Schedule this appointment to prove your identity as soon as you can after arriving in Seattle. Your SSN is required before you can receive your first paycheck from your employer. You will need an address, but you can use your employer’s address if they will allow you to receive mail. Take a physical copy of your I94 to the appointment as well as identification. Be prepared for a long wait. Arrive and take a ticket, but it can take a few hours.

It’s helpful to get this as soon as possible once you have your SSN. You will need ID to buy alcohol and a foreign license often isn’t accepted. You will need to sit both your written and practical tests but they can be booked online locally and availability is good, even same day at certain locations.

Uber and Lyft are available throughout the metro area. Visit Seattle’s transit website for information on bus, rail, and ferry transportation.

Prior to arrival, it can be difficult to decide on where to live in the Greater Seattle area. If you’ve chosen some temporary accommodation, you will soon need to start looking for a more permanent place to live. Our partner, Superior Support Services (S3), offers a variety of helpful services, such as Area Orientation Tours and Home Finding Support.

Navigating the tax landscape between the U.S. and Australia can be a headache. Our friends at SMATS Group specialize in providing taxation, finance and property services to Australian expatriates.

Some of their services include Australian tax return preparation, superannuation, Australian expatriate tax planning, and business acquisition.