I-9 acceptable documents: List A, B and C

New job, new paperwork, and a form that asks for 'acceptable documents.' People search for 'I-9 form passport' or 'I-9 tax form' because the form does not explain itself well at first glance. USCIS publishes the lists, and this guide walks through them in plain words.

It follows the edition dated 01/20/25 of the form and USCIS's own pages, read November 1, 2026. It lists some examples and links to USCIS for the full lists. This is general information, not tax, legal or immigration advice.

Is the I-9 a tax form?

No. Form I-9 is from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), not the IRS. USCIS says it is used 'to verify the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States.' The tax form a new employee fills out is a different one, the W-4 form. USCIS also says: do not file Form I-9 with USCIS or ICE. The employer keeps it.

What are List A, List B and List C?

• List A: documents that establish both identity and employment authorization. One is enough.
• List B: documents that establish identity only. It must be paired with a List C document.
• List C: documents that establish employment authorization only. It must be paired with a List B document.

The form says: 'Employees may present one selection from List A or a combination of one selection from List B and one selection from List C.' All documents that have an expiration date must be unexpired. Documents extended by the issuing authority are considered unexpired.

What are some examples from List A?

• U.S. Passport or U.S. Passport Card.
• Permanent Resident Card or Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form I-551).
• Employment Authorization Document that contains a photograph (Form I-766).
• A foreign passport that contains a temporary I-551 stamp or printed notation on a machine-readable immigrant visa.
• For someone temporarily authorized to work for a specific employer: a foreign passport together with Form I-94 or I-94A that has the same name and an endorsement of status.

So a U.S. passport can stand alone, which is why people ask about 'I-9 form passport.' A foreign passport alone is not on the list. It counts only with the stamp or the I-94 described above.

What are some examples from List B?

• Driver's license or ID card issued by a State or outlying possession of the United States, if it has a photo or details such as name, date of birth, sex, height, eye color and address.
• ID card issued by federal, state or local government agencies.
• School ID card with a photograph.
• Voter's registration card.
• U.S. Military card or draft record.
• Driver's license issued by a Canadian government authority.

For persons under age 18 who are unable to present a document listed, the form also lists a school record or report card, a clinic, doctor or hospital record, and a day-care or nursery school record.

What are some examples from List C?

• A Social Security Account Number card, unless it says NOT VALID FOR EMPLOYMENT, VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH INS AUTHORIZATION or VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION.
• Certification of report of birth issued by the Department of State (Forms DS-1350, FS-545, FS-240).
• Original or certified copy of a birth certificate issued by a State, county, municipal authority or territory of the United States bearing an official seal.
• U.S. Citizen ID Card (Form I-197).
• Native American tribal document.

USCIS's page on acceptable documents adds that the Social Security card must not be laminated. The full List C, with every item and its conditions, is on USCIS's Form I-9 Acceptable Documents page.

Who chooses which documents to show?

The employee. The form's anti-discrimination notice says: 'All employees can choose which acceptable documentation to present for Form I-9. Employers cannot ask employees for documentation to verify information in Section 1, or specify which acceptable documentation employees must present.' If a receipt for a replacement of a lost, stolen or damaged document is presented, USCIS says it can be used for a temporary period.

A worked example

Two employees start the same week. The first shows an unexpired U.S. passport. That is a List A document, so nothing else is needed. The second shows a state driver's license (List B) and an unrestricted Social Security card (List C). Together those count as one List B and one List C document. The second employee could also have paired the license with a certified birth certificate with an official seal, which is another List C item.

When is the I-9 due?

The form says employees must complete and sign Section 1 no later than the first day of employment, but not before accepting a job offer. The employer or its authorized representative must complete and sign Section 2 within three business days after the employee's first day of employment.

Fill in the form in your browser

You can fill in the current USCIS copy on our I-9 form page. The form is the agency's own, and what you type stays on your device. For a document you need to attach, a scan or photo can be turned into a PDF with JPG to PDF. For how to type into a form, see how to fill out a PDF form.

Sources

• USCIS, Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, edition 01/20/25, read November 1, 2026.
• USCIS, Lists of Acceptable Documents, page 2 of Form I-9 (edition 01/20/25), read November 1, 2026.
• USCIS, Form I-9 Acceptable Documents, I-9 Central (last reviewed 10/05/2026), read November 1, 2026.

This is general information, not tax, legal or immigration advice. PDFinish is not affiliated with USCIS or any government agency. Ask USCIS or an immigration professional about a particular document. Last reviewed November 1, 2026.