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 Kentucky residency — two documents if you want a REAL ID
A Social Security card, 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, the licensing office 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
Go to a Driver Licensing Regional Office within 30 days
Licensing moved out of the county circuit court clerks' offices to state-run Regional Offices, so a courthouse is the wrong building. Appointments can be booked online. Take proof of legal presence, your Social Security card, proof of Kentucky residency and your existing credential.
In personWho: YouWithin 30 days
5
Decide between a standard credential and a REAL ID
Kentucky calls its REAL ID a Travel ID. It costs a few dollars more and needs two proofs of Kentucky residency rather than one, and you choose a four-year or an eight-year term. A standard Kentucky licence will not board a domestic flight or enter a federal building, so if you fly at all, do it in one visit.
In personWho: You
6
Establish whether your address is in Metro or in a home rule city
Louisville Metro covers the whole of Jefferson County for most services, but around 80 small cities inside it — Anchorage, Shively, St Matthews, Jeffersontown, Prospect and many smaller ones — kept their own governments. They set their own property tax rates, may add their own occupational licence fee, and several run their own police. Find out which one you are in before your first payroll and your first parking ticket.
OnlineWho: You
7
Keep a copy of every immigration document in two places
The I-94, the visa page, the approval notices and the SSN card get asked for repeatedly across the first year — by employers, banks, landlords, the licensing office and the marketplace. Scan them once and keep the set somewhere you can reach 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
Proof of Kentucky residency dated within the last year — two documents for a Travel ID
Existing out-of-state or foreign driver licence
Certified English translations of any non-English documents

Things most newcomers don’t know

Kentucky licensing is no longer done at the courthouse.

For decades you got a Kentucky licence from the county circuit court clerk. The Transportation Cabinet took the function over and consolidated it into Driver Licensing Regional Offices with online booking, four- or eight-year terms and mail renewal for those who qualify. Advice written before the change — including a good deal of what is still online — sends you to the wrong building.

Source: KYTC — DRIVE, new to Kentucky

One merged government, and eighty that never merged.

Louisville Metro consolidated the city and county in 2003, which is why one 311 number and one council cover the whole county. But roughly 80 home rule cities inside Jefferson County kept their own governments, levy their own property taxes, may impose their own occupational licence fees and in several cases have their own police forces. 'Which city am I in?' is a real question here even though the metro is consolidated.

Source: Jefferson County League of Cities

A standard Kentucky licence is not a Travel ID.

Kentucky made REAL ID optional and brands it the Travel ID. It is entirely possible to walk out with a valid Kentucky licence that will not get you through airport security. The extra requirement is a second proof of residency and a few dollars — do it in the same appointment rather than a second one.

Source: TSA — REAL ID

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

Going to the circuit court clerk for a licence, which no longer issues them.
Visiting a Social Security office in the first week, before DHS records have synced.
Turning up with one proof of residency and being unable to get the Travel ID.
Assuming a 'Louisville, KY' address means Louisville Metro governs everything about it.
Letting the 30-day window elapse — an out-of-state licence stops being valid here after it.

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