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
Proof of lawful presence, which both Missouri and Kansas require for a driver licence
Proofs of address in the state you actually live in
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, both states' licensing agencies and the Social Security Administration will ask for. Retrieved electronically from the CBP website, free.
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
Decide which state you live in before you sign anything
This is the step that has no equivalent in any other city in this app. Run your actual salary through both states' income tax, add the 1% Kansas City earnings tax if you will live or work inside the city limits, add Missouri's annual personal property tax on your car or Kansas's vehicle tax, and check whether Medicaid exists as a fallback for your household. The difference is not marginal.
OnlineWho: YouBefore the lease
5
Licence and register in the state you live in
Missouri handles both through Department of Revenue licence offices, most of them contracted out and walk-in; Kansas runs its own network. Bring lawful-presence documents, proof of the address and your Social Security number or documentation of ineligibility. Ask for the REAL ID-compliant credential and bring the full document set in one visit.
In personWho: YouWithin 30 days on the Missouri side
6
On the Missouri side, get a Statement of Non-Assessment first
Before your county licence office will register a vehicle, the county assessor must confirm you owed no personal property tax for the prior year. That document — the tax waiver — comes from the assessor, not the licence office, and getting it first saves a wasted trip.
In personWho: 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, both states' licensing agencies 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
Proofs of a residential address in the state you actually live in
Certified English translations of any non-English documents
Evidence of lawful presence — required for a licence in both Missouri and Kansas
Statement of Non-Assessment from the county assessor, for a first Missouri vehicle registration

Things most newcomers don’t know

Choosing a side of the state line is a bigger financial decision than choosing a neighbourhood.

Income tax rate and deduction, the tax on your car, whether Medicaid covers you, the grocery sales tax, the school district and the vehicle inspection rules all change at the line. In every other city in this app the neighbourhood decision is about commute and rent. Here it is also about which state government you live under, and the gap runs to thousands of dollars a year for a normal household.

Source: Missouri Department of Revenue / Kansas Department of Revenue

The two Kansas Citys are genuinely different cities, and mail proves it.

Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas are separate municipalities in separate states with separate governments — not a city and its suburb. Addresses, tax jurisdictions, police forces and school districts all differ. Newcomers routinely give an employer or a bank the wrong one and then spend months untangling withholding.

Source: City of Kansas City, Missouri

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

Missouri's licence offices are contracted out, and that is good news.

Rather than a handful of state-run DMVs, Missouri licenses through a dense network of contracted offices, most of which take walk-ins. For a newcomer with several transactions to do this is materially less painful than the appointment-only systems in the coastal states in this app — but the offices differ in what they handle, so check before driving over.

Source: Missouri Department of Revenue

Common mistakes to avoid

Signing a lease before modelling your salary on both sides of the state line.
Visiting a Social Security office in the first week, before DHS records have synced.
Arriving at a Missouri licence office to register a car without a Statement of Non-Assessment.
Assuming Kansas's licensing rules and timetable match Missouri's. They do not.
Giving an employer a 'Kansas City' address without specifying the state, and having withholding set up wrong.

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

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