U.S. Passport Card Valid for I-9s and Certain North American Travel

On August 8, 2008, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the new U.S. Passport Card may be used for employment eligibility verification purposes.  The Passport Card is considered a valid “List A” document that may be presented by newly hired employees during the I-9 employment eligibility verification process.  As the document contains a photo and verifies both the identity and work authorization of the card holder, it can singularly satisfy the employee’s I-9 documentation requirements and also can be accepted by employers participating in E-Verify.  For more information, see the USCIS press release.

The Department of State (DOS) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had announced that the new Passport Card commenced production on July 14.  In addition to being used for I-9 purposes, the Passport Card can also be used at land and sea ports by U.S. citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda.  U.S. citizens traveling by air are required to have a valid U.S. passport.  For more information on U.S. Passports and the Passport Card, including information on how to apply, visit the DOS website.

Note: This article was published in the August 2008 issue of the Immigration eAuthority.