I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification

Use Form I-9 to verify the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States. All U.S. employers must properly complete Form I-9 for each individual they hire for employment in the United States. This includes citizens and noncitizens. Both employees and employers (or authorized representatives of the employer) must complete the form.

On the form, an employee must attest to his or her employment authorization. The employee must also present his or her employer with acceptable documents evidencing identity and employment authorization. The employer must examine the employment eligibility and identity document(s) an employee presents to determine whether the document(s) reasonably appear to be genuine and to relate to the employee and record the document information on the Form I-9. The list of acceptable documents can be found on the last page of the form. Employers must retain Form I-9 for a designated period and make it available for inspection by authorized government officers.

Forms and Document Downloads

Form Details

Edition Date

10/21/19. You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions.

Dates are listed in mm/dd/yy format.

Where to File

Do not file Form I-9 with USCIS or U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Employers must:

  • Have a completed Form I-9 on file for each person on their payroll who is required to complete the form;
  • Retain and store Forms I-9 for three years after the date of hire, or for one year after employment is terminated, whichever is later; and
  • Make their forms available for inspection if requested by authorized U.S. government officials from the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Labor, or Department of Justice.
Special Instructions

Only employers and employees in Puerto Rico can complete the Spanish version of Form I-9. Spanish-speaking employers and employees in the 50 states and other U.S. territories may print this for their reference, but must complete the form in English to meet employment eligibility verification requirements.

Download Instructions

Form I-9 is a fillable form, which means you can type your answers directly on the form instead of writing them by hand. To use the enhanced features of Form I-9, use the first link to download the form and save it your computer. Use the second link to open a basic form that can be used on a mobile device.

screen shot of the Form i-9 when you open it on a computer. On the "Please Wait" page you need to click the correct download button to then fill it in.

When you see the “Please wait …” message, use the following options to save your form:

  • In Microsoft Edge, click the Save icon (second from the right) in the ribbon at the top of the page, or press Ctrl (or Command) and S on your keyboard;
  • In Google Chrome or Firefox, click the Download icon (second from the right) in the ribbon at the top of the page, or press Ctrl (or Command) and S on your keyboard; or
  • In Safari, click the Download icon in the upper right hand corner of the square toward the bottom of the page, or press Command and S on your Mac keyboard.

To complete your Form I-9, you will need the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can download Adobe Acrobat Reader for free from the Adobe website.

You can open the English or Spanish versions of the form, instructions, and supplements in any browser.

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