A U.S. work authorization card looks like a credit-card-sized plastic photo ID with an eagle design, holograms, and the holder’s photo and personal details engraved into the surface. Officially called an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) and issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Form I-766, the current version has been in circulation since January 30, 2023 and is built from polycarbonate plastic with multiple layers of security printing.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Permanent Resident Card and Employment Authorization Document Redesign
Size, Shape, and Feel
The card follows the same ID-1 standard as a credit card: about 3.37 inches wide, 2.13 inches tall, and roughly 0.03 inches thick. It fits any standard wallet slot. The stock is laser-receptive polycarbonate, a rigid plastic that resists bending and cracking. Because the personal data is laser-engraved into the inner layers of the plastic rather than printed on top, you cannot scrape or wipe the information off, and any attempt to alter it visibly damages the card.
The front is dominated by artwork in light blues and greens with an eagle motif. Both faces carry holographic images that shift as you tilt the card in the light. The overall impression is closer to a modern passport card or driver’s license than to a paper document.
What’s on the Front of the Card
Looking at the front, you should be able to identify each of these elements:
- Legal name, printed near the top.
- A photograph of the cardholder on the left side.
- USCIS number, a unique nine-digit number tied to the holder’s immigration record.
- Date of birth.
- Category code, a short alphanumeric string that shows the legal basis for the work authorization. Common examples are C08 for a pending asylum application and C09 for a pending adjustment of status to permanent residence.
- Card number, a separate identifier unique to that specific physical card.
- Expiration date, typically near the bottom, showing the last date the card is valid unless extended.
The category code matters beyond appearance: it determines which rules apply if the holder later files for renewal. For an employer completing Form I-9, though, the code itself is not something they need to interpret. The EAD is a “List A” document, meaning by itself it establishes both identity and work authorization, and the employer only needs to confirm the card is unexpired and reasonably appears genuine.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 13.1 List A Documents That Establish Identity and Employment Authorization
What’s on the Back of the Card
Flip the card over and you’ll find a barcode and the card number engraved across the top. Both are physically etched rather than printed, so you can feel a slight roughness when you run a fingertip across them.
Below the barcode sits a second, smaller copy of the holder’s photograph. This secondary photo was introduced in the 2023 redesign and includes a layer-reveal element with a partial window built into the photo box.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Redesigns Green Card and Employment Authorization Document
At the very bottom is a machine-readable zone, two rows of characters in the same style you’d see inside a passport. This zone lets border officers and government systems scan the card electronically. There is also standard instructional text on the back explaining how to return a found card to the Department of Homeland Security.
Security Features That Tell You It’s Real
The 2023 redesign added several anti-fraud features that are useful for spotting a genuine card:
- Holograms on both sides that change appearance as the card is tilted.
- Optically variable ink, where certain elements shift color depending on viewing angle.
- Tactile printing: raised patterns worked into the artwork that you can feel by touch.
- Microprinting: tiny text embedded in the design that consumer printers and scanners cannot reproduce cleanly.
- Ultraviolet-reactive inks and artwork that only become visible under UV light.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Next Generation Secure Identification Document Project
Combined with the laser-engraved data inside the polycarbonate, these features make the current EAD one of the more secure identity documents the federal government issues.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Permanent Resident Card and Employment Authorization Document Redesign If a card feels like a laminated paper printout, has flat surface printing with no tactile texture, or shows no color shift or hologram when tilted, those are visible warning signs.
Older Cards Look Different, and That’s Normal
Not every valid EAD in circulation matches the description above. The 2023 redesign repositioned several data fields compared to the previous version, so a card issued before January 30, 2023 will look noticeably different from a newer one. Both old and new EADs remain valid until the expiration date printed on the card.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 13.1 List A Documents That Establish Identity and Employment Authorization A different layout, by itself, is not a sign that a card is fake.
The “Combo Card” Notation
Some EADs carry an extra line of text on the front reading “Serves as I-512 Advance Parole.” This appears on cards issued to people who applied for adjustment of status and requested both work authorization and advance parole in one package. A card with that notation lets the holder travel outside the United States and return without abandoning a pending green card application.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Issue Employment Authorization and Advance Parole Card for Adjustment of Status Applicants
An ordinary EAD that lacks that printed line is not a travel document, even though it looks nearly identical. The presence or absence of that single line changes what the card is authorized to do.