N779UA

Drivers' License: That's a State policy rather than a Federal policy. In Louisiana, a B1 Visa will only be eligible for a Driver's License if you also have an Employment Authorization Document.

Credit Card: That's up to an individual bank's policy. I know that a major credit card issuer will issue credit cards to non-immigrants if they have a SSN.

tomcat007

You need some sort of Employment Authorization to be eligible for a SSN which is the key to getting a credit card.

B1 are mostly ineligible to get a SSN.

Also for a fresh SSN with no credit history most banks will only issue secured credit card for which you pay upfront the entire credit limit, use the card and pay it back to build a credit history.

N779UA

I do know of one credit card issuing bank that will provide a regular, unsecured credit card (albeit with a small credit line) to a fresh SSN. I used to work for them.

However, recent immigrant status didn't stop Chase/pmCO from filling my mailbox with adverts for their OnePass co-branded credit card! When I called to complain, they told me about the OnePass co-branded debit card that was pretty cool and paid for a RT to London.

felipegarcia

If you already have an SSN, theoretically you could, of course it'd be dependent on credit history, and there's also the issue that your income is in a foreign country. You can't get a SSN on a B1/B2, but, you could have previously gotten one if you were working under some other visa class, or I believe that if you were in the US as a dependent of a working visa (a roommate of mine said that's how he got his when he as a kid, a dependent of his dad, or something along those lines).

DL, maybe, but I've heard most states will only make them valid for the length of your stay as allowed by DHS (that would be 6 months for a B1/B2), so it wouldn't even be worth the hassle. As to whether the state would require something else, or allow them at all, who knows, for students all AZ actually requires is the I-20 and I-94 (the I-20 says that you are a student until X day, and most states will give you a DL until that date + 60 days, since that's what DHS allows you to file a change of status or leave the country). You'd have no issue registering a car if you had a local address, but, insurance would be pretty expensive.

makos

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