A U.S. work permit looks like a wallet-sized plastic card with a red, white, and blue background, detailed eagle artwork, and the cardholder’s photo on the front. Officially called an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), or Form I-766, it’s issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and is the same shape and size as a driver’s license or credit card. If you’ve been handed one and want to know whether it looks right, or you’re an employer trying to recognize a legitimate card, the design has been standardized and, as of January 30, 2023, refreshed with updated artwork and stronger security features.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Permanent Resident Card and Employment Authorization Document Redesign
Size, Shape, and Feel
The EAD uses the ID-1 format, the same dimensions as a bank card, so it slides into a standard wallet slot. The body is made from 100% polycarbonate, a rigid plastic layered into a solid structure that resists bending, peeling, and general wear.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Next Generation Secure Identification Document Project The surface has a smooth, laminated feel. Text stays crisp and legible even after years of handling. The overall color scheme is red, white, and blue, with an eagle image spanning the background of the card.
What’s Printed on the Front
The front of the card is where everything an employer or officer needs to read is displayed. A passport-style photograph of the cardholder sits on the left side, next to the cardholder’s signature (or a notation that the signature was waived). A fingerprint image is also printed on the front, though some cards show “fingerprint not available” in that space instead.
The middle of the card carries the cardholder’s full legal name, date of birth, and gender. Below that sit the fields that identify the authorization itself:
- USCIS Number, also called the A-Number, a unique nine-digit identifier assigned by USCIS.
- Category code, a short alphanumeric like C08 (asylum applicant), C09 (pending adjustment of status), or A05 (asylee granted asylum), showing the legal basis for work authorization.
- Card Valid From and Card Expires, the start and end dates of the authorized period.
The category code is easy to overlook, but it does real work on the card. Employers sometimes need to record it when completing Form I-9, and it determines which extension rules apply at renewal.
What’s Printed on the Back
The back of the card is more technical and is mostly built for scanners and trained officials rather than everyday reading. A barcode sits near the top and stores the front-of-card data in a machine-readable format. Below the barcode, printed text notes that the card is property of USCIS and gives a mailing address for returning it if found.
The bottom of the back is taken up by a Machine Readable Zone (MRZ), three lines of characters similar to the strip at the bottom of a passport page. The MRZ encodes the document number, name, date of birth, gender, nationality, and expiration date. Check digits are embedded throughout to help systems flag alterations. The 2023 redesign added a partial-window feature on the photo box on the back that reveals a hidden layer when held to the light, giving officials another way to verify the card is genuine.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Permanent Resident Card and Employment Authorization Document Redesign
Security Features You Can See
Most of the visual elements on an EAD are also anti-counterfeiting features, and they’re a fast way to tell whether a card looks legitimate. Holographic images appear on both the front and back of the current design and shift appearance when the card is tilted under light.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. EAD Comparison Guide Optically variable ink is used on specific graphic elements and changes color depending on the angle of the light, so a quick tilt gives a visual authenticity check with no equipment needed.
Micro-printing is woven into parts of the artwork. Those tiny characters are legible under magnification but turn into blurred lines on a photocopy or scan. Tactile printing is integrated into the design, so trained officials can feel raised patterns on the card’s surface.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Redesigns Green Card and Employment Authorization Document Between the holograms, color-shifting ink, micro-text, tactile features, and the layer-reveal window on the back, the card stacks several obstacles against convincing forgery.
Older Cards Look Different but Still Count
If the card in front of you doesn’t match the current red, white, and blue eagle design, that doesn’t automatically mean it’s invalid. USCIS updated the artwork and repositioned several data fields during the January 2023 redesign, and EADs issued before that date can look noticeably different in layout and color. Those older cards remain valid until the expiration date printed on them.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-9 Acceptable Documents
How Employers Read the Card
An EAD with a photo is a “List A” document for Form I-9 purposes, meaning the single card proves both identity and work authorization. When a valid EAD is presented, the employer records the document title, issuing authority, document number, and expiration date in Section 2 of the I-9 and cannot ask for additional documents.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-9 Acceptable Documents Requesting extra paperwork after seeing a valid EAD can violate anti-discrimination rules. That’s part of why the card packs so much identifying information into one small piece of plastic: the photo, signature, fingerprint, name, A-Number, category code, and validity dates are all meant to be read from the card itself.
So a genuine U.S. work permit is a polycarbonate card the size of a credit card, with an eagle-themed red, white, and blue front carrying the holder’s photo, name, A-Number, category code, and validity dates, and a back that carries a barcode, a return-to-USCIS notice, and a three-line machine-readable zone. Hold it under light and you should see the holograms shift, the ink change color at an angle, and, on cards issued from 2023 onward, a hidden layer appear through the small window on the back.