What Forms of ID Do You Need For I9?

When completing an I-9 form for employment eligibility verification in the United States, employees need to provide specific forms of identification that prove both their identity and authorization to work. These documents are categorized into three lists by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS): List A, List B, and List C. Employees can choose different combinations of these documents to meet the requirements:

Table of Contents

List A: Documents that Establish Both Identity and Employment Authorization

Presenting one document from List A is sufficient because it verifies both the employee’s identity and their authorization to work in the U.S. Examples of List A documents 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 an employee does not present a List A document, they must provide one document from List B for identity and one document from List C for employment authorization. Examples of 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

To accompany a List B document, employees must also provide a document from List C, which verifies their authorization to work in the United States. Examples of List C documents 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 birth certificate issued by a state, county, municipal authority, or territory of the U.S. bearing an official seal
Native American tribal document
U.S. Citizen ID Card (Form I-197)
Identification Card for Use of Resident Citizen in the United States (Form I-179)

Important Points to Note:

Employees must provide original documents; photocopies and expired documents are not acceptable, except for certain expired documents where indicated by USCIS.
Employers must accept any document(s) from the lists that reasonably appear to be genuine and to relate to the person presenting them. Employers cannot specify which documents they will accept from an employee.

By providing the appropriate documents from these lists, employees ensure they meet the federal requirements for employment verification, establishing their identity and legal authorization to work in the United States.