Before you start

California residency, as defined by Vehicle Code 12505
A booked DMV appointment
California liability insurance in place before you register
A passing Smog Check, where the vehicle's model year requires one
Proof of a California address

Step-by-step

1
Book the DMV appointment on day one
Orange County offices book out weeks in advance and availability, not the statutory ten and twenty days, is what determines when this happens. Check Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Laguna Hills and Fullerton — the wait varies enormously between them.
OnlineWho: YouDay 1
2
Establish whether you convert or test
California does not have blanket reciprocity: a holder of an out-of-state or foreign licence generally takes the written knowledge test, and a foreign licence holder may also take a behind-the-wheel test. Check your own case with the DMV before booking, because it decides how many appointments you need.
OnlineWho: YouBefore booking
3
Get the Smog Check — it is statewide here, not county-based
California's Smog Check programme applies across the state rather than in designated counties as in Texas. Vehicles of the newest model years are exempt and pay a smog abatement fee instead; older petrol vehicles are tested biennially at licensed stations. A vehicle being registered in California for the first time generally needs a current certificate.
In personWho: YouBefore registration
4
Register the vehicle within 20 days
The DMV's registration fee has a value-based component — the vehicle licence fee is a percentage of the vehicle's value — so an expensive car costs substantially more per year here than in a flat-fee state. Factor that into whether you ship a car or buy locally.
In personWho: YouWithin 20 daysRegistration plus a value-based vehicle licence fee
5
Get a FasTrak transponder in the first week
Orange County's 73, 133, 241 and 261 are privately financed toll roads, largely cashless, and a satnav will route you onto them without asking. Without a transponder or a pre-arranged account the plate is photographed and you receive a violation notice rather than a bill. It is a ten-minute job online.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
6
Work out whether Metrolink or Amtrak serve your journey
Irvine Station sits on Metrolink's Orange County Line and is an Amtrak Pacific Surfliner stop, so Los Angeles, Anaheim, Oceanside and San Diego are all reachable without driving. It is not a substitute for a car within Orange County, but for a Los Angeles trip it beats the 5 and the 405 comprehensively, and it changes the calculation on where in the city to live.
Mobile appWho: You
7
Use the bike network — it is genuinely unusual for a US suburb
Irvine was master-planned with separated paths, greenbelts and undercrossings so that children could reach school without crossing a road, and the result is one of the better everyday cycling networks in any American suburb. For short trips within the city it is faster and less annoying than driving, and it is one of the real quality-of-life dividends of the master plan.
In personWho: You
8
Learn what a red flag warning means before autumn
Autumn Santa Ana winds drive Southern California's most dangerous fire weather, and Irvine's eastern edge is at the wildland interface. On red flag days trails close, and evacuation routes out of the eastern villages are limited. Know your zone and sign up for county emergency alerts before September rather than during it.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Foreign or out-of-state driver licence, with certified English translation if needed
Passport, visa and I-94 where applicable
Social Security number, if issued
Proof of a California residential address
Out-of-state title, a California insurance certificate and a Smog Check certificate for registration

Things most newcomers don’t know

California's smog check is statewide, unlike Texas's county programme.

Texans arriving here look for a list of programme-area counties and there is not one — the Bureau of Automotive Repair runs Smog Check across California, with model-year exemptions rather than geographic ones. It is biennial rather than annual, which is the small consolation.

Source: California Bureau of Automotive Repair — Smog Check

Registration is priced off the car's value, which changes what you should ship.

California's vehicle licence fee is a percentage of the vehicle's value rather than a flat charge, so a new luxury car costs a great deal more to keep registered here than an older one — and far more than the same car in a flat-fee state. Price it before deciding whether to ship a vehicle across the country.

Source: California DMV

The toll roads issue violation notices, not invoices.

Orange County's 73, 133, 241 and 261 are operated by transportation corridor agencies rather than the state, and driving them without an account can produce a penalty rather than a simple toll. A satnav routes onto them by default because they are faster. Open the account before your first drive, not after the letter arrives.

Source: community-reported

Irvine's bike network is a genuine, unusual asset.

The city was planned with grade-separated paths and greenbelts linking the villages to schools and shops, so short local trips by bike are safe and quick in a way they are not in almost any other American suburb. Newcomers default to driving everything and take a year to discover it.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming a foreign licence converts without a written test — in California it usually does not.
Relying on the ten-day licence grace period in a job that involves driving.
Driving the 73, 133, 241 or 261 without a FasTrak account and collecting violation notices.
Shipping an expensive car without pricing California's value-based registration fee.
Booking only one Orange County DMV office when another has appointments weeks earlier.
Ignoring red flag warnings in the eastern villages during Santa Ana season.

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