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
Proof of Connecticut residency for the DMV

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 DMV 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.
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 Connecticut tax filing and is accepted by many banks and landlords. It confers no right to work.
OnlineWho: You
4
Transfer the licence within 90 days of establishing residency
The Connecticut DMV states that once you establish residency you have 90 days to transfer an out-of-state licence, and 90 days to transfer the vehicle registration. A current licence, or one expired less than two years, transfers with a vision test at a full-service office rather than a road test — a materially easier process than in several neighbouring states.
In personWho: YouWithin 90 days
5
Choose between a REAL ID and a standard credential
A standard licence has not been accepted for domestic flights since 7 May 2025. Connecticut also issues a drive-only credential to residents who cannot document lawful status; it is valid for driving and is explicitly not for federal identification. Bring the full document set to the first appointment so you leave with the one you actually need.
In personWho: You
6
Work out which town you are actually in, and register there
Connecticut has no county government, so the town handles voter registration, refuse, schools, assessment and the tax bill on your car. A 'Hartford' postal address can be in the City of Hartford, West Hartford, Bloomfield or Wethersfield — separate governments with separate mill rates. Establish which one you live in during your first fortnight, because on 1 October the assessor decides who bills you.
In personWho: YouFirst month

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 Connecticut residency
Original out-of-state or foreign driver licence, and the vehicle title and registration

Things most newcomers don’t know

Connecticut abolished county government in 1960 and the counties are now only a statistical label.

There is no county sheriff, no county school district and no county tax anywhere in Connecticut. In 2022 the Census Bureau approved replacing the eight historical counties with the state's nine planning regions as county equivalents, purely for data. Everything that in another state would be a county function is run by one of 169 towns. If you have moved within the US before, the instinct to ask 'which county am I in' is the wrong question here — ask which town.

Source: Connecticut Office of Policy and Management — planning regions

Ninety days for both clocks, and a vision test rather than a road test.

Connecticut gives new residents 90 days for the licence and 90 for the registration, and transfers a current out-of-state licence — or one expired less than two years — on a vision test at a full-service office. Compared with Virginia's 30-day vehicle deadline or Alaska's 10-day one, this is a gentle arrival. The catch is that a licence expired more than two years means a learner's permit, an eight-hour course and a skills test.

Source: Connecticut DMV — transfer an out-of-state licence

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

Where your car is on 1 October decides who taxes it for the year.

Connecticut assesses on a grand list dated 1 October. A vehicle garaged in Hartford that day is on Hartford's list even if you move to Glastonbury in November. Newcomers arriving in the autumn frequently get a bill from a town they no longer live in and assume it is a mistake. It is not — but there are procedures for a vehicle sold or moved out of state, so read the assessor's guidance rather than ignoring the bill.

Source: Connecticut Office of Policy and Management

Common mistakes to avoid

Treating the visa expiry as your permitted stay rather than the I-94 'admit until' date.
Asking which county you are in — Connecticut has no county government.
Assuming a 'Hartford' postal address means the City of Hartford.
Letting an out-of-state licence lapse beyond two years, which turns a vision test into a full skills test.
Paying anyone a fee for a Social Security card — it is free.

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