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    I-9 Employment Verification

    Federal law lets an employer designate any person to act as its authorized representative for Form I-9, and remote hires make notaries the obvious choice. The role is narrow: physically examine the original documents the employee chose, confirm they reasonably appear genuine and to relate to that person, and complete the employer review and verification section, signing as the representative with their own name and address. This is not a notarial act. No seal, no journal entry, no notarial certificate, and the employer, not the representative, remains liable for errors on the form.

    Typical price range
    $35-$85
    Turnaround
    Same day verification possible
    Options
    In-Office · Mobile Service · Employer On-Site

    How it works

    1. 1

      The employer designates the representative and sends the current edition of Form I-9 along with the employee's start date

    2. 2

      The employee completes the employee-information section no later than their first day of work, before the appointment

    3. 3

      The employee brings originals they selected themselves: one List A document, or one List B plus one List C

    4. 4

      The representative examines each document in the employee's physical presence and records the title, issuing authority, number, and expiration exactly as printed

    5. 5

      The representative completes and signs the employer review block under penalty of perjury, entering the employer's business name and address rather than a notary seal

    6. 6

      The form goes back to the employer inside the three-business-day window and is retained by the employer, not the representative

    What you need

    • Written designation from the employer, plus the employee's actual first day of work
    • The employee's section already completed on the same edition of the form
    • Original, unexpired documents chosen by the employee from the Lists of Acceptable Documents
    • Employee and representative in the same room, unless the employer is enrolled in E-Verify and using the DHS alternative remote procedure
    • A secure return channel: encrypted upload or courier, not a photo texted to a hiring manager

    Authorized representative is a different hat

    Nothing in federal law requires a notary to complete an I-9, and nothing in a notary commission authorizes it. Employers hire notaries because they are locatable, screened, and used to examining identification, not because a notarial act is involved. The practical consequence is that the usual notary habits have to be switched off: no seal, no journal entry, no notarial wording, and no fee charged against the state's notarial fee schedule.

    A few states complicate the picture. Non-attorney assistance with immigration paperwork is regulated in states including California, and California notaries are separately barred from advertising as a notario público because the term implies legal authority abroad. Check your state's rules on immigration-document services before accepting recurring I-9 work, and never let the engagement drift into advising the employee about their status.

    Copy exactly, judge lightly

    The standard for the documents is that they reasonably appear to be genuine and to relate to the person presenting them. That is a plain-look test, not forensic authentication, and the representative is not expected to detect a sophisticated forgery. What they are expected to do is transcribe the document title, issuing authority, number, and expiration date precisely as printed. Transposed numbers and guessed issuing authorities are the most common audit findings.

    Two practical traps. A receipt for a replacement of a lost or stolen document is acceptable only temporarily, and the employer has to follow up when the real document arrives. And expired documents generally are not acceptable, with a limited set of automatic-extension situations that the employer should resolve in advance rather than the representative deciding at the table.

    What to expect

    • Covers remote hires, field crews, and satellite offices without flying anyone to HR
    • Handled as an authorized-representative service, so the form comes back clean with no stray notary seal to invalidate it
    • Timed against the federal deadline: the employer section is due within three business days of the first day of work
    • The representative accepts the employee's own document choice, which keeps the employer clear of document-abuse claims
    • Completed form returned by the employer's secure channel; the representative keeps no copy of the employee's documents

    Pricing notes

    $35-$85

    Priced per employee as a non-notarial service with travel added, and bulk rates are common for onboarding batches. State notary fee caps do not apply here, because no notarial act is performed.

    I-9 Employment Verification FAQs

    Straight answers about what the notary does, what you need to bring, and what the state or receiving party still controls.

    No, and stamping one is the classic mistake. Form I-9 has no notarial certificate; the representative signs an attestation as the employer's designee. A notary seal on the form signals that the person misunderstood the role, and auditors treat it as a red flag rather than added assurance.

    Only under narrow conditions. DHS opened an alternative remote examination procedure on August 1, 2023, but it belongs to employers enrolled in E-Verify and in good standing, and it comes with its own live-video and document-retention steps. If your employer is not in that program, the documents must be examined in the employee's physical presence.

    That is the employee's choice from the Lists of Acceptable Documents: either one List A item such as a U.S. passport or permanent resident card, or one List B identity item plus one List C work-authorization item. Neither the employer nor the representative may request specific documents or ask for more than the form requires; doing so is document abuse under the anti-discrimination rules.

    The employer. Using an authorized representative does not shift responsibility for errors, omissions, or an unauthorized worker, which is why most employers send precise written instructions and review the returned form themselves.

    The employee completes their section no later than their first day of work, and the employer section must be done within three business days of that first day. For a job lasting less than three days, both halves are due on day one. A late I-9 cannot be backdated. The correct move is to complete it with the true date and note the delay.

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    Want to learn more?

    Read our complete guide

    Enhancing Employment Compliance: The Critical Role of Notaries in I-9 Verification

    Ready to book i-9 employment verification?

    Connect with a licensed notary near you for mobile, in-office, or online notarization when your state and the receiving party allow it.