Form I-9 in Spanish: who may complete the Spanish version, how to use it as a translation tool, and fixing a mix-up

USCIS publishes Form I-9 and its instructions in Spanish, as "Formulario I-9, Verificación de Elegibilidad de Empleo," with the same 01/20/25 edition date and 05/31/2027 expiration date as the English form, as of November 2026. Only employers located in Puerto Rico may complete the Spanish version instead of the English one. Every other employer must complete and keep the English form, and may use the Spanish form and instructions only as a translation tool; ICE lists completing the Spanish version outside its authorized area as a substantive violation. If anyone reads or translates Section 1 for the employee, that person completes Supplement A.

The translator's certification itself is covered in Form I-9 Supplement A, and Puerto Rico's E-Verify position and birth certificate rule in E-Verify requirements in Puerto Rico. This page covers the Spanish version itself: who may complete it, how everyone else uses it, and what to do when it was used by mistake.

Who may complete the Spanish-language Form I-9?

The Form I-9 instructions state the rule, and the form page and M-274 Section 1.0 repeat it: "Employers in the United States, except Puerto Rico, must complete the English-language version of Form I-9. Only employers located in Puerto Rico may complete the Spanish-language version of Form I-9 instead of the English-language version. Any employer may use the Spanish-language form and instructions as a translation tool." ICE's fact sheet describes the same limit from the inspection side: the Spanish version "can only be officially completed and retained by employers and employees in Puerto Rico."

The English form is valid everywhere, including Puerto Rico, so it is the safe default for any case the rule does not plainly cover. Whatever the language, use a current edition: USCIS's form page says employers may use the 01/20/25 edition or an 08/01/23 edition with a 05/31/2027 expiration date.

What is different in the Spanish version?

The fields, document lists and attestations match the English form, but the layout does not. The Spanish form has five pages instead of four, because the Lists of Acceptable Documents run over two pages, which moves Supplement A to page 4 and Supplement B to page 5. The Spanish Section 1 therefore tells employees that the translator's certification is "en la página 4," while the English form says page 3. If a bilingual helper is walking an employee through both versions, point to the supplement by name, not by page. The official Spanish labels, as printed on the form:

The Spanish instructions, "Instrucciones para el Formulario I-9," run eight pages like the English ones and carry the same 01/20/25 date. Both PDFs are linked from uscis.gov/i-9 and from the Spanish-language form page at uscis.gov/es/i-9.

How do you use the Spanish form as a translation tool outside Puerto Rico?

1. Hand over both versions. Give the employee the English form and instructions, which every employer must make available, plus the Spanish form and instructions as a reading aid.
2. The employee completes the English Section 1. They read the Spanish text and fill in and sign the English Section 1 themselves, by the first day of work. If nobody assisted, no Supplement A is needed.
3. Anyone who helps signs Supplement A. If an HR coordinator, recruiter, family member or interpreter reads, explains or writes in Section 1, that person completes a block on the English Supplement A.
4. The employee chooses documents from the Spanish lists. The Spanish lists match the English ones; you still may not specify which documents to bring.
5. The employer completes the English Section 2 within three business days of the first day.
6. Keep only the English form as the record. Do not have the employee also fill in or sign the Spanish copy; completing it is what ICE lists as the violation.
7. Do the same at reverification and rehire, on the English Supplement B.

The Section 1 field-by-field rules are in Form I-9 Section 1 instructions.

What if a mainland employer used the Spanish version by mistake?

ICE treats it as a substantive violation, the category that can be fined without the correction period of at least ten business days that ICE gives technical failures; the fine ranges are in Form I-9 penalties in 2026. Neither the M-274 nor ICE gives a procedure for this exact mistake, but M-274 Section 9.0 sets general rules for forms with substantial errors:

• You "can also complete a new Form I-9 if it contains substantial errors," and should attach "a written explanation ... describing why you made changes to an existing Form I-9 or why you created a new Form I-9."
• Do not backdate: enter the current date where the form asks for today's date.
• Do not conceal anything. The M-274 says not to hide changes "by, for example, erasing text or using correction fluid," because doing so "may lead to increased liability." Keep the Spanish form rather than discarding it.

One way to apply those rules: a fresh English Form I-9 for each affected current employee, dated when it is actually completed, with the original Spanish form and a signed note kept together. Because a substantive violation is involved, have counsel review the fix before an inspection, not during one. The general correction method is in how to correct Form I-9 errors, and other frequent errors in common Form I-9 mistakes.

Is Form I-9 available in other languages?

No. M-274 Section 1.0 says "Form I-9 is available in English and Spanish." For any other language:

• A translator reads the form to the employee, who completes the English version, and the translator completes Supplement A.
• An electronic I-9 system that shows translated screens must still produce the official form: 8 CFR 274a.2(a)(2) requires an electronically generated Form I-9 to have "no change to the name, content, or sequence of the data elements and instructions." Ask your vendor what form its non-English screens generate, and how it records the translator's Supplement A block.
• USCIS publishes Spanish versions of its employer guidance: the Manual para Empleadores (M-274) and I-9 Central en español, and E-Verify has a Spanish site at e-verify.gov/es.

What should Puerto Rico employers keep in mind?

Puerto Rico employers may choose either language, and three points come up there more than anywhere else. M-274 Section 13.3 says employers "may only accept a Puerto Rico birth certificate issued on or after July 1, 2010" as a List C document. Section 13.2 confirms that a driver's license or ID card issued by Puerto Rico is a List B document. And Section 14.0 confirms that people born in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens. The E-Verify side, including Spanish Further Action Notices, is in E-Verify requirements in Puerto Rico.

How do you avoid language-based discrimination?

The Spanish form carries the same anti-discrimination notice as the English one: "Tratar a los empleados de manera diferente según su ciudadanía, estatus migratorio u origen nacional, puede ser ilegal," which the English form states as "Treating employees differently based on their citizenship, immigration status, or national origin may be illegal." 8 CFR 274a.1(l)(2) adds that knowledge that an employee is unauthorized "may not be inferred from an employee's foreign appearance or accent." Practical steps:

• Offer the Spanish reading aid to any employee who asks for it, rather than deciding who gets it from a surname or an accent.
• Never ask a Spanish-speaking employee for more or different documents than anyone else.
• Questions go to the Justice Department's Immigrant and Employee Rights Section, whose employer hotline is 1-800-255-8155 and worker hotline 1-800-255-7688.

A Spanish Form I-9 checklist

• Outside Puerto Rico: complete and keep the English form; Spanish form and instructions as a reading aid only.
• In Puerto Rico: either language, current edition, all pages from the same version.
• Anyone who reads, explains or writes in Section 1 completes Supplement A.
• Refer to Supplement A and B by name; their page numbers differ between the two versions.
• Spanish form completed by mistake on the mainland: new English form dated today, original attached, written explanation, counsel's review.
• Spanish reading aid offered consistently to anyone who asks.