Checklists for the U.S. paperwork that always seems to want one more thing.
Most people don’t get turned away because they’re ineligible. They get turned away because the address on the utility bill doesn’t match, or the birth certificate is the cute one from the hospital, or the name on the passport stopped matching everything else after the wedding.
Those are fixable problems. They’re just a lot easier to fix at your kitchen table than at the counter with a line forming behind you.
That’s what this site is for. Pick what you’re trying to do and you’ll get the list of what to bring, what counts, what doesn’t, and where the rules change depending on your state or situation.
Find your checklist ↓
Start with what you’re trying to do
Get ID and official records
Documents Required for a Driver’s License The snag is usually the document counter, not the driving test. Proof of address and a certified birth certificate trip up more people than you’d expect.
Documents Required for Passport Renewal Plenty of adults can renew online or by mail. Some can’t, and have to apply in person like a first-timer. Find out which group you’re in before you mail anything.
Documents Required for a Social Security Card What you bring depends on why you need the card: a first number, a replacement, or a legal name change.
Buy or rent a place
Documents Required for a Mortgage A lender wants to know who you are, where your income comes from, and whether it’s likely to keep coming. Your credit score is only part of that picture.
Documents Required for Apartment Rental Landlords check your identity, your income, your rental history, and whether your application matches your paperwork.
Start a job or build a life here
Documents Required for Form I-9 Every new hire fills one out. You choose which acceptable documents to show, and you don’t need to bring everything on the list.
Documents Required for a Marriage License There’s no national list. Licenses are issued locally, so the rules change by state and often by county.
Documents Required for a Green Card There’s no single “Green Card folder.” A spouse applying from inside the U.S. and an employer-sponsored engineer submit very different evidence.
Documents Required for U.S. Citizenship USCIS looks at your whole history: residence, travel, taxes, marriage, and more. The checklist is longer than most people expect.
Run a business
Documents Required for VAT Registration (U.S. Businesses) The U.S. doesn’t have a federal VAT, so this one is for American companies registering in other countries.
Same task, different paperwork
Search “documents required for a Green Card,” expect one list, and you can end up bringing the wrong folder. For most of these tasks, the list changes with your situation.
| Task | What changes the list | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security card | Why you need it | First-time number, replacement, or legal name change |
| Passport | Whether you can renew | Online or mail renewal vs. applying in person as a new applicant |
| Green Card | Your category | Spouse, employer-sponsored, or another route |
| Marriage license | Where you apply | State and county rules |
| Apartment rental | Who the landlord is | Each landlord sets its own screening |
A five-minute check before you leave the house
- Name the exact transaction. “Renewing a license” and “getting a first license” are two different lists.
- Check the agency’s own page. Fees and forms change. Compare any guide, ours included, against the agency’s site before you go.
- Make your names match. Marriage, divorce, middle names, and hyphens cause a surprising amount of trouble. Bring the document that connects the old name to the new one.
- Know what “certified” means. A certified copy comes from the government office that holds the record and usually carries a seal or stamp. A hospital keepsake certificate or a photocopy often won’t be accepted.
- Look at the expiration dates. An expired ID can be as useless as having none.
- Pack a backup set. Bring originals plus a set of copies, and keep scans on your phone in case something goes missing.
Stuck on something we haven’t covered?
Tell us what paperwork has you stuck and we’ll consider it for a future guide. Send us a topic
Documents Required is an independent information site and is not affiliated with any U.S. government agency. Requirements change, so confirm with the agency before you go.