What Are I-9 Documents? Lists A, B, and C Rules and Requirements

To complete Form I-9, you present your employer with either one document from List A, which proves both your identity and your authorization to work, or one document from List B paired with one from List C, where List B proves identity and List C proves work authorization. These are the I-9 acceptable documents, and the choice of which to bring is yours, not your employer’s.¹ Every document must be an unexpired original; photocopies are not accepted.²

The Two Ways to Satisfy Form I-9

Form I-9 asks you to prove two things: who you are, and that you are legally allowed to work in the United States. You have two ways to do it.

Present one List A document, which covers both requirements on its own.
Present one List B document (identity) together with one List C document (work authorization).

Your employer cannot tell you which of the acceptable documents to bring, and cannot ask for more than the form requires. If the documents you present are on the lists and reasonably appear genuine, the employer must accept them.³

List A: Documents That Prove Both Identity and Work Authorization

A single List A document is the simplest way through the form. If you present a valid one, your employer should not ask you for anything from List B or List C.¹ The following qualify:⁴

U.S. passport or U.S. passport card.
Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551), often called a Green Card.
Foreign passport containing a temporary I-551 stamp or printed notation, for lawful permanent residents who have not yet received their physical card.
Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766), which includes a photograph.
Foreign passport with a Form I-94, for certain nonimmigrant workers authorized to work for a specific employer, as long as the endorsement period has not expired and the job does not conflict with any restrictions on the form.³
Passport or travel document from the Federated States of Micronesia or the Republic of the Marshall Islands, presented with Form I-94, for nationals eligible to work under the Compact of Free Association.

List B: Documents That Prove Identity

List B documents show who you are but say nothing about your right to work. Use one only if you are also presenting a List C document. The acceptable List B documents are:⁵

Driver’s license or state-issued ID card containing a photograph or identifying information such as name, date of birth, height, eye color, and address. Licenses from U.S. states, U.S. territories, and Canadian government authorities all qualify.
Federal, state, or local government ID card with a photograph or the same identifying details as a driver’s license. Federal employee PIV cards, common access cards, and state-issued prison inmate IDs are included.
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.

If the Employee Is Under 18

An employee under 18 who cannot present any of the List B documents above may have a parent or legal guardian establish identity instead. The parent completes the minor’s information in Section 1, writes “minor under age 18” in the signature field, and fills out the Preparer and/or Translator Certification. The employer then writes “minor under age 18” in the List B field of Section 2 and records whichever List C document the minor presents.⁶ If the employer uses E-Verify, this exception does not apply and the minor must present a List B document with a photograph.

List C: Documents That Prove Work Authorization

List C documents show you can legally work but do not verify identity, so they must be paired with a List B document. The acceptable options are:⁷

Unrestricted U.S. Social Security card. The card must not be laminated and cannot carry a restrictive notation such as “NOT VALID FOR EMPLOYMENT” or “VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION.”⁸
Original or certified birth certificate issued by a state, county, or municipal authority.
Certification of Report of Birth (Form DS-1350), Certification of Birth Abroad (Form FS-545), or Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240). Previously issued DS-1350s remain acceptable even though the State Department no longer issues new ones.⁸
Native American tribal document.
Identification Card for Use of Resident Citizen in the United States (Form I-179), which has no expiration date and remains valid indefinitely.⁷
Certain DHS-issued employment authorization documents that appear on List C but are not already covered under List A.

Rules That Apply to Every Document You Bring

A few rules cut across all three lists. Every document you present must be an original and unexpired.² The choice of which acceptable documents to present is yours, and the employer must accept anything on the lists that reasonably appears genuine and relates to you.³

You must present your documents within three business days of your first day of work for pay. If you start on Monday, you have until Thursday. If you were hired for fewer than three business days, you must present them on your first day.⁹ The employer physically examines each original and records the document title, issuing authority, document number, and expiration date in Section 2.³

If Your Document Is Lost, Stolen, or Damaged

You can still start work if your original document has been lost, stolen, or damaged. Present a receipt showing you have applied for a replacement. The receipt is valid for 90 days from your hire date, during which you must present the actual replacement document to your employer.¹⁰

If the receipt was for a List C document and you cannot obtain the replacement within 90 days, you may present a different List A or List C document instead. Your employer cannot accept a second receipt once the initial 90-day period expires.¹⁰

When You May Have to Present Documents Again

If your work authorization has an expiration date, your employer must re-verify that you are still authorized before it lapses, using Supplement B of Form I-9. Re-verification happens by the earlier of the work authorization expiration you listed in Section 1 or the document expiration date recorded in Section 2.¹¹

Not everyone gets re-verified. Employers should not re-verify U.S. citizens, noncitizen nationals, or lawful permanent residents who originally presented a Permanent Resident Card. Expired List B identity documents also do not trigger re-verification.¹¹

What an Employer Cannot Do With Your Documents

Federal law prohibits employers with four or more employees from treating workers differently during the I-9 process based on citizenship status, immigration status, or national origin. In practice, that means an employer cannot:¹²

Demand a specific document, such as a Green Card or “immigration document,” when you have already presented valid documents from the lists.
Request more paperwork than the Form I-9 requires.
Reject a document that reasonably appears genuine, for example refusing a driver’s license and Social Security card in favor of a work permit.
Retaliate against you for pushing back on a discriminatory document request.

If you believe an employer has discriminated against you during the I-9 process, you can file a charge with the Department of Justice’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section. Employers found to have engaged in unfair document practices may face civil penalties, be ordered to stop the practice, or be required to reinstate affected workers with back pay.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Completing Section 2, Employer Review and Attestation
2
eCFR. 8 CFR 274a.2 – Verification of Identity and Employment Authorization
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Handbook for Employers M-274 – 13.0 Acceptable Documents for Verifying Employment Authorization and Identity
4
USCIS. Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Handbook for Employers M-274 – 13.2 List B Documents That Establish Identity
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Minors
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Handbook for Employers M-274 – 13.3 List C Documents That Establish Employment Authorization
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-9 Acceptable Documents
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Receipts
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Completing Supplement B, Reverification and Rehires (formerly Section 3)
12
U.S. Department of Labor. Citizenship and Immigration Documentation