How to Use Form I-179 for I-9 Employment Verification

A valid Form I-179 can be used for I-9 employment verification as a List C document that establishes employment authorization. It does not expire, and an employer cannot refuse it just because it was issued decades ago.¹

How Form I-179 Fits on the I-9

Form I-179 appears on USCIS’s List C of acceptable documents for Form I-9. List C documents establish employment authorization only, so the employee also needs to present a List B document that establishes identity, such as a state driver’s license. The two together satisfy the I-9’s documentation requirement.¹

An employee can also choose to present a single List A document instead. Nothing about Form I-179 forces that choice. It simply gives the employee a valid List C option if they have one.

Employers Cannot Reject It for Age

Form I-179 carries no expiration date and is valid indefinitely. If the card reasonably appears to be genuine and to relate to the person presenting it, the employer should accept it the same way it would accept any other List C document. Refusing a valid I-179 solely because it looks old, or asking the employee to produce a different document instead, could constitute unfair documentary practices under the I-9 rules.¹

The employee, not the employer, chooses which acceptable documents to present. As long as what they hand over is on the current Lists of Acceptable Documents and looks genuine, that ends the inquiry.

Why the Card Looks So Old

Form I-179, the “Identification Card for Use of Resident Citizen in the United States,” was issued by the former Immigration and Naturalization Service from 1960 until February 1973. It was created to help naturalized U.S. citizens living near the southwestern border prove citizenship at land ports of entry, and it was only issued in certain districts in the Southwest.² That history explains the wear you may see on an existing card, but it does not affect the card’s legal status for I-9 purposes.

If the Card Is Lost or Damaged

USCIS does not replace Form I-179. Federal regulations explicitly state that no provisions exist for issuing replacement cards.³ For a new I-9, the employee can present any other combination from the Lists of Acceptable Documents. A U.S. passport or passport card works as a standalone List A document. A Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550), Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-560), U.S. birth certificate, or unrestricted Social Security card can serve as the List C document alongside a List B identity document.¹

Do Not Confuse It With Form I-197

Form I-197, the U.S. Citizen Identification Card, replaced Form I-179 and was issued from roughly 1973 through April 1983.² Both cards are separate List C entries, both remain valid without expiration, and neither can be replaced.³ For I-9 completion, the treatment is the same: accept a valid card that reasonably appears genuine and relates to the person presenting it.

Completing Section 2

When recording a Form I-179 on the I-9, enter it as the List C document. Note the document title, the issuing authority (Immigration and Naturalization Service), and the document number from the card. Because the card has no expiration date, leave the expiration field blank rather than entering a date. Then record the accompanying List B identity document in the appropriate column.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 13.3 List C Documents That Establish Employment Authorization
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual – Volume 11 – Part A – Chapter 1 – Purpose and Background
3
eCFR. 8 CFR 235.10 – U.S. Citizen Identification Card