USCIS

Form I-9

Rev. 08/01/23

Employment Eligibility Verification

Verifies employee identity and authorization to work in the United States. Required for all new hires.

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Plain English

Form I-9 is the employment eligibility verification form that every employer and new hire must complete. It proves you are authorized to work in the U.S. by showing acceptable identity and work authorization documents.

Quick Facts

Who: Every employer in the U.S. and every employee hired after November 6, 1986, regardless of citizenship.
What: A two-part form: the employee attests to their work authorization status, and the employer verifies by examining acceptable documents.
When: Section 1 (employee) must be completed on or before the first day of work. Section 2 (employer) within 3 business days.
Where: Kept by the employer. Not filed with USCIS unless requested for an audit or E-Verify enrollment.
Why: Federal law requires employers to verify work authorization for every new hire to prevent unauthorized employment.
How: Employee fills Section 1. Employer examines original documents from Lists A, B, and/or C and completes Section 2 within 3 days.

Common Risks & Mistakes

  • •Employee not signing Section 1 — invalid form; employer cannot accept unsigned I-9
  • •Missing the 3-day Section 2 deadline — accepted documents must be examined within 3 business days
  • •Accepting expired documents — only unexpired documents are acceptable for I-9 verification
  • •Improperly handling reverification — certain documents and work authorization categories require reverification when they expire
  • •Not keeping I-9 for required period — must keep for 3 years after hire or 1 year after termination, whichever is later
  • •Discriminating against certain documents — cannot ask for more documents than needed or prefer one document over another

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Field-by-Field Guide

Section 1 (Employee)
Full Legal NameREQUIREDtext

Last name, first name, middle initial. Use legal name — not nickname.

Date of BirthREQUIREDdate

MM/DD/YYYY format. Used for identity verification.

SSNssn

Required if employer uses E-Verify. Otherwise voluntary.

Work Authorization StatusREQUIREDselect

Check one: U.S. Citizen, Noncitizen National, Lawful Permanent Resident, or Alien authorized to work.

Employee SignatureREQUIREDsignature

Employee must sign and date on first day of employment.

Section 2 (Employer)
Document TitleREQUIREDtext

List A document (proves both identity and work authorization) OR List B + List C documents.

Issuing AuthorityREQUIREDtext

Who issued the document (e.g., U.S. Department of State, USCIS).

Document NumberREQUIREDtext

Number as printed on the document.

Expiration Datedate

Date document expires. Do not accept expired documents.

Employment Start DateREQUIREDdate

First day of work. Section 2 must be completed within 3 business days of start date.

Employer SignatureREQUIREDsignature

Employer or authorized representative certifies documents were examined.

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Form Stats

11
Fields
9
Required
2
Sections

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Disclaimer: We do not provide legal advice. We translate legal language into plain English and help you prepare for a conversation with a lawyer.