You can use your sister’s home as your real address, but an Illinois license needs proof of your own name and full SSN; checking before your SSN arrives depends on whether a bank accepts a filed SSN application.
“I just arrived in Illinois three days ago as a new green card holder. I only have my temporary green card papers and a foreign passport, but no physical green card or SSN yet. How can I get proof of address, open a checking account, and get a driver's license while staying at my sister's house?”
Summary
Three days after arrival is not unusually late for either card. Your endorsed immigrant visa can bridge the wait for the plastic green card; the harder part is getting documents in your own name at your sister’s real address and an SSN document for Illinois.
Your checking-account timing has two routes; independently, your SSN timing depends on whether you requested one on your immigrant-visa application.
If you have already applied for an , ask a branch whether its customer-identification procedures accept someone with a *filed but not yet issued* number. Bring your passport with endorsed immigrant visa, your actual street address, and any other original identification or own-name address document you have. Federal rules allow this only when the bank confirms the application was filed and obtains the number later; they do not make the bank offer it. [31 CFR §1020.220(a)(2)(i)(B)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-31/subtitle-B/chapter-X/part-1020/subpart-B/section-1020.220)
Use your endorsed immigrant visa and passport as current status evidence without waiting for the plastic green card; take the SSN card and your own-name address evidence to a bank branch. Banks set their own identification procedures: for example, [Wells Fargo’s published branch instructions](https://www.wellsfargo.com/checking/everyday/identification-required-to-open) call for an SSN or ITIN, primary and secondary identification, and separate proof in your name if neither ID shows your physical address. [USCIS temporary-I-551 guidance](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/temporary-i-551-stamps-and-mrivs)
Both bank routes use your sister’s street address only if it is where you actually live; an Illinois license still needs a separate, accepted address document bearing your name.
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Watch out for
Next steps
These actions create a reliable mailing address, settle your SSN route, and assemble the documents for checking and an Illinois license.
Today
Confirm your temporary residence proof and mailing address
Look for the immigrant visa and its admission endorsement in your passport: the endorsed visa plus passport is temporary proof for one year from admission. A fee receipt alone is not the same document. If you live at your sister’s address but supplied a different address, report the move through https://www.uscis.gov/addresschange within 10 days of moving; do not rely on postal forwarding. If you have not paid the USCIS Immigrant Fee and are not exempt, pay $235 at https://my.uscis.gov/accounts/uscis-immigrant-fee/start/overview so the physical card can be mailed. The unpaid fee does not itself undo permanent-resident status. [USCIS temporary proof](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/temporary-i-551-stamps-and-mrivs); [fee and delivery](https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees/uscis-immigrant-fee); [current fee schedule](https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/g-1055.pdf)
Requirements
Requested: wait; not requested: arrange an application
Follow the SSN branch that matches your visa application
If you requested an on Form DS-260 or DS-230, do not file a duplicate application on day three: SSA says the card should reach the immigration mailing address within three weeks of arrival; call 1-800-772-1213 if it does not, or if that mailing address changes. If you did *not* request one, SSA recommends waiting until day 10 after arrival to make verification easier, then start at https://www.ssa.gov/number-card/request-number-first-time and complete the process at an SSA office or Card Center within 45 days of starting online. If you cannot start online, use free Form SS-5 at https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ss-5.pdf and call 1-800-772-1213 for an appointment. Bring the passport and immigrant visa; if a foreign birth certificate is not available within 10 business days, SSA can consider the unexpired passport for age, and its rules count the immigrant visa and passport as two separate documents. [SSA immigrant instructions](https://www.ssa.gov/ssnvisa/Handout_11_1.html); [February 2026 SSA instructions](https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10096.pdf); [SSA document rule](https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0110210020)
Requirements
While the SSN is in progress
Get an address document bearing your own name
Use your sister’s home as your address on accounts and correspondence only because you actually live there. For an Illinois standard license, obtain one accepted item showing *your* full name and that address: for example, a cellphone bill issued within 90 days, a genuine rental or lease agreement naming you, renters’ insurance, qualifying government mail, or—after opening checking—a bank statement dated within 90 days. Your sister’s bill alone does not become your proof merely because you share the home. requires two Group D items, rather than one. [Illinois accepted documents](https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/drivers/drivers-license/document-requirements-to-obtain-drivers-license-or-state-id-card/acceptable-identification-documents.html); [document count](https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/drivers/drivers-license/document-requirements-to-obtain-drivers-license-or-state-id-card.html)
Requirements
Before the SSN only if the bank participates; otherwise afterward
Open checking when a bank accepts your documents
At a bank branch, present your passport and true residential address. If your SSN application is filed but the number has not arrived, request opening under the bank’s filed-but-pending-number procedure: 31 CFR §1020.220 permits, but does not require, that procedure, and the bank must confirm filing and obtain your number later. If the bank does not offer it, return once the SSN arrives. For a concrete later route, Wells Fargo’s published branch requirements ask for an SSN or ITIN, a primary and secondary ID, and proof in your name if neither ID shows your address; it lists a passport as primary ID and a signed SSN card as secondary ID. Its requirements and any account charges remain bank- and product-specific; neither federal permission nor this example guarantees approval. Obtain a statement in your name at your sister’s address if you want to use it for Illinois . [Federal bank rule](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-31/subtitle-B/chapter-X/part-1020/subpart-B/section-1020.220); [bank’s ID list](https://www.wellsfargo.com/checking/everyday/identification-required-to-open); [Illinois document list](https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/drivers/drivers-license/document-requirements-to-obtain-drivers-license-or-state-id-card/acceptable-identification-documents.html)
Requirements
After your SSN and address evidence are ready
Apply for a standard Illinois driver’s license
Take the four document groups to an Illinois Secretary of State Driver Services Facility; the [official requirements](https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/drivers/drivers-license/document-requirements-to-obtain-drivers-license-or-state-id-card.html) call for one item per group for a first standard license. The [accepted-documents list](https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/drivers/drivers-license/document-requirements-to-obtain-drivers-license-or-state-id-card/acceptable-identification-documents.html) lists a foreign passport, U.S. visa, SSN card, and the address options above; Group B evidence must show your complete birth date and be verifiable. Be ready for the required examinations; new drivers take a driving exam. The 2026 manual lists license fees of $5 at ages 18–20, $30 at 21–68, $5 at 69–80, $2 at 81–86, and no fee at 87 or older. If you are 18–20 and have never been licensed or completed approved driver education, the six-hour adult driver-education course also applies. Do not sign the no-SSN *ineligibility* declaration just because your card has not arrived. [Illinois regulation](https://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/092/092010300000050R.html); [2026 Rules of the Road](https://www.ilsos.gov/content/dam/publications/pdf_publications/dsd_a112.pdf)
Requirements
Legal sources
This answer draws on USCIS and SSA instructions, the federal bank customer-identification regulation, and the Illinois Secretary of State’s licensing rules.
USCIS Temporary I-551 Stamps and MRIVs
An endorsed immigrant visa in a foreign passport provides temporary evidence of permanent residence while the plastic card is pending.
Machine-Readable Immigrant Visas
The employee’s foreign passport with the MRIV is evidence the employee has permanent residence status for 1 year from the date of admission.
USCIS Immigrant Fee
The immigrant fee normally must be paid for the physical green card, subject to listed exemptions.
Pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee
If you are immigrating to the United States as a lawful permanent resident, you must pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee online unless you meet one of the exemptions below.
Form G-1055, edition 10/01/26
The October 1, 2026 USCIS fee schedule lists the immigrant fee as $235.
USCIS Immigrant Fee
$235
USCIS Immigrant Fee
The address supplied during the visa interview or admission controls where USCIS initially sends the physical card.
Your Mailing Address
We will only mail your Green Card to the U.S. mailing address you give to the Department of State during your immigrant visa interview or to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer when you are admitted to the United States.
USCIS How to Change Your Address
USCIS sets a ten-day deadline for reporting a move.
Additionally, all aliens in the United States must report a change of address to USCIS within 10 days of moving.
SSA Social Security Numbers for U.S. Permanent Residents
A visa applicant who requested an SSN does not submit a second application immediately after arrival.
If You Requested an SSN When You Applied for Your Visa
Therefore, you do not need to fill out a special application or go to a Social Security office to get an SSN.
SSA Social Security Numbers for U.S. Permanent Residents
SSA provides a three-week arrival-to-card expectation for someone who requested a number on the visa application.
If You Requested an SSN When You Applied for Your Visa
You should receive your Social Security card within 3 weeks after you arrive.
SSA Social Security Numbers for U.S. Permanent Residents
If the applicant did not request the number with the visa, an SSA office application is required.
If You Did Not Request an SSN When You Applied for Your Visa
You must come to a Social Security office to apply for an SSN if you did not request an SSN card as part of your visa application.
SSA Publication 05-10096 (February 2026)
SSA recommends—but does not require—waiting ten days after arrival before an in-person first-number application.
How can I get an SSN?
If you are unable or choose not to apply for an SSN using one of the methods above, we recommend you wait 10 days after arriving in the United States to apply for an SSN.
SSA Publication 05-10096 (February 2026)
An online first-number application must be completed with an SSA visit within 45 days.
How can I get an SSN?
To complete the application process, you must visit your local Social Security office or Card Center with the required documents within 45 days of starting the process.
SSA Publication 05-10096 (February 2026)
The newer SSA brochure permits age evidence other than a birth certificate when one is not available within its stated period.
What do I need to bring to the Social Security office?
You must present your foreign birth certificate if you have it or can get it within 10 business days. If not, we can consider other documents, such as your unexpired passport or a document issued by DHS, as evidence of your age.
SSA POMS RM 10210.020
For SSA’s two-document requirement, an immigrant visa placed in the passport counts separately from the passport.
C.3, Immigration stamp in passport
A machine-readable immigrant visa (MRIV) issued by the U.S. Department of State and placed in the foreign passport and the foreign passport are two separate documents.
SSA POMS RM 10210.420
Current SSA instructions expressly recognize the immigrant visa with an unexpired passport before the plastic card arrives.
Evidence of identity for noncitizens
Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card (includes temporary I-551 stamp/machine readable immigrant visa (MRIV) in combination with an unexpired foreign passport when DHS has not issued the I-551 Permanent Resident Card).
31 CFR 1020.220
For account identification, a bank collects the applicant’s actual residential or business street address.
(a)(2)(i)(A)(3)(i)
For an individual, a residential or business street address;
31 CFR 1020.220
The federal bank-identification rule distinguishes a U.S. person’s tax-number requirement from the passport alternative for a non-U.S. person.
(a)(2)(i)(A)(4)
For a U.S. person, a taxpayer identification number; or For a non-U.S. person, one or more of the following: A taxpayer identification number; passport number and country of issuance; alien identification card number; or number and country of issuance of any other government-issued document evidencing nationality or residence and bearing a photograph or similar safeguard.
31 CFR 1020.220
A bank may—but need not—open an account for someone whose tax-number application was filed and whose number has not arrived.
(a)(2)(i)(B)
Instead of obtaining a taxpayer identification number from a customer prior to opening the account, the CIP may include procedures for opening an account for a customer that has applied for, but has not received, a taxpayer identification number. In this case, the CIP must include procedures to confirm that the application was filed before the customer opens the account and to obtain the taxpayer identification number within a reasonable period of time after the account is opened.
Illinois Secretary of State Document Requirements
A first-time standard Illinois license needs a document for each of the four identification groups.
First-time Illinois DL/ID: Standard
One document that satisfies each of Groups A, B, C, and D.
Illinois Secretary of State Document Requirements
A first-time REAL ID instead needs two residency documents.
First-time Illinois DL/ID: REAL ID
One document that satisfies each of Groups A, B and C, and two from D.
Illinois Secretary of State Acceptable Identification Documents
Illinois requires a listed Group C document displaying the applicant’s full SSN, not merely a claim that a card is coming.
Group C
Group C documents must contain your name and full Social Security number.
Illinois Secretary of State Acceptable Identification Documents
A residency document for the Illinois license must show this applicant’s own name and the home’s address.
Group D
Group D documents must contain your full name and residence address.
Illinois Secretary of State Acceptable Identification Documents
A recent bank statement addressed to the applicant is a listed residency option.
Group D
Bank Statement (dated within 90 days of application)*
Illinois Secretary of State Acceptable Identification Documents
A genuine lease or renters’ insurance document bearing the applicant’s name offers another residency route.
Group D
Deed or Title, Mortgage, Rental or Lease agreement* Insurance Policy (homeowner’s or renter’s)*
Illinois Secretary of State Acceptable Identification Documents
Official government mail can establish the applicant’s address if it shows their full name and complete address.
Group D
Official mail received from a State, County, City or Village or a Federal Government agency (must include your first and last name and complete current address)
Illinois Secretary of State Acceptable Identification Documents
A recent cellphone or other listed utility bill in the applicant’s own name is a residency option.
Group D
Utility Bill (electric, water, refuse, telephone land or cell, cable or gas, issued within 90 days of application)*
92 Ill. Admin. Code §1030.5
Illinois’s no-SSN declaration is for actual ineligibility, not a permanent resident awaiting issuance.
(a)
An applicant who does not have a social security number and is ineligible to obtain a social security number shall affirm under penalty of perjury that the applicant is, at the time of application, ineligible for a social security number and must present either:
Illinois Rules of the Road (2026)
The ninety-day transition is tied to an existing valid out-of-state or foreign license, not merely recent arrival.
Driver’s License Exemptions
You must obtain an Illinois license within 90 days or before your driver’s license expires, whichever comes first.
SSA Publication 05-10096 (February 2026)
SSA’s general national brochure should not be mistaken for Illinois’s specific licensing-document rule.
Does a noncitizen need a Social Security number?
You don’t need an SSN to get a driver’s license, register for school, get private health insurance, or apply for school lunch programs or subsidized housing.
Wells Fargo Checking Identification Requirements
This bank’s published identification requirements illustrate why the federal pending-number allowance does not guarantee a particular bank will open an account.
At a branch
Know your Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). Have two forms of identification (a primary and secondary ID).
These are the official rules as published or effective on the cited dates; rules and bank policies can change.
This is general information about official processes, not legal advice, and SettleKit is not a law firm.
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