“I am moving to the US from Germany on an L2 visa to join my spouse. Is there a master checklist of things I should prepare and do, like understanding the different types of car insurance and other essentials?”
Most of the sequence is straightforward once you protect the first dependency: a correct L-2S I-94. That record unlocks work authorization, the SSN process, and many state and financial applications.
For health coverage, use the route that fits your spouse’s employer benefits and your move date.
If you previously declined that plan because you had other coverage and then lose eligibility for that coverage—or your marriage itself is still within the plan’s window—your spouse should submit the enrollment request to the employer’s benefits office within 30 days. Coverage after marriage or loss of other eligibility begins no later than the first day of the first month after the plan receives the request. (DOL HIPAA Consumer FAQs [7])
Moving to the United States from another country can create a . As a lawfully present L-2 spouse, you may buy Marketplace coverage and may qualify for income-based savings; apply through HealthCare.gov promptly after moving. (HealthCare.gov [8][9])
The employer-plan 30-day rule and the Marketplace foreign-move rule are separate; do not assume one route’s timing controls the other.
These steps put each prerequisite in place before the process that depends on it.
Before leaving Germany
Assemble your document pack
Carry originals in hand luggage and keep secure digital copies. SSA requires original or issuing-agency-certified documents—not photocopies—for the SSN visit, and USAGov says an IDP must be obtained before the trip. [5][10]
Requisitos
Immediately after entry
Download and inspect your I-94
Use CBP’s “Get Most Recent I-94” service at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/. Confirm your name, passport number, class of admission “L-2S,” and Admit Until Date, then save and print the record. The I-94 date—not the visa expiration date—controls your authorized stay. [1][2][3]
Requisitos
Before using the record for work
Correct any I-94 error
If CBP entered the wrong name, classification, or admission period, use the CBP Deferred Inspection Site list at https://www.cbp.gov/about/contact/ports/deferred-inspection-sites. A deferred-inspection office can correct entry-time CBP errors; it cannot extend your stay or change status. [2][3]
Requisitos
When accepting a job
Use your L-2S work authorization
You are employment-authorized incident to L-2 spouse status and do not first need Form I-765 or a separate EAD. For the employer’s Form I-9, use the L-2S I-94 as List C employment-authorization evidence together with a List B identity document. [3][4]
Requisitos
After the arrival record is available
Apply for your Social Security number
If you did not request an SSN through another immigration process, SSA recommends waiting 10 days after arrival. Start at https://www.ssa.gov/number-card/request-number-first-time, then visit the local Social Security office or Card Center with the originals within 45 days of starting. The application and card are free. [4][5]
Requisitos
Immediately after arrival
Enroll in health coverage
If the employer-plan conditions apply, your spouse submits the dependent enrollment request to the employer’s benefits office within 30 days of losing other coverage or the qualifying family event. Otherwise, use the foreign-move Special Enrollment Period at https://www.healthcare.gov/coverage-outside-open-enrollment/special-enrollment-period/; lawful L-2 status permits Marketplace coverage and possible income-based savings. [7][8][9]
Requisitos
During your first weeks
Report moves and open a bank account
For every address change after arrival, submit AR-11 at https://www.uscis.gov/ar-11 within 10 days. For banking, federal identification rules allow a non-U.S. customer to be identified using a passport number and issuing country, so you can approach a bank before the SSN arrives. [6][12]
Requisitos
Before driving or buying a car
Complete the state driving and insurance process
Your state determines how long the German license is valid, whether tests are required, registration timing, and minimum insurance. Understand the policy pieces: liability pays for injuries or property damage you cause; collision covers crash damage to your car; comprehensive covers non-collision events such as theft, fire, flood, or vandalism; uninsured/underinsured motorist covers losses caused by a driver with insufficient insurance; MedPay covers injury bills; and PIP may also cover lost wages. A lender or lessor will commonly require collision and comprehensive. [10][11]
Requisitos
From your first day in the U.S.
Track U.S. tax residency and German accounts
Apply the : at least 31 U.S. days in the current year and 183 weighted days across three years, counting all current-year days, one-third of prior-year days, and one-sixth of second-prior-year days. If you become a resident alien, report income from inside and outside the United States. If your foreign accounts collectively exceed $10,000 at any time, e-file the FBAR through FinCEN’s BSA E-Filing System by April 15; the extension to October 15 is automatic. [13][14][15]
Requisitos
You are not the first to go through this. Here is how it went for others who asked the same thing.
u/Specific_Revenue6995r/immigration5 oct 2025
This checklist is grounded in current guidance from USCIS, CBP, the State Department, SSA, DOL, CMS, the IRS, eCFR, USAGov, and the NAIC consumer guide.
U.S. Department of State — Visa Expiration Date
The I-94 admission record, not the visa sticker’s expiration date, determines authorized stay.
Visa Validity and Length of Stay
Additionally, the visa expiration date shown on your visa does not reflect how long you are authorized to stay within the United States. The admitted-until date or D/S notation, shown on your admission stamp or paper Form I-94 is the official record of your authorized length of stay in the United States.
CBP Form I-94
CBP provides the official online route for retrieving and printing the latest I-94.
If a traveler would like a paper Form I-94, the traveler can print their own I-94 Form from the I-94 website using "Get Most Recent I-94" or by using the same option on the CBP Link mobile application.
USCIS Policy Manual Vol. 10 Pt. B Ch. 2
L-2 spouses are authorized to work by status, and an unexpired L-2S I-94 is List C evidence.
Chapter 2
As of November 12, 2021, USCIS considers certain E-1, E-2, E-3 and L-2 nonimmigrant dependent spouses employment authorized incident to status. An unexpired Form I-94 notated with E-1S, E-2S, E-3S, or L-2S nonimmigrant status is acceptable as evidence of employment authorization under List C of Form I-9.
SSA POMS RM 10211.420
SSA recognizes L-2 spouses as work-authorized without a separate EAD.
RM 10211.420G.1
Form I-94 will not have the DHS employment authorization stamp and the alien may not have an EAD. For COAs displaying a double asterisk (**) (non-immigrant E-1, E-2, and L-2 classifications), the spouse is also authorized to work without specific DHS authorization.
SSA Publication 05-10096
SSA explains how an employment-authorized noncitizen applies for a free first SSN and what documents to bring.
Publication No. 05-10096
If you are lawfully present in the United States, you should start your application online by visiting our Request a Social Security number for the first time page at www.ssa.gov/number-card/request-number-first-time. 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. All documents must be either originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. Applying for an SSN and card is free.
Form AR-11
An L-2 holder must report each later address change to USCIS within 10 days.
If you are a alien in the United States, you must report any change of address to USCIS within 10 days of moving. You also may submit a paper Form AR-11 by mail to report your change your address. This meets the legal requirement to notify USCIS of a change of address.
DOL HIPAA Consumer FAQs
Loss of other coverage or a qualifying family event can open a 30-day employer-plan enrollment window.
pages 2–3
For both types, the employee must request enrollment within 30 days of the loss of coverage or life event triggering the special enrollment. For special enrollment due to marriage or loss of eligibility for other coverage, your new coverage will begin on the first day of the first month after the plan receives the enrollment request.
HealthCare.gov Special Enrollment Period
Moving from Germany to the United States can qualify for Marketplace enrollment outside open enrollment.
Changes in residence
You may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period if you move to: The U.S. from a foreign country or United States territory
HealthCare.gov Lawfully Present Immigrants
Lawfully present immigrants may buy Marketplace insurance and may receive income-based savings.
If you’re a lawfully present immigrant, you can get Marketplace coverage. You may qualify for lower costs on monthly premiums and extra savings on out-of-pocket costs based on your income.
USAGov Noncitizen Driving
Whether a German license needs an IDP depends on the state, and an IDP must be obtained before travel.
Depending on the U.S. states you will visit, you may need an International Driving Permit (IDP) as well as a driver's license from your country. You must get an IDP before your trip. The U.S. does not issue IDPs to foreign visitors.
NAIC Consumer Shopping Tool for Auto Insurance
The guide distinguishes liability, collision, comprehensive, medical, and uninsured-driver protection.
Types of Auto Coverage
Bodily injury liability insurance. This coverage applies to injuries that you cause to someone else. Property damage liability insurance. This coverage pays for damages you cause to someone else’s car or to objects and structures your car hits. Collision. This coverage pays to repair your car. Comprehensive (sometimes called “Other than Collision”). This coverage pays for damage to your car that is NOT from a collision.
31 CFR 1020.220
Federal bank rules allow a passport number to identify a non-U.S. customer.
(a)(2)(i)(A)(4)(ii)
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.
IRC 7701(b) — Substantial Presence Test
The IRS weighted day-count determines whether the substantial-presence test is met.
To meet this test, you must be physically present in the United States (U.S.) on at least: 31 days during the current year, and 183 days during the 3-year period that includes the current year and the 2 years immediately before that, counting: All the days you were present in the current year, and 1/3 of the days you were present in the first year before the current year, and 1/6 of the days you were present in the second year before the current year.
IRS Alien Taxation — Essential Concepts
A resident alien generally reports both U.S. and foreign income on the U.S. return.
If you are a resident alien, you must report all interest, dividends, wages, or other compensation for services, income from rental property or royalties, and other types of income on your U.S. tax return. You must report these amounts whether from sources within or outside the United States.
FinCEN Form 114 (FBAR)
The FBAR threshold aggregates foreign accounts and has an automatic October extension.
A U.S. person, including a citizen, resident, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust and estate, must file an FBAR to report: the aggregate value of those foreign financial accounts exceeded $10,000 at any time during the calendar year reported. The FBAR is an annual report, due April 15 following the calendar year reported. You’re allowed an automatic extension to October 15 if you fail to meet the FBAR annual due date of April 15.
These are the official rules as published on the cited dates; immigration, tax, insurance, and benefit rules can change.
This is general information about official processes, not legal advice, and SettleKit is not a law firm.
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