Which I-9 Documents Are on Lists A, B and C?

When it comes to the documents you need for Form I-9, it’s kind of like a smorgasbord. Federal law dictates that “employees provide documentation to their employers to show their identity and authorization to work in the U.S.” That can be accomplished with approved documents from either List A (documents that accomplish both) or from a combination of documents from List B (establish identity only) and List C (establish employment authorization only).  

It’s actually simpler than it sounds. You need either one document from List A OR one document from List B and one from List C. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) uses the following breakdown: 

List A documents 

• U.S. passport or passport card 
• Permanent resident card or alien registration receipt card (Form I-551) 
• Employment authorization document card (Form I-766) 
• Foreign passport with Form I-94 or I-94A (must contain an endorsement) 
• Passport from the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) or the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) with Form I-94 or Form I-94A 
• Foreign passport containing a Form I-551 stamp or Form I-551 printed notation 

List B documents 

• Driver’s license 
• ID card issued by federal, state or local government agencies or entities. This must contain a photograph or information such as name, date of birth, gender, height, eye color and address. 
• School ID card with a photograph 
• Voter registration card 
• U.S. military card or draft record 
• Military dependent’s ID card 
• U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document 
• Native American tribal document 
• Driver’s license issued by a Canadian government 

For those under 18, acceptable List B documents can also include: 

• School record or report card 
• Clinic, doctor or hospital record 
• Day care or nursery school record 

List C documents 

• U.S. Social Security account number card. A card with any of the following restrictions is not acceptable: “Not valid for employment,” “Valid for work only with authorization,” “Valid for work only with DHS authorization.” 
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240) 
• Certification of Birth Abroad issued by the U.S. Department of State (Form FS-545) 
• Certification of Report of Birth issued by the U.S. Department of State (Form DS-1350) 
• Original or certified copy of a birth certificate issued by a state, county, municipal authority or outlying territory of the United States bearing an official seal 
• U.S. Citizen ID Card (Form I-197) 
• Identification Card for Use of Resident Citizen in the United States (Form I-179) 
• Employment authorization document issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 

If you need more detailed information, the USCIS has it for you.

On a related note, is copying I-9 supporting documents a good idea? The jury is out.