I-9 acceptable documents are the documents a new hire can show to prove identity and permission to work in the US. The employee chooses either one document from List A, or one from List B plus one from List C, and the employer has to accept any combination that is valid.
| Option | Shows | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| One List A document | Identity and work authorization | US passport, permanent resident card |
| One List B plus one List C | Identity (B) and work authorization (C) | Driver’s license plus unrestricted Social Security card or birth certificate |
| List B alone or List C alone | Not enough | Ask for a document from the other list, from the full list |
The full lists are on the form itself. See Form I-9 for the deadlines and the Form I-9 guide for step by step completion.
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A new warehouse associate arrives on her first day, Monday, with a state driver’s license and an original birth certificate. The shift manager, used to seeing passports, asks if she has a passport or a green card instead.
HR stops the request. The driver’s license is a List B document and the birth certificate is a List C document, so together they are an acceptable combination. Asking for a specific document she did not choose to present is the kind of request that can be unlawful, whatever the manager’s intent.
The manager examines the two originals, sees that they reasonably appear genuine and relate to her, and completes Section 2 that day, well before the Thursday deadline. HR adds a line to the manager checklist: hand the employee the full list and let her choose.
If an employee’s document was lost, stolen or damaged, a receipt for the application to replace it is acceptable for 90 days from the hire date. Within those 90 days, the employee must present the replacement document. Write down the date by which the replacement is due, and follow up before it arrives.
Some work authorization documents expire, and the employer must reverify the employee before the expiration date. List B identity documents, such as a driver’s license, are never reverified, and neither are US passports or permanent resident cards. Track the dates that do need reverification, so nobody’s authorization lapses without notice.
A new cook’s wallet was stolen the week before her start date. On her first day she presents an unrestricted Social Security card and a receipt from the state DMV showing she applied to replace her driver’s license.
The receipt for a replacement List B document is acceptable, so the manager records it in Section 2 within three business days and notes that the license is due within 90 days. A reminder is set in her digital employee file. Six weeks later she brings the new license, and the manager updates the form.
One document from List A, or one document from List B plus one document from List C, as listed with the form.
No. The employee chooses which acceptable documents to present, and asking for specific documents can be discrimination.
Usually yes. A driver’s license is a List B document, and an unrestricted Social Security card is a List C document.
No. The regulation says only unexpired documents are acceptable.
A receipt for the replacement of a lost, stolen or damaged acceptable document is valid for 90 days. The employee must present the replacement within that time.
No. List B identity documents are not reverified. Reverification applies to certain expiring work authorization documents.
Send digital HR forms for e-signature before day one, and keep every signed document in the employee’s digital file.