How to fill out Form I-9 as a PDF

You can type your answers into the official Form I-9 in your browser with Fill & Sign PDF, but you should not sign it there. USCIS says people using the fillable I-9 must print it and sign it by hand, because the fillable form does not meet the government’s standards for electronic I-9 systems. So fill in the boxes, download, print, and sign in ink. The tool is free, needs no account, and the file is not uploaded.

This guide covers filling in the PDF. It is not legal or immigration advice. Employers and employees should follow the official instructions, and employers with questions can check USCIS guidance or ask an employment attorney.

Get the current form

Download Form I-9 and its instructions from the USCIS page I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. The current edition is dated 01/20/25, printed at the bottom of each page, and the expiration date at the top is 05/31/2027. USCIS also still accepts the 08/01/23 edition that shows the 05/31/2027 expiration date. Employers in the United States, except in Puerto Rico, must use the English version. Any employer may use the Spanish version as a translation aid.

The PDF has four pages:

Page 1: Section 1, which the employee completes, and Section 2, which the employer completes.
Page 2: the Lists of Acceptable Documents.
Page 3: Supplement A, for a preparer or translator who helped with Section 1.
Page 4: Supplement B, for reverification and rehire.

Supplements A and B are needed only when they apply. The Instructions for Form I-9 must be made available to the employee.

Timing comes from the instructions. The employee completes Section 1 no later than the first day of employment. The employer completes Section 2 within three business days after the employee’s first day of work.

The I-9 is not filed with USCIS. The employer keeps it for three years after the first day of employment, or one year after employment ends, whichever is later.

Fill in Section 1 step by step (employee)

Save the official i-9.pdf to your device. Your employer may also give you a copy.
Open Fill & Sign PDF and select Choose a PDF.
Type your last name, first name, middle initial and any other last names used. If you have only one name, the instructions say to enter it as your last name and type “Unknown” as your first name.
Type your address, and pick your state from the State list.
Type your date of birth as mm/dd/yyyy, for example 01/15/1990.
The instructions say your Social Security number is voluntary unless your employer uses E-Verify. Email and phone are optional too.
Tick one of the four citizenship or immigration status boxes, and fill in the matching number or expiration date if your box asks for one.
Leave Signature of Employee blank. Type today’s date if you will sign today, or leave it blank and write it by hand when you sign.
Select Create filled PDF → and Download result ↓, then print page 1 and sign it in ink.

Employers fill in Section 2 the same way: type the document details, the first day of employment and the business details, then print and sign by hand.

Why you should not use ✍ Signature on the I-9

On most forms, PDFReadyGo’s signature tool places a picture of your signature on the page. For the I-9, USCIS says on its form page that people using the fillable form must print it and sign it by hand, rather than typing a signature or adding one electronically. Its reason is that the fillable form does not meet DHS standards for electronic I-9 systems under 8 CFR 274a.2, and not meeting those standards may lead to fines. The signature boxes on the PDF are ordinary text boxes, so the form will let you type in them. Don’t.

Employers that want fully electronic I-9s need a system that meets those standards. PDFReadyGo is not one.

Things that work differently in a browser

The USCIS I-9 includes small scripts that format and check some answers in Adobe Reader. PDFReadyGo does not run those scripts. That means:

Dates are not checked. Type them exactly as mm/dd/yyyy.
Phone numbers are not formatted. Type them the way you want them shown.
Nothing stops a blank required box. Read Section 1 again before downloading.

The I-9 does label its boxes, so on a computer the tool shows a description such as “Section 1., Enter First Name (Given Name).” when you hover over a box, and screen readers read it out. In our test, the typed name, date of birth, phone, ZIP code, State list choice and citizenship box were all saved in the download. After Flatten PDF, every entry was still visible and no fields were left.

Combine, shrink and store it safely

Flatten before printing or storing. A flattened copy looks the same in every app and cannot be changed by accident. Keep the unflattened copy if you might need to correct a typo before signing.
Keep pages together. If an employer scans the signed form, Merge PDF can combine the scan with Supplement A or B when those apply.
Mind upload limits. Compress PDF can make a scanned, signed I-9 smaller. Check the copy is still easy to read.
Protect the data. An I-9 holds personal and immigration details. Filling it here keeps the file on your device. Share it only the way your employer asks.

What if it does not work?

The State list is empty in another app: some phone PDF viewers do not show dropdown lists. Open the download on a computer, or check the flattened copy.
Your employer uses an online I-9 system: use that instead of the PDF.
“This PDF is encrypted”: download a fresh copy from uscis.gov.