# E-Verify documents: what changes from a standard I-9

[Home](/) / [Document guides](/documents) / E-Verify documents

By [Arthur Teboul](/authors/arthur-teboul), Founder, DokuTrak. Published 2026-11-06, updated 2026-11-06.

> **In brief:** E-Verify uses the documents from the employee’s Form I-9, with three extra rules: a List B identity document must carry a photo, the employee must give a Social Security number, and four documents trigger photo matching. The employee still chooses which acceptable documents to present.

## What are the E-Verify documents?

**E-Verify** is the online system, run by DHS with the Social Security Administration, that checks the facts on a completed Form I-9 against government records ([E-Verify, Verification Process](https://www.e-verify.gov/employers/verification-process)). It does not have its own list of documents. It reads the document titles, numbers and expiration dates the employer typed into Section 2 of the I-9.

So the question “which E-Verify documents do I need” has a short answer: the same ones as for the [I-9 documents](/documents/i-9) lists, chosen by the employee. The difference sits in a few rules that only bind employers enrolled in E-Verify, set out in the sections below.

## Who sends them, and when

The documents come from their usual issuers: the State Department for passports, USCIS for green cards and work permits, a state DMV for licenses and IDs, and the Social Security Administration for the card. The employer creates the case in E-Verify; DHS and SSA return the result ([E-Verify, Verification Process](https://www.e-verify.gov/employers/verification-process)). The employee may contact DHS or SSA to fix a mismatch.

## Where to get the E-Verify documents

1. Ask the new hire to complete Section 1 of Form I-9 with a Social Security number, or to add it as soon as it is issued.
2. Examine the documents the employee chose; if they chose List B plus List C, check the List B document has a photo.
3. Enter the document data in Section 2 exactly as printed, then create the case from that form.
4. If E-Verify prompts photo matching, compare the photo on the document with the one on screen. **Photo matching** is the E-Verify step that shows you the government photo for that document ([E-Verify, Verification Process](https://www.e-verify.gov/employers/verification-process)).
5. Record the case result and close the case once you receive a final result.

## Wrong files people send instead

- Accepting a List B document with no photo, such as a voter registration card, from an employee at an E-Verify employer.
- Asking the employee to bring their Social Security card because E-Verify needs the number.
- Creating a case for a job applicant before they accept the offer and complete Form I-9.
- Treating a mismatch as a final answer and pulling the employee off the schedule.

## The three document rules that apply only with E-Verify

An employer that does not use E-Verify follows the standard Form I-9 rules. One that does adds these, each from USCIS or E-Verify guidance.

| Topic | Standard Form I-9 | E-Verify employer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| List B identity document | Photo or identifying details such as name, birth date and eye color | Must contain a photograph when combined with List C ([USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 4.0 Completing Section 2](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/40-completing-section-2-employer-review-and-verification)) |
| Social Security number in Section 1 | Voluntary | Required; an employee awaiting a number may still work and enters it when issued ([USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 3.0 Completing Section 1](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/30-completing-section-1-employee-information-and-attestation)) |
| Photo matching | Not used | Prompted for a U.S. passport, passport card, Form I-551 or Form I-766 ([E-Verify, Verification Process](https://www.e-verify.gov/employers/verification-process)) |
| Minor without a List B document | Parent or guardian may establish identity | Not allowed; the minor shows List A, or a photo List B plus List C ([USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 4.2 Minors](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/40-completing-section-2-employer-review-and-verification/42-minors-individuals-under-age-18)) |
| Copies of documents | Optional, applied consistently | Required for the four photo-matching documents when the employee presents them ([USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 4.1 Retaining Copies of Documents](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/40-completing-section-2-employer-review-and-verification/41-retaining-copies-of-documents-your-employee-presents)) |

## The Social Security number: required, but not a document request

An E-Verify employer needs the number, but it still cannot ask for a particular card that shows it. USCIS says you cannot ask employees to provide a specific document with their Social Security number on it, and that doing so may be unlawful discrimination ([USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 3.0 Completing Section 1](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/30-completing-section-1-employee-information-and-attestation)).

A restricted card, for example one marked “VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION”, does not count as a List C document. The employer still enters the number from it when creating the case ([USCIS, Form I-9 Acceptable Documents](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents)).

## When to create the case

Start from a completed Form I-9. E-Verify asks you to create the case no later than the third business day after the employee starts work for pay ([E-Verify, Verification Process](https://www.e-verify.gov/employers/verification-process)). An employer may not create a case before the person accepts the job offer and completes the form ([E-Verify, Employee Rights and Responsibilities](https://www.e-verify.gov/employees/employee-rights-and-responsibilities)).

E-Verify is for new hires. It is not used to reverify an existing employee whose temporary work authorization expired; that update goes in Supplement B of the form ([E-Verify, Employee Rights and Responsibilities](https://www.e-verify.gov/employees/employee-rights-and-responsibilities)).

## Reading the case result

E-Verify returns one of a short set of results ([E-Verify, Verification Process](https://www.e-verify.gov/employers/verification-process)). A **tentative nonconfirmation** is a mismatch between the form and DHS or SSA records; it is not a finding that the person cannot work.

- Employment Authorized: the information matched; close the case.
- E-Verify Needs More Time: DHS is checking further; wait for an update.
- Tentative Nonconfirmation (mismatch): notify the employee, who chooses whether to take action ([E-Verify, Verification Process](https://www.e-verify.gov/employers/verification-process)).
- Case in Continuance: the employee has contacted DHS or SSA and more time is needed.
- Close Case and Resubmit: DHS or SSA asks for a new case.
- Final Nonconfirmation: E-Verify cannot confirm the employee’s work authorization after the mismatch process ends ([E-Verify, Verification Process](https://www.e-verify.gov/employers/verification-process)).

## What the employee can expect

E-Verify lists the employee’s rights in plain terms ([E-Verify, Employee Rights and Responsibilities](https://www.e-verify.gov/employees/employee-rights-and-responsibilities)). The employer must display the E-Verify participation notice and the Department of Justice “Right to Work” poster in English and Spanish. During a mismatch, the employee gets a Further Action Notice and may keep working while it is resolved ([E-Verify, Employee Rights and Responsibilities](https://www.e-verify.gov/employees/employee-rights-and-responsibilities)).

An E-Verify employer must not tell the employee which Form I-9 documents to present ([E-Verify, Employee Rights and Responsibilities](https://www.e-verify.gov/employees/employee-rights-and-responsibilities)). If you hire remotely, the same enrollment also opens the [remote I-9 verification](/documents/i-9/remote-verification) procedure.

## The template: E-Verify new hire notice and document request

**Not advice.** This page is general information, not tax, legal or HR advice. Rules change: check the cited source and ask your own professional before you rely on it. Last reviewed October 25, 2026.

Send this to a new hire at an E-Verify employer. It explains the photo and number rules without naming a document the employee must bring.

Subject: Form I-9 and E-Verify: what to bring on [date]

```text
Hi [Client name],

[Company name] uses E-Verify, so your Form I-9 has two extra rules:

- In Section 1, please enter your Social Security number. If it has not been issued yet, you can start work and add it when it arrives.
- If you choose a List B identity document with a List C document, the List B one needs your photo.

Otherwise the choice is yours: one document from List A, or one from List B and one from List C. Please bring the originals by [date].

We create the E-Verify case only after you start. The E-Verify and Right to Work notices are attached.

Thank you,
[Your name]
```

## Questions people ask

### What documents does E-Verify use?

The documents the employee presented for Form I-9: one List A document, or a List B plus a List C document. E-Verify checks the data typed from them against DHS and SSA records ([E-Verify, Verification Process](https://www.e-verify.gov/employers/verification-process)).

### Why does my List B document need a photo?

Because your employer uses E-Verify. When an employee at an E-Verify employer shows List B and List C documents, the List B document must contain a photograph ([USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 4.0 Completing Section 2](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/40-completing-section-2-employer-review-and-verification)).

### Can an employer run E-Verify before a job offer?

No. E-Verify says a participating employer must not create a case before you accept an offer of employment and complete Form I-9 ([E-Verify, Employee Rights and Responsibilities](https://www.e-verify.gov/employees/employee-rights-and-responsibilities)).

### Which documents trigger photo matching?

A U.S. passport, a passport card, a Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551) and an Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766) ([E-Verify, Verification Process](https://www.e-verify.gov/employers/verification-process)).

## Sources

- [E-Verify, Verification Process](https://www.e-verify.gov/employers/verification-process): Cases start from a completed Form I-9 and are created by the third business day; photo matching documents; the list of case results.
- [E-Verify, Employee Rights and Responsibilities](https://www.e-verify.gov/employees/employee-rights-and-responsibilities): No case before an accepted offer and completed I-9; no use for reverification; posters; the employer must not specify documents.
- [USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 4.0 Completing Section 2](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/40-completing-section-2-employer-review-and-verification): For E-Verify employers, a List B document presented with List C must contain a photograph.
- [USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 3.0 Completing Section 1](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/30-completing-section-1-employee-information-and-attestation): E-Verify employees must provide a Social Security number; employers cannot ask for a specific document showing it.
- [USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 4.2 Minors](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/40-completing-section-2-employer-review-and-verification/42-minors-individuals-under-age-18): At E-Verify employers, a parent or guardian cannot establish identity for a minor.
- [USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 4.1 Retaining Copies of Documents](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/40-completing-section-2-employer-review-and-verification/41-retaining-copies-of-documents-your-employee-presents): E-Verify employers must keep copies of a U.S. passport, passport card, Permanent Resident Card or EAD when presented.
- [USCIS, Form I-9 Acceptable Documents](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents): Restricted Social Security cards are not List C documents, but E-Verify employers still enter the number.

## More on this topic

- [I-9 documents](/documents/i-9)
- [Remote I-9 verification](/documents/i-9/remote-verification)
- [Passport guide](/documents/passport)
- [Document collection for recruiters and HR](/for/recruiters-hr)

## About the author

Arthur Teboul (Founder, DokuTrak) is building DokuTrak after watching professionals lose hours chasing clients for documents over email. [Arthur Teboul](/authors/arthur-teboul).

How this page was made (methodology): it is built from the primary sources listed under Sources, and every rule and figure on it links to the source it comes from. Last updated October 25, 2026. Spotted an error or a rule that changed? [Contact us](/contact).

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