What Do I Need to Fill Out an I-9? Acceptable Documents

To fill out Form I-9, you need two things ready on your first day: the personal information for Section 1 and original documents that prove both who you are and that you can legally work in the United States. Section 1 asks for your full legal name, any other last names you have used, your current address, your date of birth, and your citizenship or immigration status. For the document side, you either bring one item from List A (which covers identity and work authorization together) or one item from List B (identity) paired with one from List C (work authorization).¹

The Information You Fill In Yourself

Section 1 is yours to complete. You provide your full legal name, any other last names you have used (maiden name, for example), your current address, and your date of birth. You then check a box showing whether you are a U.S. citizen, a noncitizen national, a lawful permanent resident, or a noncitizen authorized to work. You sign the attestation under penalty of perjury, so the information needs to be accurate.²

Your Social Security number is optional on Section 1 unless your employer uses E-Verify. If they do, you have to provide it.³

The deadline is firm. You must complete and sign Section 1 no later than your first day of paid work. You can do it any time after accepting the job offer, so nothing stops you from filling out your part in advance.¹

If a language barrier or a disability makes the form hard to complete on your own, a preparer or translator can help. You still sign the form yourself, and the person who helped you fills out a separate certification block on Supplement A with their name, address, signature, and date.¹

The Documents You Bring

Every document you present must be original and unexpired. Photocopies are not accepted, with one narrow exception: a certified copy of a birth certificate. Look at the three lists and figure out ahead of time which combination you can put together.

List A: One Document Covers Everything

If you have any single document from List A, that is all you need. The two most common are a U.S. passport or passport card and a Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551).⁴ Other List A options include:

An Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766), the photo card issued by USCIS. In some cases an EAD past its printed expiration date still qualifies if your category is eligible for an automatic extension.
A foreign passport with a temporary I-551 stamp or printed notation, for immigrants whose Permanent Resident Card has not yet arrived.
A foreign passport accompanied by a Form I-94 authorizing work with a specific employer.
A passport from the Federated States of Micronesia or the Republic of the Marshall Islands with a Form I-94 showing admission under the Compact of Free Association.

Bring any one of these and you are done on the document side.⁵

List B: Proof of Identity

Without a List A document, you present one document from List B along with one from List C. Most people use a state-issued driver’s license or a government photo ID card for List B.⁶ Other acceptable List B documents include a school ID with a photograph, a voter registration card, and a U.S. military card.

List C: Proof of Work Authorization

List C proves you are authorized to work. The two most common are an unrestricted Social Security card (one that does not say “NOT VALID FOR EMPLOYMENT”) and an original or certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate with an official seal.⁴ A Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by the State Department also works. A List C document only counts when paired with a List B document.

You Choose Which Documents to Show

This point matters, because employers get it wrong often. You decide which acceptable documents to present. Your employer cannot tell you to bring a passport instead of a driver’s license, cannot reject a valid document and ask for a different one, and cannot demand more than the form requires. Doing any of that is considered document abuse under the anti-discrimination provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act.⁷ If you believe an employer is demanding specific documents from you or treating you differently based on how you look or sound, you can call the Immigrant and Employee Rights Section at the Department of Justice at 800-255-8155.

If Your Document Is Lost, Stolen, or Damaged

You do not lose the job because a document is missing. If you have applied for a replacement, you can present the receipt for that application instead. The receipt is good for 90 days from your hire date, and within that window you have to show the actual replacement document or a different acceptable combination.⁸

Two limits to know. An employer cannot accept a second receipt once the first 90 days runs out. And if the job will last fewer than three days, receipts are not accepted at all.⁸

Special Situations

Employees Under 18

Minors who do not have any List B photo ID have a workaround. A parent or legal guardian can complete Section 1 on the minor’s behalf and vouch for their identity. This does not apply if the employer uses E-Verify, so a young worker at an E-Verify employer needs an actual identity document.⁹

Remote Hires

Since August 2023, employers enrolled in E-Verify in good standing have the option to examine documents through a live video call rather than in person. If your employer offers this, you present your documents on camera instead of showing up at an office.¹⁰ Employers not enrolled in E-Verify still have to examine documents in person, either themselves or through an authorized representative they designate.¹¹

Getting the Form Before Your First Day

The current Form I-9 is free to download from the USCIS website. Your employer is supposed to provide it, but pulling it up in advance lets you see the exact questions in Section 1 and confirm which documents you want to bring. Make sure the edition date and expiration date printed in the bottom-left corner match the version USCIS is currently accepting; expired editions are not valid.⁶ Once you have your Section 1 information ready and your documents in hand, the first-day paperwork is a quick sit-down: your employer or their authorized representative examines your originals and completes Section 2 within three business days of your hire date.¹²

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Completing Section 1, Employee Information and Attestation
2
eCFR. 8 CFR 274a.2 – Verification of Identity and Employment Authorization
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 3.0 Completing Section 1 – Employee Information and Attestation
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-9 Acceptable Documents
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 13.0 Acceptable Documents for Verifying Employment Authorization and Identity
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USCIS. Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 14.0 Some Questions You May Have About Form I-9
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USCIS. Receipts
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 4.2 Minors (Individuals under Age 18)
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Remote Examination of Documents (Optional Alternative Procedure to Physical Document Examination)
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 4.0 Completing Section 2 – Employer Review and Verification
12
Federal Register. Optional Alternative 1 to the Physical Document Examination Associated With Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9)