Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Form I-9, Employment
Eligibility Verification
Anti-Discrimination Notice. It is illegal to discriminate against
any individual (other than an alien not authorized to work in the
United States) in hiring, discharging, or recruiting or referring for a
fee because of that individual's national origin or citizenship status.
It is illegal to discriminate against work-authorized individuals.
Employers CANNOT specify which document(s) they will accept
from an employee. The refusal to hire an individual because the
documents presented have a future expiration date may also
constitute illegal discrimination. For more information, call the
Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair
Employment Practices at 1-800-255-8155.
All employees (citizens and noncitizens) hired after November
6, 1986, and working in the United States must complete
Form I-9.
OMB No. 1615-0047; Expires 08/31/12
The Preparer/Translator Certification must be completed if
Section 1 is prepared by a person other than the employee. A
preparer/translator may be used only when the employee is
unable to complete Section 1 on his or her own. However, the
employee must still sign Section 1 personally.
Form I-9 (Rev. 08/07/09) Y
Read all instructions carefully before completing this form.
Instructions
When Should Form I-9 Be Used?
What Is the Purpose of This Form?
The purpose of this form is to document that each new
employee (both citizen and noncitizen) hired after November
6, 1986, is authorized to work in the United States.
For the purpose of completing this form, the term "employer"
means all employers including those recruiters and referrers
for a fee who are agricultural associations, agricultural
employers, or farm labor contractors. Employers must
complete Section 2 by examining evidence of identity and
employment authorization within three business days of the
date employment begins. However, if an employer hires an
individual for less than three business days, Section 2 must be
completed at the time employment begins. Employers cannot
specify which document(s) listed on the last page of Form I-9
employees present to establish identity and employment
authorization. Employees may present any List A document
OR a combination of a List B and a List C document.
Filling Out Form I-9
This part of the form must be completed no later than the time
of hire, which is the actual beginning of employment.
Providing the Social Security Number is voluntary, except for
employees hired by employers participating in the USCIS
Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-
Verify). The employer is responsible for ensuring that
Section 1 is timely and properly completed.
1. Document title;
2. Issuing authority;
3. Document number;
4. Expiration date, if any; and
5. The date employment begins.
Employers must sign and date the certification in Section 2.
Employees must present original documents. Employers may,
but are not required to, photocopy the document(s) presented.
If photocopies are made, they must be made for all new hires.
Photocopies may only be used for the verification process and
must be retained with Form I-9. Employers are still
responsible for completing and retaining Form I-9.
Noncitizen nationals of the United States are persons born in
American Samoa, certain former citizens of the former Trust
Territory of the Pacific Islands, and certain children of
noncitizen nationals born abroad.
Employers should note the work authorization expiration
date (if any) shown in Section 1. For employees who indicate
an employment authorization expiration date in Section 1,
employers are required to reverify employment authorization
for employment on or before the date shown. Note that some
employees may leave the expiration date blank if they are
aliens whose work authorization does not expire (e.g., asylees,
refugees, certain citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia
or the Republic of the Marshall Islands). For such employees,
reverification does not apply unless they choose to present
If an employee is unable to present a required document (or
documents), the employee must present an acceptable receipt
in lieu of a document listed on the last page of this form.
Receipts showing that a person has applied for an initial grant
of employment authorization, or for renewal of employment
authorization, are not acceptable. Employees must present
receipts within three business days of the date employment
begins and must present valid replacement documents within
90 days or other specified time.
Employers must record in Section 2:
Preparer/Translator Certification
Section 2, Employer
Section 1, Employee
in Section 2 evidence of employment authorization that
contains an expiration date (e.g., Employment Authorization
Document (Form I-766)).
