Forms of ID for Employment: I-9 Lists A, B, and C

To complete Form I-9 when you start a new job, you present either one document from List A (which proves both your identity and your authorization to work) or one document from List B (identity) together with one document from List C (work authorization). Those are the only accepted forms of ID for employment I-9 purposes, and the choice of which ones to show is yours, not your employer’s.

The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 requires every employer in the United States to verify that each new hire is authorized to work, regardless of citizenship.¹ The verification happens on Form I-9, where the employer records what you showed and signs an attestation that the documents appeared genuine.²

List A: One Document That Does Everything

If you have any one of the documents below, that alone satisfies the I-9 and you don’t need anything from List B or C:³

U.S. passport or U.S. passport card
Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551, commonly called a green card)
Foreign passport with a temporary I-551 stamp, or a printed I-551 notation on a machine-readable immigrant visa
Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766)
Foreign passport with a Form I-94 and an endorsement authorizing work for a specific employer
Passport from the Federated States of Micronesia or the Republic of the Marshall Islands with a Form I-94, for individuals admitted under the Compact of Free Association

For most U.S. citizens with a passport or passport card, this is the simplest route. If you don’t have a List A document, use the pairing described next.

List B: Documents That Prove Your Identity

A List B document only establishes who you are. You’ll still need something from List C alongside it. Acceptable List B documents:⁴

State-issued driver’s license or ID card containing a photograph or identifying information such as name, date of birth, gender, height, eye color, and address
ID card issued by any federal, state, or local government agency, with a photo or the same identifying details
School ID card with a photograph
Voter registration card
U.S. military card or draft record
Military dependent’s ID card
U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Card
Native American tribal document
Canadian driver’s license

A driver’s license is what most people use. One thing to keep in mind: if your employer participates in E-Verify, your List B document must include a photograph.⁵ That rules out voter registration cards and similar items without photos at E-Verify employers.

Workers Under 18

If you’re under 18 and don’t have any of the standard List B documents, a parent or legal guardian can establish your identity on the form, and the employer will accept a school record or report card, a clinic, doctor, or hospital record, or a day-care or nursery school record in place of a standard ID.⁶ You still need a List C document to prove work authorization. This accommodation isn’t available at E-Verify employers, where a photo List B or a List A document is required.

Special Placement for Employees With Disabilities

A similar accommodation exists for individuals with disabilities who are placed in a job through a nonprofit or rehabilitation program. If the employee cannot produce a standard List B document, a representative, parent, or legal guardian may establish identity, and the employer enters “Special Placement” on the form.⁷ A List C document is still required, and this option is also unavailable at E-Verify employers.

List C: Documents That Prove Work Authorization

A List C document shows you’re legally allowed to work. You pair one of these with your List B identity document:⁸

Unrestricted Social Security card (see restrictions below)
Birth certificate, original or a certified copy issued by a state, county, or municipal authority bearing an official seal
Certification of Report of Birth Abroad from the Department of State (Forms DS-1350, FS-545, or FS-240); Form DS-1350 was discontinued in 2010, but previously issued copies remain valid
Native American tribal document
U.S. Citizen ID Card (Form I-197)
Resident Citizen ID Card (Form I-179)
Employment authorization document issued by DHS, including certain I-94s issued to asylees, refugee travel documents, certificates of citizenship, and certificates of naturalization

The most common combination is a state driver’s license from List B plus a Social Security card or birth certificate from List C. That pair moves most new hires through the process without complication.

Social Security Cards That Don’t Qualify

Not every Social Security card is acceptable. A card printed with any of the following phrases will not work as a List C document:⁸

“NOT VALID FOR EMPLOYMENT”
“VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH INS AUTHORIZATION”
“VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION”

If your card has one of these notations, use a different List C document. A birth certificate is usually the easiest substitute.

Documents Must Be Unexpired and Original

Whatever you present has to be unexpired. An employer cannot accept an expired driver’s license or an expired passport.⁹ There is a narrow exception for certain foreign nationals who timely filed to renew an Employment Authorization Document and receive an automatic extension past the card’s face expiration date.

Employers must examine originals. Photocopies and digital images don’t satisfy the requirement. The single exception is birth certificates, where a certified copy bearing an official seal is acceptable.⁸ The standard the employer applies is whether the document reasonably appears to be genuine and to relate to the person presenting it.¹⁰

You Pick the Documents, Not Your Employer

This is where workers and employers often get it wrong. You decide which acceptable documents to present. Your employer cannot tell you to bring a passport, cannot refuse a valid driver’s license because they’d prefer a green card, and cannot demand extra documents beyond what the I-9 requires.¹¹

Federal law prohibits employers from requesting more or different documents than the I-9 calls for, and from refusing documents that reasonably appear genuine.¹² Insisting on a specific document, or asking for extra proof because of how someone looks or sounds, is an unfair immigration-related employment practice. Complaints go to the Immigrant and Employee Rights Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

If You Don’t Have Your Documents on Day One

You don’t need documents in hand on your first day. Federal law gives you three business days from your first day of work for pay to present them, so if you start on Monday, your employer must complete Section 2 by Thursday.⁵ If the job itself lasts fewer than three days, everything must be finished on day one.

If your List A, B, or C document has been lost, stolen, or damaged and you’ve applied for a replacement, you can present the receipt for that replacement application. The receipt is good for 90 days from your first day of work for pay.¹³ Within that window, you present either the actual replacement or another acceptable document. If day 90 arrives and the replacement hasn’t, you can substitute a different acceptable document. Waiting on a replacement Social Security card, for instance, you could present a birth certificate instead. The employer cannot accept a second receipt to reset the clock, and the receipt rule doesn’t apply at all to jobs lasting under three days.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Handbook for Employers M-274 1.0 Why Employers Must Verify Employment Authorization and Identity of New Employees
2
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Form I-9 Inspection Under Immigration and Nationality Act 274A
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Handbook for Employers M-274 13.0 Acceptable Documents for Verifying Employment Authorization and Identity
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Handbook for Employers M-274 13.2 List B Documents That Establish Identity
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Completing Section 2, Employer Review and Attestation
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Minors
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Handbook for Employers M-274 4.3 Employees with Disabilities (Special Placement)
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Handbook for Employers M-274 13.3 List C Documents That Establish Employment Authorization
9
E-Verify. E-Verify User Manual 2.1.3 Unexpired Document Required
10
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1324a – Unlawful Employment of Aliens
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Handbook for Employers M-274 14.0 Some Questions You May Have About Form I-9
12
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1324b – Unfair Immigration-Related Employment Practices
13
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Receipts