What Documents Do I Need For an I9 Form?

When completing the I-9 form, which is necessary for verifying employment eligibility in the United States, you must provide documents that prove both your identity and your legal authorization to work. The documents acceptable for this purpose are divided into three lists by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS): List A, List B, and List C. You can choose to present one document from List A, or a combination of one document from List B and one from List C.

Table of Contents

List A: Documents that Establish Both Identity and Employment Authorization

One document from List A is sufficient because it 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 (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 provide a List A document, you must present one document from List B to verify your identity and one document from List C to establish your employment authorization. Examples of List B documents include:

Driver’s license or ID card issued by any U.S. state or outlying possession
ID card issued by federal, state, or local government agencies, provided it includes 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

When using a List B document for identity, you also need to provide a document from List C that verifies your authorization to work in the U.S. Examples of List C documents include:

Social Security card issued by the Social Security Administration (other than a card stating 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

Important Notes

Original Documents Required: You must present original documents; photocopies or expired documents are not accepted unless specified by USCIS.
Freedom to Choose: You have the right to choose which documents to present from the provided lists. Employers cannot specify or demand particular documents, as long as the documents satisfy the requirements and appear to be genuine.
Employer’s Role: Employers are responsible for physically examining each document to ensure that they are genuine and relate to the employee presenting them.

These documents are vital for ensuring that all employees, regardless of nationality, are legally authorized to work in the United States.