You have three business days from the employee's first day of work to examine their documents and complete Section 2 of Form I-9. If you hire someone for less than three business days, Section 2 must be completed on the first day of employment. As of March 2026, missing this deadline is a substantive violation — meaning immediate fines of $288 to $2,861 per form with no correction window. Penalties increase sharply if an audit uncovers unauthorized workers.
Below is the complete list of 25 acceptable documents for Form I-9, organized by list, with practical guidance on receipts, combination documents, document examination, and the most common employer mistakes.
There are 25 acceptable documents for Form I-9, organized into three lists. List A has 6 documents (proving both identity and work authorization). List B has 12 documents (identity only — 9 standard plus 3 for minors). List C has 7 document categories (employment authorization only). An employee presents either one List A document OR one List B document plus one List C document. The employer cannot choose which documents the employee presents.
Source: USCIS I-9 Central, "Who is Issued This Document?"
When any of these receipts expire, the employee must present either an unexpired EAD or a List B document paired with an unrestricted Social Security card.
When the employee first presents a receipt:
When the receipt expires and the employee presents the actual document:
If the employee presents different but acceptable documentation instead of the original replacement:
An F-1 student participating in CPT presents all three of the following as one List A document:
In Section 2, record information from all three documents. Use the second and third List A fields and the Additional Information area as needed.
Alternatively, an F-1 CPT student can choose to present List B + List C instead. For example: a state driver's license (List B) and a Form I-94 indicating F-1 status with a properly endorsed Form I-20 (List C #7).
A J-1 exchange visitor presents all three of the following as one List A document:
The J-1 exchange visitor cannot work after the program end date on the DS-2019. In Section 2, record information from all three documents and note the responsible officer's documentation in the Additional Information field.
J-1 students who also have a letter from the responsible officer authorizing employment may present those documents as well.
You are examining the document for obvious signs that it is fake or does not belong to the employee. You do not need specialized training or equipment. Look at the document, compare the name and photo (if present) to the person in front of you, and confirm it appears legitimate.
Accept the document if:
If a document does not reasonably appear to be genuine or does not appear to relate to the employee, reject it and ask for a different document from the Lists of Acceptable Documents. If the employee cannot present any acceptable documentation, you may terminate employment.
Federal law prohibits employers from:
For more information, contact the Department of Justice's Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) at 1-800-255-7688.
Saying "bring your passport" or "we need a driver's license and Social Security card" is document abuse — even if you say it to every employee equally. The law requires you to present the Lists of Acceptable Documents and let the employee choose.
If a Permanent Resident Card looks different from what you've seen before, that does not make it invalid. USCIS redesigns the card every three to five years. All previous designs remain valid until the card's expiration date. The same applies to EADs.
Social Security cards stamped "NOT VALID FOR EMPLOYMENT," "VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH INS AUTHORIZATION," or "VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION" are not acceptable as List C documents. If an employee presents a restricted card, ask for a different List C document or a List A document instead.
Section 2 must be completed within three business days of the employee's first day of work for pay. As of March 2026, missing this deadline is a substantive violation — no correction window, immediate fine exposure. Even if the employee's documents are perfectly valid, a late Section 2 is fineable on its own.
Every field in Section 2 must be filled in completely: document title, issuing authority, document number, and expiration date. As of March 2026, leaving any of these fields blank is a substantive violation — even if you retained a legible photocopy of the document. The days of relying on copies to fill in missing information during an audit are over.
When physically examining documents, you must examine originals. Copies are not acceptable — with one exception: certified copies of birth certificates are allowed. If your organization uses remote document examination under the E-Verify alternative procedure, different rules apply.
If an employee initially presents a receipt, you must follow up when it expires. Cross out "Receipt," record the actual document information, initial, and date the change. Failing to update the receipt is a common audit finding.
Requesting both a List A document and List B + List C documents is a violation, even if the employee offers them. If you see a List A document, stop there. Do not record List B and List C documents.
See how i9 Intelligence automates document verification or learn about our remote Section 2 verification service — where a trained i9 Intelligence agent completes Section 2 over a live video call, so your team never has to examine a document again.
An employee must present either one document from List A (which proves both identity and employment authorization) or one document from List B (identity) plus one document from List C (employment authorization). There are 25 total acceptable documents across the three lists. The employee — not the employer — chooses which documents to present. See the full lists above.
No. Federal anti-discrimination law under Section 274B of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) prohibits employers from specifying which documents an employee must present. You must show the employee the Lists of Acceptable Documents and accept any valid document or combination they choose. Requiring a specific document — even if you require it of all employees — is document abuse.
Generally, no. All documents presented for Form I-9 must be unexpired. However, some documents may qualify as unexpired through automatic extensions. An Employment Authorization Document (EAD, Form I-766) with certain category codes may be automatically extended up to 540 days past its expiration date — but only if a timely renewal was filed before Oct. 30, 2025. Renewals filed on or after that date are no longer eligible for automatic extensions. For TPS-based EADs, H.R. 1 (effective July 22, 2025) caps auto-extensions at one year or the TPS designation duration, whichever is shorter. A Permanent Resident Card may also be extended via Form I-797 receipt notice — and note that permanent resident status itself does not expire when the card does. Check with your compliance team or USCIS guidance when an employee presents a document with a past expiration date.
Yes, but only three specific types of receipts and only for a temporary period. You can accept: (1) a receipt for a replacement of a lost, stolen, or damaged List A, B, or C document (valid 90 days), (2) a Form I-94 with temporary I-551 stamp and photograph for lawful permanent residents (valid until stamp expiration or one year), and (3) a Form I-94 with refugee admission stamp or "RE" notation (valid 90 days). You cannot accept receipts if employment will last less than three business days, and you cannot accept a receipt for an initial grant of employment authorization.
No. USCIS explicitly states that employers are not expected to be document experts. The standard is reasonableness: accept documents that reasonably appear to be genuine and relate to the person presenting them. If you have questions about a specific document, contact the USCIS Form I-9 Contact Center or call the i9 Intelligence compliance team at (713) 668-6200.