I-9 Acceptable Documents Checker: List A, B and C
Tick the documents a new hire showed you and see whether they make an acceptable Form I-9 set: one I-9 List A document, or one from List B plus one from List C. The checker also covers receipts, minors, the E-Verify photo rule and the mistakes USCIS warns about, and the full lists sit below it, word for word from the current form. It works the same when you examine documents in person or under the remote alternative procedure.
Use the tool
I-9 Acceptable Documents Checker (List A, B, C), vettedpad.com
For Section 2, this combination is
Acceptable
8 CFR 274a.2(b)(1)(v); M-274 § 13.0
List B + List C
- One List B document shows identity and one List C document shows employment authorization.
The employee chose these documents. You may not specify which ones to show or ask for more or different ones.
A receipt for a lost or stolen document buys 90 days; a receipt for a first-time work permit application is not acceptable. No receipt is accepted for a job that lasts less than three business days.
M-274 § 13.0; 8 CFR 274a.2(b)(1)(vi)
This tool applies the federal Form I-9 lists as written. It is not legal advice, and it does not judge whether a document is genuine: you accept documents that reasonably appear to be genuine and to relate to the person.
8 CFR 274a.2(b)(1)(v); Form I-9 instructions, Section 2
What the checker computes
It applies one rule from the form: the employee presents one selection from List A, or one selection from List B plus one from List C, or an acceptable receipt for them. List A has 6 items, List B has 9 plus 3 more for people under 18, and List C has 7. A List A item proves identity and work authorization at once; List B proves identity only; List C proves work authorization only.
On top of the pairing it checks the conditions USCIS attaches: receipts and their limits, the under-18 records, the E-Verify photo rule, restricted Social Security cards, photocopies and expired documents. It does not judge whether a document is genuine, and it does not date anything; the I-9 and E-Verify deadline calculator gives you the Section 2 date, and the reverification calculator tells you when an expiring document needs Supplement B.
“A document is acceptable if it reasonably appears to be genuine and to relate to the person presenting it.”
Form I-9 instructions (01/20/25), Section 2, Step 1
The full lists: List A, List B and List C
The form's own heading for the page reads: “All documents containing an expiration date must be unexpired. * Documents extended by the issuing authority are considered unexpired. Employees may present one selection from List A or a combination of one selection from List B and one selection from List C.”
List A: Documents that Establish Both Identity and Employment Authorization
| No. | Document, as the form words it | USCIS note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | U.S. Passport or U.S. Passport Card | |
| 2 | Permanent Resident Card or Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form I-551) | Also known as a Green Card. Current and previous card designs remain valid until the expiration date shown on the card. |
| 3 | Foreign passport that contains a temporary I-551 stamp or temporary I-551 printed notation on a machine-readable immigrant visa | This document is subject to reverification. |
| 4 | Employment Authorization Document that contains a photograph (Form I-766) | The Form I-766, Employment Authorization Document, is a List A, Item Number 4. document, not a List C document. |
| 5 | For an individual temporarily authorized to work for a specific employer because of his or her status or parole: a. Foreign passport; and b. Form I-94 or Form I-94A that has the following: (1) The same name as the passport; and (2) An endorsement of the individual's status or parole as long as that period of endorsement has not yet expired and the proposed employment is not in conflict with any restrictions or limitations identified on the form. | The passport and the Form I-94 are presented together and count as one List A document. |
| 6 | Passport from the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) or the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) with Form I-94 or Form I-94A indicating nonimmigrant admission under the Compact of Free Association Between the United States and the FSM or RMI | Presented together, the passport and the Form I-94 count as one List A document. |
List B: Documents that Establish Identity
| No. | Document, as the form words it | USCIS note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Driver's license or ID card issued by a State or outlying possession of the United States provided it contains a photograph or information such as name, date of birth, sex, height, eye color, and address | Some states may place restrictive notations on their licenses. For Form I-9 purposes, you may accept these licenses. |
| 2 | ID card issued by federal, state or local government agencies or entities, provided it contains a photograph or information such as name, date of birth, sex, height, eye color, and address | A driver's license or ID card issued by a state department of motor vehicles is List B, Item 1, not Item 2. |
| 3 | School ID card with a photograph | |
| 4 | Voter's registration card | |
| 5 | U.S. Military card or draft record | |
| 6 | Military dependent's ID card | |
| 7 | U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Card | |
| 8 | Native American tribal document | |
| 9 | Driver's license issued by a Canadian government authority | |
| 10 | For persons under age 18 who are unable to present a document listed above:School record or report card | Under 18 only, when no List B item 1 to 9 is available. |
| 11 | Clinic, doctor, or hospital record | Under 18 only, when no List B item 1 to 9 is available. |
| 12 | Day-care or nursery school record | Under 18 only, when no List B item 1 to 9 is available. |
List C: Documents that Establish Employment Authorization
| No. | Document, as the form words it | USCIS note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Social Security Account Number card, unless the card includes one of the following restrictions: (1) NOT VALID FOR EMPLOYMENT (2) VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH INS AUTHORIZATION (3) VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION | Restricted Social Security cards are not acceptable as List C documents. The card must not be laminated. |
| 2 | Certification of report of birth issued by the Department of State (Forms DS-1350, FS-545, FS-240) | |
| 3 | Original or certified copy of birth certificate issued by a State, county, municipal authority, or territory of the United States bearing an official seal | You may only accept a Puerto Rico birth certificate issued on or after July 1, 2010. |
| 4 | Native American tribal document | |
| 5 | U.S. Citizen ID Card (Form I-197) | |
| 6 | Identification Card for Use of Resident Citizen in the United States (Form I-179) | |
| 7 | Employment authorization document issued by the Department of Homeland Security | This does not include Form I-766, Employment Authorization Document, from List A. |
Receipts: what counts, and for how long
A receipt stands in for a document “for a temporary period”, in the form's words. M-274 § 4.4 adds that you must accept a receipt the employee presents, unless employment will last less than three business days, and that a second receipt at the end of the first receipt's period is not permissible.
| Receipt | Stands in for | Valid for Form I-9 | Then the employee shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receipt for a replacement of a lost, stolen, or damaged List A document. | List A | 90 days from date of hire | The actual replacement document, or a different List A document, or one document each from List B and List C |
| Form I-94 issued to a lawful permanent resident that contains an I-551 stamp and a photograph of the individual. | List A | Until the expiration date of the temporary I-551 (ADIT) stamp, or if there is no expiration date, one year from date of admission | The actual Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card, also known as a “Green Card” |
| Form I-94 with “RE” notation or refugee stamp issued to a refugee. | List A | 90 days from date of hire | An unexpired Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766), or a List B document and an unrestricted Social Security card |
| Unexpired Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, containing a class of admission of UHP or OAR on the document or unexpired Form I-94 containing a class of admission of PAR and indicates Afghanistan as country of citizenship on the document | List A | 90 days (or when the I-94 expires, if less) from date of hire | An unexpired Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766), or a List B document and an unrestricted Social Security card |
| An unexpired Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record that contains a class of admission of DT issued between Feb. 24, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2024, and indicates Ukraine as the country of citizenship on the document | List A | 90 days (or when the I-94 expires, if less) from date of hire | An unexpired Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766), or a List B document and an unrestricted Social Security card |
| Receipt for a replacement of a lost, stolen, or damaged List B document. | List B | 90 days from date of hire | The actual replacement document, a different List B document, or a List A document |
| Receipt for a replacement of a lost, stolen, or damaged List C document. | List C | 90 days from date of hire | The actual replacement document, another List C document, or a List A document |
| A receipt showing the employee has applied for an initial grant of employment authorization | None | Not acceptable | Any acceptable document or combination from the Lists |
Mistakes USCIS warns about
- 01
Telling the employee which documents to bring
Employers must allow all employees to choose which acceptable documentation to present. You cannot specify which documentation an employee will present. E-Verify employers may require a photo on a List B document, nothing more.
Form I-9 instructions, Anti-Discrimination Notice; M-274 § 4.0
- 02
Asking for more after a valid set
If an employee presents acceptable List A documentation, do not ask for List B and List C. If they present List B and List C, do not ask for List A.
M-274 § 13.0
- 03
Rejecting a document for a future expiration date
Employers should not reject acceptable documentation due to a future expiration date.
Form I-9 instructions, Anti-Discrimination Notice
- 04
Accepting photocopies
Copies, except for certified copies of birth certificates, are not acceptable when you physically examine documents.
M-274 § 4.0
- 05
Filing the EAD under List C
The Form I-766, Employment Authorization Document, is a List A, Item Number 4. document, not a List C document.
Form I-9, page 2
- 06
Taking the wrong receipt
A receipt for a lost or stolen document buys 90 days; a receipt for a first-time work permit application is not acceptable. No receipts for a job under three business days.
M-274 § 13.0; 8 CFR 274a.2(b)(1)(iii)
- 07
Turning away a minor with no photo ID
If a minor cannot present a List B document, a parent or legal guardian may establish identity: write “Individual under age 18” under List B. Not at an E-Verify employer, where the minor needs List A, or a List B document with a photograph and List C.
M-274 § 4.2
- 08
Asking for proof of what Section 1 says
Employers cannot ask employees for documentation to verify information entered in Section 1. The documents are for Section 2 only.
Form I-9 instructions, Anti-Discrimination Notice
Unfair documentary practices (document abuse) carry a civil penalty of $236 to $2,364 per individual, the 2025 inflation-adjusted amounts still in force. The I-9 penalties guide lists the paperwork and knowing-hire fines.
8 U.S.C. 1324b(g)(2)(B)(iv)(IV); 28 CFR 68.52(d)(1)(xii)
Worked example
Five hires at the same small employer, run through the checker. The first row is the example the tool opens with.
| Employee showed | Situation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| State driver's license (B 1) and Social Security card (C 1) | Adult, no E-Verify | Acceptable: List B + List C |
| Form I-766 EAD (A 4), plus a license and a Social Security card | Adult | Acceptable: List A; do not ask for B and C |
| Receipt for a lost List A document | Adult, job of five days | Acceptable for now: 90 days from hire |
| Receipt for a lost List A document | Job of two days | Not acceptable: no receipts under three business days |
| Report card (B 10) and birth certificate (C 3) | Under 18, E-Verify, no photo | Not enough yet: List B needs a photo |
The fourth hire can still be verified on the first day with any document or pair from the lists. The fifth can show a school ID card with a photograph (List B #3) or a List A document; without E-Verify the report card would have been enough. For the whole process from offer to filing, see the Form I-9 employer guide.
State notes
- Federal
The lists are federal and the same in every state. A driver's license can be issued by any state or territory of the United States, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. “Some states may place restrictive notations on their licenses. For Form I-9 purposes, you may accept these licenses.”
State law changes one thing here: where a state makes E-Verify mandatory for your business, the photo rule for List B applies to you. Check your state in E-Verify requirements by state, and read E-Verify for employers for the case steps. If an authorized representative examines documents for you, the same lists and the same rules apply to them.
What to do
- Hand the employee the Lists of Acceptable Documents and let them choose.
- Check the set: one List A, or one List B and one List C, or an acceptable receipt.
- Examine originals, then complete Section 2 within three business days after the first day of work.