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Entering Documents the Employee Presents

You, the employer or authorized representative, must physically examine, in the employee's physical presence, the unexpired

document(s) the employee presents from the Lists of Acceptable Documents to complete the Document fields in Section 2.

You cannot specify which document(s) an employee may present from these lists. If you discriminate in the Form I-9 process

based on an individual's citizenship status, immigration status, or national origin, you may be in violation of the law and subject

to sanctions such as civil penalties and be required to pay back pay to discrimination victims. A document is acceptable as long

as it reasonably appears to be genuine and to relate to the person presenting it. Employees must present one selection from List

A or a combination of one selection from List B and one selection from List C.

List A documents show both identity and employment authorization. Some List A documents are combination documents that

must be presented together to be considered a List A document, such as a foreign passport together with a Form I-94 containing

an endorsement of the alien’s nonimmigrant status.

List B documents show identity only, and List C documents show employment authorization only. If an employee presents a List

A document, do not ask or require the employee to present List B and List C documents, and vice versa. If an employer

participates in E-Verify and the employee presents a List B document, the List B document must include a photograph.

If an employee presents a receipt for the application to replace a lost, stolen or damaged document, the employee must present

the replacement document to you within 90 days of the first day of work for pay, or in the case of reverification, within 90 days

of the date the employee's employment authorization expired. Enter the word “Receipt” followed by the title of the receipt in

Section 2 under the list that relates to the receipt.

When your employee presents the replacement document, draw a line through the receipt, then enter the information from the

new document into Section 2. Other receipts may be valid for longer or shorter periods, such as the arrival portion of Form I-94/

I-94A containing a temporary I-551 stamp and a photograph of the individual, which is valid until the expiration date of the

temporary I-551 stamp or, if there is no expiration date, valid for one year from the date of admission.

Ensure that each document is an unexpired, original (no photocopies, except for certified copies of birth certificates) document.

Certain employees may present an expired employment authorization document, which may be considered unexpired, if the

employee's employment authorization has been extended by regulation or a Federal Register Notice. Refer to the

Handbook for

Employers: Guidance for Completing Form I-9 (M-274)

or I-9 Central for more guidance on these special situations.

Refer to the M-274 for guidance on how to handle special situations, such as students (who may present additional documents

not specified on the Lists) and H-1B and H-2A nonimmigrants changing employers.

Minors (individuals under age 18) and certain employees with disabilities whose parent, legal guardian or representative

completed Section 1 for the employee are only required to present an employment authorization document from List C. Refer to

the M-274 for more guidance on minors and certain persons with disabilities. If the minor's employer participates in E-Verify,

the minor employee also must present a List B identity document with a photograph to complete Form I-9.

You must return original document(s) to the employee, but may make photocopies of the document(s) reviewed. Photocopying

documents is voluntary unless you participate in E-Verify. E-Verify employers are only required to photocopy certain

documents. If you are an E-Verify employer who chooses to photocopy documents other than those you are required to

photocopy, you should apply this policy consistently with respect to Form I-9 completion for all employees. For more

information on the types of documents that an employer must photocopy if the employer uses E-Verify, visit E-Verify’s website

at For non-E-Verify employers, if photocopies are made, they should be made consistently for ALL new

hires and reverified employees.

Photocopies must be retained and presented with Form I-9 in case of an inspection by DHS or another federal government

agency. You must always complete Section 2 by reviewing original documentation, even if you photocopy an employee’s

document(s) after reviewing the documentation. Making photocopies of an employee’s document(s) cannot take the place of

completing Form I-9. You are still responsible for completing and retaining Form I-9.

Form I-9 Instructions 07/17/17 N

Page 7 of 15

Instructions For Form I-9 - Employment Eligibility Verification - Department Of Homeland Security Page 8

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