How to enroll in E-Verify: the steps, what to have ready, and what changes afterward

Enrolling in E-Verify is an online process that takes one sitting, but the decisions inside it shape how your company uses the system for years: which access method you pick, which hiring sites participate, and who signs. E-Verify warns that enrollment must be completed in a single session and progress cannot be saved, so the real work is preparing before you start. Here is the sequence, what to have ready, and what changes the day after you enroll.

Step zero: confirm why you are enrolling

Most private employers enroll voluntarily, but some must: federal contractors whose contracts include the FAR E-Verify clause, and employers in states that require it. The reason affects choices during enrollment, such as the employer category, and your deadlines afterward.

• State requirement. See E-Verify requirements by state for which states require it and at what employee counts.
• Federal contractor. Under the memorandum of understanding, a contractor not already enrolled as a federal contractor at contract award must enroll within 30 calendar days of the award and begin verifying new hires within 90 days of enrollment, with separate timelines for employees assigned to the contract.
• Voluntary. No deadline, but once enrolled, the program rules apply to every new hire at participating hiring sites. See E-Verify vs Form I-9 for what that adds.

What to have ready

E-Verify's checklist asks every company for:

• the company's legal name;
• its Employer Identification Number (federal tax ID);
• the primary physical address from which the company will access E-Verify, and a mailing address if different;
• the hiring sites in each state that will participate in E-Verify;
• the total number of current employees;
• the company's North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code;
• name, phone number and email for the signatory and the program administrator.

Federal contractors also need their Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). If your company has several EINs, E-Verify notes that the EIN does not dictate which locations are enrolled, so decide your account structure first.

The enrollment steps

1. Start at the enrollment site and accept the initial terms.
2. Create the company account by submitting an email address and clicking the one-time activation link.
3. Review the enrollment checklist one more time.
4. Choose the access method. E-Verify asks four questions to help you pick (see the table below).
5. Choose the employer category: federal contractor with or without the FAR E-Verify clause, government agency, or none of these.
6. Enter company information: name, parent organization, addresses, EIN, employee count and NAICS code.
7. Add hiring sites, one at a time or by bulk CSV upload.
8. Add the signatory and the program administrator. You must add one of each; they can be the same person.
9. Review and submit, then print a copy of the E-Verify Terms and Conditions you signed.

Choosing an access method

If your HR system or electronic Form I-9 vendor offers E-Verify integration, check whether it acts as your employer agent or connects through web services in your name, because that changes which agreement you sign and who manages cases.

Hiring sites

The user manual defines a hiring site as the location where employees are hired and complete Form I-9. You create a case for every new hire at a participating site. Program administrators can add or remove participating sites later. Do not pick sites to include based on who works there; E-Verify's terms prohibit selective verification, and every new hire at a participating site must be verified.

The signatory

The signatory electronically signs the Terms and Conditions, which set out the responsibilities of DHS and the employer. Choose someone with authority to bind the company. The user manual says the original signatory information used at enrollment cannot be changed.

After enrollment: before your first case

1. Complete the tutorial. Program administrators and general users must successfully complete the online E-Verify tutorial, including a knowledge test, before they can create or manage cases. Refresher tutorials may be required later to keep access.
2. Register users. After passing, the program administrator registers general users and any additional program administrators. There is no limit on the number of users.
3. Display the posters. Display the Notice of E-Verify Participation and the Justice Department's Right to Work poster, in English and Spanish, where applicants and employees can see them. The user manual says this includes remote employees and can be done digitally, online, at physical locations, or with application materials.
4. Update your Form I-9 procedure. Section 1 must now include a Social Security number, List B documents must have a photo, and you must copy U.S. passports, passport cards, green cards and EADs when presented for photo matching. See E-Verify photo matching.
5. Set the case timeline. Create a case no later than the third business day after each new hire starts work for pay, and never before the offer is accepted and the form is complete.

What you can and cannot do once enrolled

The remote option is the reason many employers enroll; see I-9 remote verification for the requirements. E-Verify also monitors account activity for misuse and discrimination, and misuse can lead to suspension or termination of access.

Records and leaving the program

E-Verify disposes of case records more than 10 years old each year under its records schedule. In its October 2026 What's New notice, E-Verify said employers should download records for cases last updated before December 31, 2016 by January 8, 2027, ahead of disposal on January 11, 2027. The case number recorded on each Form I-9 remains your primary record.

The memorandum of understanding allows an employer to end its participation on 30 days' prior written notice. If state law or a federal contract requires participation, ending it may create a separate compliance problem.

Common enrollment mistakes

An enrollment checklist

• Confirm whether enrollment is voluntary or required, and note any contract deadlines.
• Gather legal name, EIN, addresses, employee count, NAICS code, hiring sites and contact details.
• Pick the access method and confirm how any HR software connects.
• Choose a signatory with authority and a program administrator who will own the account.
• Complete enrollment in one session and print the signed Terms and Conditions.
• Have every user pass the tutorial, post both notices, and update your I-9 procedure before the first case.