Guide to I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form

Get the form

You'll need an I-9 form for each employee you hire, so have a supply of copies (both front and the back) of the form available in your office for easy retrieval.

I recommend: Download the form for free at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). You'll need the latest version of Adobe Reader to download the pdf file.

Know when the form is necessary

An I-9 must be completed for every person your business hires to perform labor or services in return for wages or remuneration (including food and lodging).

I recommend: Get full details at FAQs and the facts on your responsibilities as an employer at the USCIS Web site.

Review required employee documents

You aren't expected to be an expert in detecting false documents. If a document looks reasonably genuine, you can accept it as so. If a document doesn't look genuine, you can contact a local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office for assistance. Photocopies of documents are not acceptable as proof of identity or eligibility.

I recommend: A list of acceptable documents is included on page 3 of the I-9 form. Find illustrations of many of the acceptable documents in Part 8 of the downloadable Handbook for Employers (Form M-274). For questionable documents, contact an ICE office.

Complete the form

New employees fill out Section 1 of the form when they are hired. Employers complete Section 2 within three business days. In Section 2, you'll need to write down the reviewed document title, issuing authority, document number, expiration date (if any) and the date employment begins.

I recommend: For help contact the Office of Business Liaison or consider hiring a firm, such as Employment Verification Resources or Form I-9 Compliance, to handle employment verification for you.

Keep the form

I-9 forms must be kept for three years after the employee's start date or for one year after employment is terminated, whichever is later. Forms can be stored electronically.

I recommend: Get details on electronic storage at the ICE Web site or purchase software, such as i9Check, which allows you to take advantage of electronic signatures and storage.

Use an all-in-one I-9 solution

Web-based services can help you easily manage your I-9 compliance responsibilities.

I recommend: i9Advantage is an online service that helps businesses complete, verify and store I-9 forms via its employment verification service. Forms are stored digitally, so there's no paper to retain, and you can access your I-9s at anytime online. There are no monthly fees and you can buy in bulk at a discount, or one form at a time.