# I-9 documents: Lists A, B and C, and who issues each one

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By [Arthur Teboul](/authors/arthur-teboul), Founder, DokuTrak. Published 2026-10-30, updated 2026-10-30.

> **In brief:** For Form I-9, a new hire shows either one List A document, such as a U.S. passport or a green card, or one List B identity document plus one List C work authorization document. The employee picks which ones; the employer examines the originals and may not name a specific document.

## What are the I-9 documents?

**I-9 documents** are the original, unexpired papers a new employee shows so the employer can complete Section 2 of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. USCIS sorts them into three lists ([USCIS, Form I-9 Acceptable Documents](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents)). List A proves both identity and permission to work, so one document is enough. List B proves identity only, and List C proves work authorization only, so they come as a pair.

The employer does not keep the documents. It looks at them, records the title, issuing authority, number and expiration date in Section 2, and hands them back. Copies are optional for most employers, but if you copy for one hire you should copy for all of 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 current edition is dated 01/20/25 ([USCIS, I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9)). USCIS also accepts the 08/01/23 edition whose expiration date, printed at the top of the form, is 05/31/2027; the 08/01/23 printing that expires 07/31/2026 can no longer be used ([USCIS, I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9)). The edition date sits at the bottom of each page, and the lists of acceptable documents print with the form.

## Who sends them, and when

Each document comes from a different issuer. The U.S. Department of State issues passports, passport cards and the consular birth records on List C. USCIS issues the Permanent Resident Card and the Employment Authorization Document. A state DMV issues the driver’s license or state ID, the Social Security Administration issues the Social Security card, and a state, county or city vital records office issues the certified birth certificate.

## Where to get the I-9 documents

1. Look at the second page of the Form I-9 you received with your offer: it prints all three lists.
2. Pick one List A document, or one from List B and one from List C, from what you already hold.
3. Check the expiration date and the name on each one; an expired card or a name that differs causes a second visit.
4. If a document was lost or stolen, apply for the replacement and bring the receipt instead; HR must accept it for a limited period ([USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 4.4 Acceptable Receipts](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/40-completing-section-2-employer-review-and-verification/44-acceptable-receipts)).
5. Bring the originals on day one or within three business days of your start date; photocopies are not accepted at an in-person review, except a certified copy of a birth certificate ([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)).

## Wrong files people send instead

- A laminated Social Security card, or one marked “NOT VALID FOR EMPLOYMENT”: neither counts as a List C document ([USCIS, Form I-9 Acceptable Documents](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents)).
- A photocopy or a phone photo of a passport brought to an in-person review instead of the original.
- Two List B documents and no List C document, such as a driver’s license plus a school ID.
- A hospital souvenir birth certificate with no official seal instead of the certified copy from vital records.
- An expired List A card shown without the notice that extends it, when the extension appears on a separate Form I-797.

## List A, List B and List C at a glance

The table summarizes the USCIS lists ([USCIS, Form I-9 Acceptable Documents](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents)). Each row names the document and the agency that hands it out, which is also where the employee goes if one is missing.

- A Puerto Rico birth certificate counts only if it was issued on or after July 1, 2010 ([USCIS, Form I-9 Acceptable Documents](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents)).
- A Social Security card with a restriction is not a List C document, but an E-Verify employer still enters the number in the case ([USCIS, Form I-9 Acceptable Documents](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents)).
- Some List A entries, such as a foreign passport with Form I-94, count as one document even though they are two pieces of paper.

| List | Document | Issued by | Proves |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A | U.S. passport or U.S. passport card | U.S. Department of State | Identity and work authorization |
| A | Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551) | USCIS | Identity and work authorization |
| A | Employment Authorization Document with photo (Form I-766) | USCIS | Identity and work authorization |
| A | Foreign passport with a temporary I-551 stamp or MRIV notation | Foreign government, with a U.S. entry notation | Identity and work authorization |
| A | Foreign passport with Form I-94 endorsing work for a specific employer | Foreign government and U.S. Customs and Border Protection | Identity and work authorization |
| B | Driver’s license or ID card from a state, U.S. territory or a Canadian authority | State DMV or Canadian government | Identity only |
| B | School ID with photo, voter registration card, U.S. military card, tribal document | School, election office, military, tribe | Identity only |
| C | Unrestricted Social Security card | Social Security Administration | Work authorization only |
| C | Original or certified birth certificate with an official seal | State, county or city vital records | Work authorization only |
| C | Consular birth record (Form DS-1350 or FS-240) ([USCIS, Form I-9 Acceptable Documents](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents)) | U.S. Department of State | Work authorization only |

## The employee chooses, the employer may not

This is the rule HR teams break most often without meaning to. USCIS says plainly that you cannot specify which documentation an employee will present from the lists ([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)). Federal law also treats asking for more or different documents than the law requires as an unfair immigration-related employment practice when it is done with intent to discriminate ([8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(6), Unfair documentary practices](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1324b)).

In practice, that means your offer packet shows the full lists and asks the hire to bring an acceptable choice. It never says “bring your passport” or “bring your green card”. If someone shows a List B and a List C document, do not ask for a List A document as well ([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)).

- Say: “Please bring one document from List A, or one from List B and one from List C.”
- Do not say: “Please bring your green card and Social Security card.”
- Accept a document that reasonably appears genuine and relates to the person, even if you would have preferred another one.

## When the documents are due: the 3-day rule

The employee fills in Section 1 no later than the first day of work for pay ([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)). The employer then has three business days from the start date to examine the documents and finish Section 2 ([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 a Monday start, USCIS gives Thursday of that week as the last day ([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)).

A job that lasts less than three business days is different: Section 2 is due on the first day, and a receipt cannot stand in for a document ([8 CFR 274a.2, Verification of identity and employment authorization](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/274a.2)). You may examine the documents any time after the person accepts the offer, but you may not ask anyone who has not accepted an offer to complete Section 1 ([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)).

## Receipts and temporary documents

A **receipt** is proof that the employee applied to replace a document that was lost, stolen or damaged, or one of two specific Form I-94 records. You must accept one in place of the document, unless the job lasts less than three business days ([USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 4.4 Acceptable Receipts](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/40-completing-section-2-employer-review-and-verification/44-acceptable-receipts)). A second receipt at the end of the first one is not allowed ([USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 4.4 Acceptable Receipts](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/40-completing-section-2-employer-review-and-verification/44-acceptable-receipts)).

| Receipt | Valid for | Then the employee shows |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Receipt for a replacement of a lost, stolen or damaged document | 90 days from the date of hire ([USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 4.4 Acceptable Receipts](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/40-completing-section-2-employer-review-and-verification/44-acceptable-receipts)) | The replacement, or another acceptable document |
| Form I-94 with a temporary I-551 stamp and photo | Until the stamp expires, or one year from admission if it has no date ([USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 4.4 Acceptable Receipts](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/40-completing-section-2-employer-review-and-verification/44-acceptable-receipts)) | The Permanent Resident Card |
| Form I-94 with a refugee admission stamp | 90 days from the date of hire ([USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 4.4 Acceptable Receipts](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/40-completing-section-2-employer-review-and-verification/44-acceptable-receipts)) | An EAD, or a List B document plus an unrestricted Social Security card |

## Minors, reverification and record keeping

Workers under 18 who have no photo ID can use a school record or report card, a clinic, doctor or hospital record, or a day-care or nursery school record as their List B document ([USCIS, Form I-9 Acceptable Documents](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents)). If they cannot show any List B document, a parent or legal guardian can establish identity on the form, though not at an E-Verify employer ([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)).

**Reverification** is the update an employer makes in Supplement B when temporary work authorization expires. It is due no later than the date the authorization ends, and the employee again chooses a List A or List C document ([USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 6.1 Reverifying Employment Authorization](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/60-completing-supplement-b-reverification-and-rehire-of-form-i-9/61-reverifying-employment-authorization-for-current-employees)). It is never required for U.S. citizens or noncitizen nationals, nor when a U.S. passport, passport card, Permanent Resident Card or List B document expires ([USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 6.0 Completing Supplement B](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/60-completing-supplement-b-reverification-and-rehire-of-form-i-9)).

Keep each form for three years after the date of hire or one year after employment ends, whichever is later ([8 CFR 274a.2, Verification of identity and employment authorization](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/274a.2)). Store the forms and any copies so you can produce them within three business days of an inspection request ([USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 10.0 Retaining Form I-9](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/100-retaining-form-i-9)).

## The template: I-9 documents request email to a new hire

**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 with the offer packet, with the lists page of the current Form I-9 attached. It lists the choices without naming a document, which keeps the request within the USCIS rule.

Subject: Your first day: Form I-9 and the documents to bring by [date]

```text
Hi [Client name],

Welcome aboard. Federal law asks every new employee to complete Form I-9, so please plan for two things:

- Fill in Section 1 of the attached form on or before your first day.
- By [date], show me original, unexpired documents of your choice: either one document from List A, or one from List B plus one from List C. The lists are on the second page of the form. Bring originals, not photocopies; a certified copy of a birth certificate is fine.

You choose which documents to bring; I cannot pick them for you. If a document is lost or stolen, a receipt for its replacement works for now.

Thank you,
[Your name]
```

## Questions people ask

### Is a passport alone enough for Form I-9?

Yes. A U.S. passport or passport card is a List A document, so it proves identity and work authorization by itself. An employee who shows one should not be asked for anything else ([USCIS, Form I-9 Acceptable Documents](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents)).

### Can I use a driver’s license and a birth certificate for the I-9?

Yes, if the birth certificate is an original or certified copy with an official seal. The driver’s license covers List B and the birth certificate covers List C ([USCIS, Form I-9 Acceptable Documents](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents)).

### Can an employer tell me which I-9 documents to bring?

No. The employee chooses from the lists, and the employer must accept documents that reasonably appear genuine and relate to the person ([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)). An employer can share the lists and explain the choice.

### How long is an I-9 receipt good for?

A receipt for a replacement document is valid for 90 days from the date of hire, after which the employee shows the replacement or another acceptable document ([USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 4.4 Acceptable Receipts](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/40-completing-section-2-employer-review-and-verification/44-acceptable-receipts)).

### Can HR accept scans of I-9 documents?

Only under the remote procedure for E-Verify employers in good standing, which still ends with a live video look at the originals. Otherwise the employer examines the originals in person ([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)). See remote I-9 verification for the steps.

## Sources

- [USCIS, Form I-9 Acceptable Documents](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents): Lists A, B and C, the minors’ List B alternatives, restricted Social Security cards, Puerto Rico birth certificates and acceptable receipts.
- [USCIS, I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9): The current edition is dated 01/20/25 (edition date at the bottom of the page). Employers may also use the 08/01/23 edition with an expiration date of 05/31/2027; another 08/01/23 printing was valid only until 07/31/2026. The expiration date is at the top of the page.
- [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): Section 1 is completed by the first day of work for pay; an applicant who has not accepted an offer may not be asked to complete it.
- [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): Section 2 is completed within three business days of the start date; the employer cannot specify which documents the employee presents.
- [USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 4.4 Acceptable Receipts](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/40-completing-section-2-employer-review-and-verification/44-acceptable-receipts): Replacement receipts and refugee I-94 receipts are valid 90 days; an I-94 with a temporary I-551 stamp is valid until the stamp expires or one year from admission.
- [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): Copies of documents are optional but must be made consistently for all employees.
- [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): A parent or guardian may establish a minor’s identity when no List B document is available, except at E-Verify employers.
- [USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 6.1 Reverifying Employment Authorization](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/60-completing-supplement-b-reverification-and-rehire-of-form-i-9/61-reverifying-employment-authorization-for-current-employees): Reverification is due by the date employment authorization expires and uses a List A or List C document chosen by the employee.
- [USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 6.0 Completing Supplement B](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/60-completing-supplement-b-reverification-and-rehire-of-form-i-9): Reverification is never required for U.S. citizens or noncitizen nationals, or when U.S. passports, passport cards, Permanent Resident Cards or List B documents expire.
- [USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, 10.0 Retaining Form I-9](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-resources/handbook-for-employers-m-274/100-retaining-form-i-9): Forms I-9 must be produced within three business days of an inspection request.
- [8 CFR 274a.2, Verification of identity and employment authorization](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/274a.2): Three-business-day rule, no receipts for jobs under three business days, and retention for three years after hire or one year after employment ends, whichever is later.
- [8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(6), Unfair documentary practices](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1324b): Requesting more or different documents than required, with intent to discriminate, is an unfair immigration-related employment practice.

## More on this topic

- [I-9 document collection for recruiters](/blog/document-collection-recruiters)
- [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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