

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