When completing Section 2 of Form I-9, one of the fields employers struggle with most is "Issuing Authority." You're holding an employee's document — a driver's license, a Social Security card, a passport — and the form asks you to write down who issued it. For many documents, the answer isn't obvious.
This guide gives you the exact issuing authority to enter for every acceptable I-9 document. Bookmark this page and use it as a quick reference every time you complete Section 2.
"Issuing authority" is a general term that refers to the government agency, organization, or entity that officially issued a document. You'll see this term on many official forms that ask you to identify or verify a document — not just Form I-9.
When a form asks for the issuing authority, it's asking: who is the authoritative source that created and stands behind this document? The issuing authority is the official body with the legal power to produce the document, record it in an official system, and revoke or replace it if needed.
The common thread: the issuing authority is always the official body with the legal authority to produce that specific type of document. On Form I-9, the phrase has the same meaning — but USCIS has very specific rules about which issuing authorities are acceptable and how to record them.
Form I-9 requires employers to verify that new hires are authorized to work in the United States. Part of that verification involves examining identity and employment authorization documents and recording specific information about them — including the issuing authority — in Section 2.
Recording the issuing authority serves two purposes:
The "issuing authority" is the government agency or entity that issued the document your employee is presenting. When you examine an employee's documents and record them in Section 2, you must enter four pieces of information for each document:
According to the M-274 Handbook for Employers published by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), common abbreviations are acceptable when recording the issuing authority. For example, you can write "SSA" instead of "Social Security Administration" or "USCIS" instead of "U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services."
The tables below list every document from USCIS's Lists of Acceptable Documents along with the correct issuing authority to enter in Section 2.
An employee who presents a List A document does not need to present a List B or List C document. List A documents establish both identity and work authorization.
| Document | Issuing Authority | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Passport | U.S. Department of State | DOS |
| U.S. Passport Card | U.S. Department of State | DOS |
| Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551) | USCIS (or DHS/INS on older cards) | USCIS |
| Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766) | USCIS | USCIS |
| Foreign Passport with I-551 Stamp/MRIV | Foreign government (enter the country name) | Country name |
| Foreign Passport with Form I-94 (nonimmigrant) | Foreign government (enter the country name) | Country name |
| FSM or RMI Passport with Form I-94 | Federated States of Micronesia or Republic of the Marshall Islands | FSM or RMI |
List B documents prove identity only. An employee presenting a List B document must also present a List C document (employment authorization).
| Document | Issuing Authority | What to Enter |
|---|---|---|
| Driver's License | State or territory that issued it | State name (e.g., "Texas," "California," "Puerto Rico") |
| State ID Card | State or territory that issued it | State name |
| Government ID Card (federal, state, or local) | The government agency that issued it | Agency name (e.g., "U.S. Department of Defense," "City of Houston") |
| School ID Card (with photo) | The educational institution | School or university name |
| Voter Registration Card | State or local election authority | State or county name |
| U.S. Military Card | U.S. Department of Defense | DOD or U.S. Armed Forces |
| Military Dependent's ID Card | U.S. Department of Defense | DOD |
| U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Card | U.S. Coast Guard | USCG |
| Native American Tribal Document | The specific tribe | Tribe name (e.g., "Navajo Nation," "Cherokee Nation") |
| Canadian Driver's License | Canadian provincial or territorial government | Province name (e.g., "Ontario," "British Columbia") |
Note: For minors under 18 who cannot present one of the documents above, acceptable List B alternatives include a school record or report card, a clinic/doctor/hospital record, or a daycare/nursery school record. Enter the name of the institution as the issuing authority.
List C documents prove employment authorization only. An employee presenting a List C document must also present a List B document (identity).
| Document | Issuing Authority | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security Card (unrestricted) | Social Security Administration | SSA |
| Birth Certificate (with official seal) | State, county, or municipal authority | State/county name (e.g., "State of Florida," "Harris County") |
| Certification of Report of Birth (DS-1350, FS-545, FS-240) | U.S. Department of State | DOS |
| Native American Tribal Document | The specific tribe | Tribe name |
| U.S. Citizen ID Card (Form I-197) | USCIS (formerly INS) | USCIS |
| ID Card for Resident Citizen (Form I-179) | USCIS (formerly INS) | USCIS |
| Employment Authorization Document issued by DHS (various forms) | DHS (USCIS, CBP, or ICE — enter the specific agency printed on the document) | DHS, USCIS, CBP, or ICE |
Note: Social Security cards that say "NOT VALID FOR EMPLOYMENT" or "VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION" are not acceptable List C documents. Only unrestricted Social Security cards are acceptable.
When you sit down to complete Section 2, here's the practical process:
The employee presents their documents. Determine whether they're presenting a List A document (which covers both identity and work authorization) or a combination of List B + List C documents. You cannot request specific documents or tell the employee which documents to bring — that may constitute discrimination under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA Section 274B).
Look at the document itself. The issuing authority is usually printed on the document — on passports it's on the data page, on driver's licenses it's typically the state name, on Social Security cards it's "Social Security Administration" across the top.
If you're unsure, use the reference tables above to look up the correct entry.
Section 2 has separate columns for List A, List B, and List C. Enter the issuing authority in the row for the correct document type:
The most frequently used documents and their issuing authorities:
Most I-9 errors happen in Section 2 — and issuing authority is one of the fields that trips people up most often. Getting document recording right also means knowing what ICE auditors look for and understanding the current penalty amounts for paperwork errors. If you're completing I-9s for employees across multiple states, our remote Section 2 verification service handles the document examination and Section 2 completion for you. A trained i9 Intelligence agent completes the form over a live video call with the employee — correctly, every time.
Schedule a free compliance call to learn more, or try our I-9 Risk Calculator to assess your risk.
On Form I-9, "issuing authority" means the specific government agency, state, or entity that issued the identity or employment authorization document your employee is presenting. For example, the issuing authority for a Social Security card is the Social Security Administration (SSA); for a driver's license, it's the state that issued it (e.g., Texas); for a U.S. passport, it's the U.S. Department of State (DOS). The employer enters this in Section 2 as part of the required document record.
In most cases, yes. The issuing authority is typically printed on the document itself — across the top of a Social Security card, on the data page of a passport, or as a state header on a driver's license. When in doubt, enter what the document shows. USCIS's M-274 Handbook for Employers (Appendix A) allows common abbreviations.
The Social Security Administration (SSA). You can write either "Social Security Administration" or "SSA" in Section 2. Remember that only unrestricted Social Security cards are acceptable as List C documents — cards stamped "NOT VALID FOR EMPLOYMENT" cannot be used.
The state or territory that issued the license. Enter the state name (e.g., "Texas," "California," "Guam"). You do not need to write "Department of Motor Vehicles" or "DMV" — the state name is sufficient.
The U.S. Department of State (DOS). This applies to both the standard U.S. passport book and the U.S. passport card. You'll find "United States of America — Department of State" on the data page of the passport.
USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services). On older cards issued before the DHS reorganization in 2003, you may see "INS" (Immigration and Naturalization Service) or "DHS" printed on the card. Enter what's printed on the card, or simply write "USCIS." For more on the Permanent Resident Card, see our guide to the I-551.
Yes. The M-274 Handbook for Employers (Appendix A) specifically states that common abbreviations are acceptable. You can write "SSA" instead of "Social Security Administration," "USCIS" instead of "U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services," "DOS" instead of "U.S. Department of State," and so on.
Look at the document itself — the issuing authority is almost always printed on it. For government-issued IDs, it's typically the name of the agency or jurisdiction. If you genuinely cannot determine the issuing authority, you can describe what's printed on the document as best you can. Employers are not expected to be document experts — the standard is whether the document reasonably appears to be genuine and relates to the person presenting it.
With 27 years of I-9 and E-Verify specialization, i9 Intelligence handles the compliance details so you can focus on running your business. From remote Section 2 verification to full I-9 audits, our team ensures every form is completed correctly.
