What ID Do I Need For an I9 Form?

For the I-9 form, which is used to verify the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States, employees are required to present specific types of identification. The documents you can present are divided into three lists: List A, List B, and List C. Each list serves a different purpose, and you can choose which documents to provide based on these lists.

Table of Contents

List A: Documents that Establish Both Identity and Employment Authorization

Presenting one document from List A is sufficient because each document in this list verifies 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 Card (Form I-766)
Foreign passport that contains a temporary I-551 stamp or temporary I-551 printed notation on a machine-readable immigrant visa

List B: Documents that Establish Identity Only

If you do not present a List A document, you must provide one document from List B to establish identity and one document from List C to establish employment authorization. Examples of List B documents include:

Driver’s License or ID card issued by a state or outlying possession of the United States
ID card issued by federal, state, or local government agencies or entities
School ID card with a photograph
Voter’s registration card
U.S. Military card or draft record

List C: Documents that Establish Employment Authorization Only

If you use a List B document for identity, you must also provide a List C document to prove your authorization to work in the U.S. Examples of List C documents include:

Social Security account number card (unless the card includes a restriction such as 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 United States bearing an official seal
Native American tribal document

Important Notes:

Employees choose which documents to present: Employers are required to accept any document or combination of documents from the lists if they appear to be genuine and relate to the employee presenting them. Employers are not allowed to specify which documents they will accept.
Documents must be original and unexpired: Photocopies and expired documents are not acceptable for the I-9 form.

By presenting the appropriate documents from these lists, you effectively fulfill the requirements for verifying both your identity and your employment authorization for the purposes of the I-9 form.