How to Fill Out and Sign Form I-9 for Remote Hires in 2026

If you're hiring someone who won't be in the same room as you on day one, Form I-9 gets more complicated fast. The short answer: you fill out Section 1 as the employee, verify identity documents in Section 2 as the employer (in person or, if you're enrolled in E-Verify, via a live video call), and you have exactly three business days to finish it. Here's the full workflow, including the exact PDF fields and the 2026 form update most employers haven't caught yet.

What Changed With the 2026 Form I-9

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a revised Form I-9 edition dated 01/20/2025, which carries an expiration date of 05/31/2027. Two editions have been circulating: one printed with an earlier 07/31/2026 expiration date and one with the corrected 05/31/2027 date. After July 31, 2026, only the version showing the 05/31/2027 expiration date is valid for new hires. If your HR drive still has a copy with the older expiration date sitting in a shared folder, it's no longer usable.

The other substantive change is small but worth noting: the attestation checkbox in Section 1, Box 4, reverted from "A noncitizen authorized to work" back to "An alien authorized to work," matching the statutory language in the Immigration and Nationality Act. The acceptable documents on Lists A, B, and C are unchanged. If you're prepping I-9s for a new hire this month, grab the current PDF directly from uscis.gov rather than reusing a saved copy, then open it in a browser-based tool like Fill PDF so you're not stuck lining up text boxes in a photocopy.

Section 1 vs Section 2: Who Fills Out What

The form splits cleanly into two responsibilities, and mixing them up is one of the most common compliance mistakes.

• Section 1 is completed and signed by the employee no later than their first day of work for pay. It covers name, address, date of birth, Social Security number (if the employer uses E-Verify), and an attestation of citizenship or work authorization status.
• Section 2 is completed by the employer or an authorized representative within three business days of the employee's start date. This is where you physically (or, under the alternative procedure, virtually) examine identity and work authorization documents from List A, or one document each from List B and List C, and record the document details.

Employers cannot ask which specific documents an employee will present, only that the documents satisfy List A, or List B plus List C. Requesting extra documents beyond what's required is itself a discrimination violation under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Step by Step: Filling Out Form I-9 in Your Browser

You don't need Acrobat or a printer to do this correctly. Here's the workflow for a remote or in-office hire using a browser-based PDF tool:

1. Download the current I-9 PDF from uscis.gov and confirm it shows the 05/31/2027 expiration date in the top right corner.
2. Upload the form at pdfeditify.com/fill-pdf. The form fields are already fillable, so text boxes, checkboxes, and dropdowns respond directly in the browser.
3. Send Section 1 to the new hire so they can complete their name, address, date of birth, and attestation, then apply their electronic signature using Sign PDF. Section 1 must be signed no later than the first day worked, not the offer date.
4. Complete Section 2 after reviewing the employee's identity and work authorization documents. Fill in the document title, issuing authority, number, and expiration date exactly as printed, then add the date of verification.
5. Sign as the employer or authorized representative, and export the completed PDF for your personnel file. Keep it separate from the employee's general HR file, since I-9s have distinct retention and inspection rules.
6. Store a copy the employee can access, especially for remote workers who may need it later for their own records.

If you're processing several new hires in the same week, a reusable fillable template built once in Create PDF Form saves you from re-mapping fields every time.

Remote Verification: the E-Verify Alternative Procedure

This is the part most guides gloss over. If your new hire works remotely and there's no in-person HR staff or notary to physically check their documents, you have two lawful paths.

The first is designating an authorized representative, anyone you choose, including a notary, a friend of the employee, or a paid I-9 verification service, to physically examine the documents in person on your behalf and complete Section 2. You're still responsible for any errors they make.

The second path, available only to employers enrolled in E-Verify and in good standing, is the DHS alternative procedure:

1. The employee transmits legible copies of their documents to you electronically before the video call, not after.
2. You conduct a live video interaction, not a pre-recorded video, screen recording, or asynchronous upload, during which the employee presents the same physical documents on camera.
3. You compare what's shown on video against the copies already received and determine the documents reasonably appear genuine and relate to the employee.
4. You check the "alternative procedure" box on Form I-9, create an E-Verify case, retain clear copies of the front and back of each document, and sign and date Section 2, all within three business days of the start date.

If your company isn't enrolled in E-Verify, the alternative procedure isn't available to you, and you'll need an authorized representative to verify documents in person instead. Either way, the three-business-day clock doesn't move.

Common I-9 Mistakes That Trigger Audits

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) audits often turn up the same handful of errors:

• Missing signatures or dates in Section 1 or Section 2, including the employer representative's signature.
• Section 2 completed late, past the three-business-day window, with no explanation on file.
• Document numbers transcribed incorrectly, especially on passports and driver's licenses with similar-looking characters.
• Using an expired form edition after the cutover date, or continuing to accept a printed I-9 that still shows the 07/31/2026 expiration.
• Requesting specific documents instead of letting the employee choose from the acceptable lists.
• Failing to reverify Section 3 when an employee's work authorization document has an expiration date.

A quick internal audit twice a year, checking that every current employee's I-9 is complete, signed, and on the correct form edition, catches most of these before an inspector does.

What to Use Instead of Juggling Printers and Scanners

If you only process a handful of I-9s a year, paying for a monthly HR compliance suite for one form doesn't make sense. PDF Editify's One Week Plan is a $3 one-time payment, no subscription, nothing to cancel, that gives you full access to fill, sign, and export forms in your browser for a week, which is plenty of time to onboard a batch of new hires. If you're onboarding regularly, the Standard plan at $10 a month or $100 a year covers unlimited exports without a HR-software price tag. See the full breakdown on the pricing page.

FAQs

Can I email a PDF version of Form I-9 to a remote employee?

Yes. Employees can complete and electronically sign Section 1 on their own device. Employers must still follow either the in-person authorized representative process or the E-Verify alternative procedure for Section 2, they cannot verify documents solely from an emailed copy without one of those two methods.

What happens if I miss the three-business-day deadline for Section 2?

Missing the deadline is a technical violation that can draw a fine during an ICE audit, even if the employee's documents are entirely valid. Document why the delay happened and complete Section 2 as soon as possible; a paper trail showing a good-faith effort matters if you're ever inspected.

Do I need to redo I-9s for existing employees when the new edition comes out?

No. The edition update only applies to new hires completed after the cutover date. Existing, properly completed I-9s on file remain valid and don't need to be redone on the new form.

Can any employer use the E-Verify alternative procedure for remote hires?

No. Only employers enrolled in E-Verify and in good standing can use it. Employers not enrolled in E-Verify must use an authorized representative to physically examine documents in person.

What documents satisfy Section 2 if an employee doesn't have a passport?

An employee can present one document from List A (like a passport or permanent resident card) alone, or one document each from List B (identity, such as a driver's license) and List C (work authorization, such as a Social Security card), instead.