Fill out Form I-9 online

Who uses Form I-9

• New employees hired to work in the United States, both U.S. citizens and noncitizens
• U.S. employers and the authorized representatives who complete Section 2 for them
• Preparers and translators who help an employee complete Section 1 (Supplement A)
• Employers reverifying an employee's work authorization or recording a rehire (Supplement B)
• Agricultural associations, agricultural employers and farm labor contractors that recruit or refer workers for a fee

Before you start

• The employee's current legal name, any other last names used, full address and date of birth
• The employee's Social Security number, which is required if the employer uses E-Verify and voluntary otherwise
• For box 3 (lawful permanent resident): the USCIS Number (A-Number). For box 4 (alien authorized to work): the work authorization expiration date, if any, and one of these: the A-Number, the Form I-94 admission number, or the foreign passport number and country of issuance
• Original, unexpired documents the employee chooses from the Lists of Acceptable Documents on page 2: one from List A, or one from List B and one from List C
• For the employer: the first day of employment, the business name and address, and the name and title of the person signing Section 2
• The Instructions for Form I-9, which the employer must make available to the employee

How to fill out Form I-9

1. 1

   Section 1: employee information

   The employee enters their current legal name, any other last names used, address, date of birth, Social Security number, email address and telephone number. Name, address and date of birth are required; leave other fields blank if they do not apply. Someone with only one name enters it as the Last Name and writes "Unknown" as the First Name. Do not enter an ITIN in the Social Security number field.

2. 2

   Section 1: citizenship or immigration status

   Check one of the four boxes: 1. a citizen of the United States, 2. a noncitizen national of the United States, 3. a lawful permanent resident, or 4. an alien authorized to work. Box 3 asks for the USCIS Number or A-Number. Box 4 asks for the work authorization expiration date (N/A if there is none) and one of these: the USCIS A-Number, the Form I-94 Admission Number, or the foreign passport number and country of issuance. The instructions define each status.

3. 3

   Section 1: signature and date

   The employee signs and enters today's date. The instructions say not to back-date it. Section 1 must be done no later than the first day of employment, and not before the job offer is accepted. If anyone helped fill in or translate Section 1, that person completes Supplement A.

4. 4

   Supplement A: preparer and/or translator certification

   Page 3 is only needed if a preparer or translator helped with Section 1. Enter the employee's last name, first name and middle initial from Section 1 at the top. Each preparer or translator completes a separate certification area with their signature, the date, their name and their address.

5. 5

   Section 2: documents the employee presents

   The employer first reviews Section 1; the employee corrects any error and initials and dates the correction. Within three business days after the employee's first day of work, the employer or an authorized representative examines the documents, physically or under an alternative procedure authorized by DHS, and records them under List A, or under List B and List C: document title, issuing authority, document number and expiration date. Document Title 2 and 3 are for List A documents that must be presented together. Use the Additional Information box for extra details, and check its box if documents were examined under the alternative procedure.

6. 6

   Section 2: employer certification

   Enter the employee's first day of employment. Then enter the last name, first name and title of the employer or authorized representative, the signature and today's date, and the employer's business or organization name and address.

7. 7

   Supplement B: reverification and rehire

   Page 4 replaces Section 3 of older editions. It is used when an employee needs reverification, is rehired within three years of the date the original Form I-9 was completed, or provides proof of a legal name change. Enter the employee's name from Section 1 at the top, then use a new section for each reverification or rehire: date of rehire, any new name, and the title, number and expiration date of the List A or List C document presented. The employer or authorized representative enters their name, signs and dates the section, and uses the Additional Information box and the alternative procedure checkbox as in Section 2.

After you fill it out

After the employee completes and signs Section 1, the employer or its authorized representative examines the documents, physically or, for E-Verify employers in good standing, under the DHS-authorized remote procedure, and completes Section 2. The employer keeps Form I-9 with any supplement pages and any copies of documents it made; the form is not filed with USCIS or ICE. It must be kept for as long as the person works there, and after that until one year after employment ends or three years after the first day of employment, whichever is later. The employer must make it available if authorized officials from DHS, the Department of Labor or the Department of Justice ask to inspect it.

Signing: USCIS says people using the fillable Form I-9 must print it and sign by hand rather than typing or electronically adding a signature, because the fillable form does not meet DHS standards for electronic Form I-9 systems. Print the completed form and sign it in ink: the employee in Section 1, the employer in Section 2 and in any Supplement B section used, and each preparer or translator in Supplement A.

Questions about Form I-9

Official information

• Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification (USCIS)
• Instructions for Form I-9 (PDF)
• Handbook for Employers (M-274)
• I-9 Central

Page text last reviewed November 7, 2026.

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• Form W-4Employee’s Withholding Certificate
• Form I-765Application For Employment Authorization
• Form SS-5Application for a Social Security Card
• Form I-90Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card
• Form DS-11Application for a U.S. Passport