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
A California address you can evidence
A booked DMV appointment — the binding constraint in Orange County

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 DMV and the Social Security Administration will ask for. Retrieved electronically from the CBP website, free.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
2
Book the DMV appointment before anything else
Vehicle Code 12505 gives you 10 days for the licence and 20 for the vehicle. Orange County DMV offices — Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Laguna Hills, Fullerton — routinely book weeks out, so availability is what actually determines the timetable. Check several offices; the wait varies enormously between them.
OnlineWho: YouDay 1
3
If you will drive for work, do not rely on the ten days
Vehicle Code 12505 expressly provides that a new resident shall not operate a motor vehicle for employment in California without first obtaining a California licence. There is no grace period for that case. If the job involves driving at all, the licence has to come before the first shift.
In personWho: You
4
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
5
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
6
Know that California licenses regardless of immigration status
Unlike Texas, California issues a driving credential without requiring proof of lawful presence — an AB 60 licence, marked as not acceptable for federal identification. If you need a REAL ID-compliant credential for domestic flights, that is a separate document with a full identity and lawful-presence document set. Full federal REAL ID enforcement at airport security began on 7 May 2025.
In personWho: You
7
Register with the consulate and keep a document set
Los Angeles has one of the largest consular corps in the United States and most countries with a substantial Orange County community are represented within an hour's drive. Scan the I-94, visa page, approval notices and SSN card once and keep the set reachable from a phone — you will be asked for them repeatedly across the first year.
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
Proof of a California residential address — two documents for a REAL ID credential
Certified English translations of any non-English documents

Things most newcomers don’t know

The ten-day licence window does not exist if you drive for work.

Vehicle Code 12505 gives new residents ten days on an out-of-state licence and then removes that entirely for anyone operating a vehicle for employment. Every relocation article repeats the ten days and none mentions the exception. If your job involves any driving, the licence is a pre-start task rather than a first-fortnight one.

Source: California Vehicle Code section 12505

Two different clocks: 10 days for the licence, 20 for the vehicle.

People remember one number and apply it to both. The DMV's own new-resident guidance sets vehicle registration at 20 days from becoming a resident or bringing the vehicle in; the licence sits at ten under the Vehicle Code. Diary both separately on arrival.

Source: California DMV — new to California

California licenses drivers regardless of immigration status.

This is the opposite of Texas, which refuses a credential to anyone who cannot document lawful presence. In California an AB 60 licence is available without it, marked as not valid for federal identification. In a metro this car-dependent, that is a materially different position to be in.

Source: California DMV

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

Relying on the ten-day grace period in a job that involves driving, where it does not apply.
Confusing the 10-day licence clock with the 20-day vehicle registration clock.
Booking only the nearest DMV office when another in Orange County is weeks earlier.
Visiting a Social Security office in the first week, before DHS records have synced.
Getting a non-REAL ID credential and discovering it at airport security.

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