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
Documentation of legal presence, which Wisconsin requires for a driver licence
Proof of a Wisconsin residential address
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, the Wisconsin DMV 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
Book a DMV appointment and ask specifically for a REAL ID credential
Wisconsin issues both REAL ID-compliant and non-compliant licences and IDs, and the non-compliant version is marked as not valid for federal identification. If you want the one that works for domestic flights and federal buildings, say so and bring the full document set — it is not the default in every case.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
5
Convert the licence within 60 days
Bring legal-presence documents, proof of a Wisconsin address, and your Social Security number or documentation of ineligibility. Wisconsin's service-centre network is dense and appointments are generally obtainable, which makes this one of the easier licensing processes in this app.
In personWho: YouWithin 60 days
6
Register the vehicle, and check whether it needs an emissions test
Milwaukee and six neighbouring south-eastern counties require emissions testing for most petrol vehicles; the test is free at the testing stations. There is no annual safety inspection in Wisconsin. Registration also picks up the city and county wheel taxes if the vehicle is registered in Milwaukee.
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, the DMV 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
Proof of a Wisconsin residential address
Certified English translations of any non-English documents
Evidence of legal presence — required for any Wisconsin driver licence

Things most newcomers don’t know

Wisconsin issues a non-REAL-ID credential, and it is marked as such.

The state offers both compliant and non-compliant licences and IDs, and the non-compliant one carries a notice that it is not valid for federal identification. If you fly domestically or need to enter a federal building, ask explicitly for the REAL ID version and bring the full document set. People discover the distinction at an airport, which is the wrong moment.

Source: Wisconsin DMV / TSA

No annual safety inspection in Wisconsin, which is a small permanent saving.

North Carolina inspects every registered car every year and Missouri inspects older and higher-mileage ones; Wisconsin does neither for ordinary passenger vehicles. There is an emissions test in Milwaukee and six neighbouring counties, and it is free. Over a decade of car ownership the difference is real, and it is worth knowing before you pay for an inspection nobody asked for.

Source: Wisconsin 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

Sixty days sounds long and a Wisconsin winter is why it is not.

If you arrive between November and March, weather and short daylight compress the number of days on which anyone actually gets errands done. Book the DMV appointment in the first week regardless of when the deadline falls — it is the cheapest possible insurance against a January that swallows six weeks.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Accepting a non-REAL-ID Wisconsin licence without realising it will not work at an airport.
Visiting a Social Security office in the first week, before DHS records have synced.
Letting the 60-day window pass because a Wisconsin winter ate the calendar.
Arriving at the DMV without complete legal-presence documentation.
Assuming the emissions test can wait; it gates the registration renewal.

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