For I-765, prepare the required identity or previous-EAD evidence, applicable I-94 or travel-document evidence, photos, and the records proving your eligibility category. Add translations and any documents required for a renewal, replacement, or your particular circumstances. There is no single identical evidence package for every applicant: your category determines important additions and exceptions.
Start by confirming which I-765 eligibility category applies. Then read both “Required Documentation” and the matching “Who May File Form I-765” entry in the current USCIS instructions. The category tells you which facts must be established; the documents are how you establish them.
This page helps you assemble the evidence. For the application’s questions, signatures, and continuation pages, use the complete I-765 Guide.
What should I gather first?
Make a working list using the groups below, then apply the requirements for your category and filing method. A record used to look up an answer is not automatically a required attachment.
- The application: the accepted I-765 edition, required signatures, continuation sheets, and applicable interpreter or preparer information. Include G-28 if required for representation.
- Identity and previous cards: your last EAD, front and back, if one was issued; otherwise, the identity evidence allowed by the instructions. Also check the request for copies of earlier EADs if available.
- Arrival or travel records: the applicable I-94, passport, or other travel-document copy. Category (c)(9) has a specific exception to this general requirement, explained below.
- The basis for the request: the relevant application receipt, approval or grant, status records, school documents, spouse’s records, or other evidence specified for your category.
- Photos and document format: the required passport-style photos or online photo submission, complete readable copies, and full English translations with certifications.
- Additional circumstances: name-related evidence, applicable court records, a required worksheet, or records supporting a replacement or correction. Include these because a requirement applies, not because another applicant included them.
The USCIS initial-evidence checklist is a useful cross-check, but it expressly does not replace the instructions. It is not a document to send with I-765. Use the current form-page alerts and the detailed instructions for exceptions and updates.
Jump to: Identity and previous EADs · I-94 and passport records · Category evidence · Renewal or replacement · Photos · Translations and originals · Final check
Do I need my old EAD or a separate identity document?
The general instructions ask for a copy of your last EAD, front and back. If you have never been issued an EAD, they ask for an accepted identity document instead. The copy must clearly show your facial features and biographical information.
The alternatives include a government-issued identity document such as a passport showing your photograph, name, and date of birth; a birth certificate with photo ID; a visa issued by a foreign consulate; or a national identity document with a photograph and/or fingerprint. You do not need every alternative on the list. See Required Documentation, page 21.
The instructions for Item 12 also ask for copies of previous EADs if available. A prior card can help establish your application history, but it does not prove that you still qualify under its category today. If you are applying under a different basis, use the evidence for that new basis.
For category (c)(33), the instructions contain a specific identity-document exception: they do not require additional identity documentation beyond the identity evidence submitted with I-821D under its applicable instructions. That exception does not apply to everyone filing I-765.
If documents use other names, check the specific instructions for Items 2.a–4.c. They request evidence of other names used, with examples such as birth, marriage, divorce, government-ID, or passport records. A document showing a legal name change can connect two names; it does not explain an unrelated conflicting birth date.
Do I need an I-94, passport, and every visa page?
The general requirement is a copy of at least one of the listed I-94 or travel documents—not automatically every item on that list. The instructions list a paper I-94, front and back; a printout of an electronic I-94; a passport; or another travel document. Your category may require particular records in addition.
Category (c)(9) is exempt from that particular general requirement. This does not exempt an applicant from the separate identity or previous-EAD requirement, category evidence, or applicable questions on the form. For example, a person who has never had an EAD may still use a passport as the required identity document. See page 21 of the instructions.
A record can serve more than one purpose. A passport identity page helps identify you; an I-94 showing a particular admission or status may establish a category-related fact. Check what the requested document needs to show, rather than assuming that any page from the same passport will do.
Which documents prove my eligibility category?
Use evidence that establishes the particular status, pending application, grant, relationship, or other basis required by your category. The examples below show why different applicants need different records. They are not a complete list of I-765 categories.
What does a pending-I-485 applicant usually provide?
For an eligible adjustment applicant under section 245 using (c)(9), I-765 may accompany I-485. If filed separately, include the I-485 receipt notice or other evidence that I-485 is pending. An I-130 receipt or approval concerns a different application; it does not replace proof of the pending adjustment case. See the (c)(9) instructions.
If I-485 was filed with immigration court, the instructions require proof of current proceedings, proper filing with that court, and the application’s continued pendency. Refugees and asylees adjusting under section 209 use their respective refugee or asylee EAD categories rather than automatically using (c)(9); the category-selection explanation covers that distinction.
What changes for pending asylum versus granted asylum?
A pending-asylum request under (c)(8) needs evidence of the asylum application and, when relevant, its current procedural stage. The special pending-asylum instructions identify USCIS acknowledgments, asylum-related notices, court filing acknowledgments, or other applicable filing evidence. Appeals and remands have their own evidence requirements; an old receipt may not explain what happened after a decision.
For example, a passport identifies the applicant, while an I-589 filing acknowledgment connects the request to the asylum case. They prove different facts. Neither, alone, establishes that the applicant has met the asylum EAD clock requirements. The current USCIS asylum guidance separately explains the usual 150-day filing and 180-day issuance thresholds, with applicant-caused delays excluded.
Someone already granted asylum uses the (a)(5) evidence provisions instead. The listed alternatives include an I-94 showing asylee status, a USCIS asylum approval letter, a signed immigration-judge order granting asylum, or an applicable I-730 derivative-asylee approval. Refugees have their own (a)(3) alternatives. Use the asylee and refugee instructions for the particular grant; a pending-application notice and a grant are not interchangeable.
What changes for student employment?
Student evidence must match the particular employment category. For F-1 Optional Practical Training, school and training records connect the request to qualifying study and the school’s recommendation. A passport or student ID alone does not do that.
Pre-completion and post-completion OPT involve the applicable DSO-endorsed Form I-20, prior SEVIS numbers, and evidence of previously authorized practical training as instructed. STEM OPT adds qualifying-degree evidence and the required employer/E-Verify information; using a previously earned STEM degree can require additional school accreditation and certification evidence. The student instructions, pages 4–5 and USCIS evidence checklist identify the records.
The recommendation and filing dates matter as well as the document’s existence. Check the current timing with your designated school official—the DSO who maintains the student record. A signed I-20 from an earlier request is not automatically the recommendation needed for this application.
What does an eligible H-4 spouse need to establish?
For (c)(26), the evidence connects three things: your H-4 status, your marriage to the principal H-1B worker, and the qualifying basis for employment authorization. A marriage certificate proves the relationship; it does not by itself prove the qualifying immigration basis.
The H-4 spouse instructions identify your status evidence, the marriage certificate, and evidence that the H-1B spouse is the beneficiary of an approved I-140 or received the specified AC21 extension of H-1B status. Filing together with I-539 or other related forms affects the sequence. Read the complete instructions for the basis being used, including their provisions for secondary evidence when specified records are unavailable.
What other circumstances can add documents?
Follow your actual category’s requirements even if it is not illustrated above. Depending on the basis, evidence may concern a TPS filing or grant, a current parole record, a qualifying family relationship, an order, or another immigration benefit. Check current program-specific instructions; a document from an earlier period may not establish present eligibility.
Some categories require proof of economic necessity and Form I-765WS. It is not a universal I-765 attachment. Where required, the worksheet addresses the applicant’s income, expenses, and assets. Use the worksheet directions together with the specific category instructions.
Certain categories also require arrest and court records. For example, the pending-asylum instructions address certified arrest reports, court dispositions, sentencing records, and other relevant documents for initial and renewal applications when that history exists. Categories (c)(35) and (c)(36) have their own requirements. An explanation in the form’s additional-information section does not replace a required certified record. See the pending-asylum evidence requirements and the applicable category entry.
Are renewal and replacement documents the same as an initial filing?
No. Some evidence carries over, but the request and current facts still control the package. A renewal asks for another period under the same category; a replacement addresses a lost, stolen, damaged, or incorrect card.
- Initial request: establish the category and provide the applicable general evidence. “Initial” can mean the first request under a new category, even if you had an EAD under another category before.
- Renewal: include the required previous-EAD copy and evidence that the underlying basis continues, plus any renewal-specific documents. For example, a pending-application category may require evidence that the case remains pending. Do not rely on the old card as the whole package.
- Replacement or correction: follow the instructions for what happened to the card. A lost card, a card that never arrived, and an incorrect card can involve different procedures. A replacement does not itself renew the authorization period.
If an EAD contains an error made by USCIS, the I-765 filing page says a new I-765 and fee are not required for that correction. For other errors or a later biographic change, a new application may be required, together with the incorrect card, an explanation, and supporting records. Use the USCIS correction and replacement instructions for the exact situation, including nondelivery, before assembling a replacement package.
Do I need passport-style photographs?
For a paper I-765, the instructions require two identical, recently taken color passport-style photographs. They specify 2-by-2-inch photos, a white to off-white background, a full-face frontal view, thin glossy paper, and unmounted, unretouched images. Lightly print your name and A-Number, if any, on the back with a pencil or felt pen.
Use the complete photo specifications for head size, position, and permitted headwear. The current instructions say “taken recently”; do not import a 30-day rule from a different form. USCIS’s current photo alert also warns against digitally editing or enhancing the images.
If your category permits online filing, follow the account’s photo-upload requirements. Mailing two physical prints and submitting an online image are different submission methods. Check current online-filing availability for your category rather than assuming every I-765 can be filed through the same workflow.
Do I send originals or translated copies?
Send legible copies unless the instructions or USCIS specifically require originals. Include a full certified English translation with any submitted document containing foreign-language information. Keep the original records available because USCIS may request them later.
The translator must certify that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate from the original language into English. The certification must include the translator’s signature, printed name, signature date, and contact information. Submit the foreign-language record with the translation; a translated summary is not a full translation. See the copy and translation instructions.
Check every page and relevant reverse side for readable names, dates, stamps, and case information. The general copies rule does not override a requirement for a certified court record or for returning an incorrect EAD during a correction. USCIS warns that unsolicited originals may be destroyed.
What if a document is missing or the records disagree?
Identify the specific requirement and the fact the missing record should establish. Then check whether the instructions for that requirement allow another listed document or secondary evidence. There is no universal rule that a personal statement can replace any missing I-765 attachment.
For example, the identity instructions offer alternatives, while the H-4 spouse instructions describe secondary evidence for particular unavailable records. Those provisions do not automatically substitute for a required court disposition or school recommendation. Keep records of what is missing and any efforts to obtain it, and follow any USCIS request for evidence that arrives later.
If records conflict, first distinguish a documented name change from an unresolved factual discrepancy. Do not alter a record or choose a date merely to make the application look consistent. Whether a proposed substitute proves eligibility can require review of the actual records.
How do I check the package before submitting?
Match each requirement to its evidence, then review the application and documents together. This is more useful than asking whether the stack looks large enough.
- Confirm the category and whether the request is initial, renewal, or replacement. Check that the notices belong to the correct person and concern the correct case.
- Verify required front-and-back copies, photos, translations, certifications, signatures, and continuation sheets. Identify any applicable exception rather than silently omitting a document.
- Check current accepted editions, fees, payment methods, timing, and the filing destination or online option. Related applications retain their own requirements.
- Keep a complete copy of what you submit and the delivery or online confirmation. Add the receipt notice when USCIS issues it.
Use the USCIS fee schedule, I-765 filing addresses, and mail-preparation guidance for the final filing check. A complete initial package does not guarantee approval or mean USCIS cannot ask for more evidence.
When does the evidence question need individual review?
A checklist can identify the records USCIS requests. It cannot resolve a disputed status, the effect of a criminal disposition, whether a case still supports an EAD category, or whether conflicting records or secondary evidence are legally sufficient. Those issues call for analysis of the actual facts.
If that is the obstacle, FormExplainer’s professional-help options provide a next step. Otherwise, continue from the category explanation to this evidence list and then to the complete I-765 Guide for the form itself.
Sources checked October 4, 2026: I-765 and its instructions, edition 08/21/25, and current USCIS evidence, filing, asylum, and document-replacement resources. Recheck the form-page alerts before filing; USCIS currently does not accept edition 09/15/26.