What Forms of ID Can Be Used For I9?

For completing the I-9 form, which is necessary for verifying employment eligibility in the United States, employees must present specific documents to prove their identity and authorization to work. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) categorizes these documents into three lists: List A, List B, and List C. Each list serves a specific purpose, and employees can choose which documents to present based on these lists:

Table of Contents

List A: Documents that Establish Both Identity and Employment Authorization

A single document from List A is sufficient as it verifies both the employee’s identity and their 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 an employee does not present a List A document, they must provide one document from List B to prove identity, along with one document from List C to establish employment authorization. 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, an employee also needs to present a document from List C that verifies their authorization to work in the U.S. Examples 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 Considerations:

Original Documents Required: Only original documents are accepted; photocopies or expired documents are not valid unless specified otherwise by USCIS.
Employee Choice: Employees have the freedom to choose which documents to present from the provided lists. Employers cannot specify or demand specific documents as long as the chosen documents meet the requirements.
Employer Verification: Employers are required to physically examine each document to ensure that they are genuine and correspond to the employee presenting them.

By providing the appropriate documents from these lists, employees fulfill the requirements of the I-9 form, confirming both their identity and their legal authorization to work in the United States.