What Forms of ID Do I Need For My I9?

For completing the I-9 form, which verifies your identity and employment authorization for work in the United States, you need to provide specific forms of identification. These documents are divided into three lists by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS): List A, List B, and List C. You can choose from these lists based on what documents you currently possess:

Table of Contents

List A: Documents that Establish Both Identity and Employment Authorization

Providing one document from List A suffices because it proves both your identity and your authorization to work in the U.S. Examples include:

U.S. Passport or U.S. Passport Card
Permanent Resident Card or Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form I-551)
Employment Authorization Document (EAD) that contains a photograph (Form I-766)
Foreign passport that contains a temporary I-551 stamp or temporary I-551 printed notation on a machine-readable immigrant visa
Passport from the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) or the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) with Form I-94 or Form I-94A indicating nonimmigrant admission under the Compact of Free Association Between the United States and the FSM or RMI

List B: Documents that Establish Identity Only

If you do not have a List A document, you must provide one document from List B for identity and one document from List C for employment authorization. List B documents include:

Driver’s license or ID card issued by a U.S. state or outlying possession
ID card issued by federal, state, or local government agencies or entities, provided it contains a photograph or information such as name, date of birth, gender, height, eye color, and address
School ID card with a photograph
Voter’s registration card
U.S. Military card or draft record
Military dependent’s ID card

List C: Documents that Establish Employment Authorization Only

If you use a List B document for identity, you also need to provide a document from List C to verify your employment authorization. Examples include:

Social Security account number card (unless it specifies that it is not valid for employment)
Certification of Birth Abroad issued by the Department of State (Form FS-545)
Certification of Report of Birth issued by the Department of State (Form DS-1350)
Original or certified copy of a birth certificate issued by a state, county, municipal authority, or territory of the U.S. bearing an official seal
Native American tribal document

Key Points to Remember:

You must present original documents; photocopies and expired documents are not accepted (with certain exceptions for expired documents specified by USCIS).
You have the right to choose which documents to present from the lists provided, as long as they satisfy the requirements of one document from List A or one from List B and one from List C.
Employers must accept any valid documentation that establishes identity and employment authorization and cannot dictate which specific documents they will accept.

By providing the appropriate documents from these lists, you can successfully complete the I-9 form, ensuring compliance with U.S. employment eligibility verification requirements.