Base Access

What are the hours for the 6th Ave and Mississippi gates on Buckley SFB?

The Buckley Visitor's Control Center (VCC - Bldg 1533) is open weekdays from 0700 to 1500.  The VCC is located at the Mississippi Gate and their phone number is 720-847-9381.

The 6th Avenue gate is open weekdays from 0600 to 1800 both inbound and outbound. Buckley Garrison down days, holidays, and drill weekends may impact hours of operations - often this gate is closed for these days. Phone is 720-847-9940.

The Mississippi gate is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Phone is 720-847-9349.

The Telluride gate (located by the commissary) is closed until further notice.

For any questions on gate hours please call 720-847-9252. 

How do Veterans get access to military bases to use the commissary and Exchange?

  The Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018 authorized veterans’ access to in-person commissary, military exchange and morale, welfare and recreation privileges on DoD and Coast Guard installations beginning 1 Jan 2020.  Initially, only those with a Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) and caregivers registered with the VA’s Comprehensive Program for Caregivers will be authorized base access.  Caregivers will be presented a letter by the Veterans Administration (VA) to certify they qualify for access - they will also require a valid form of ID (real ID-compliant driver’s license, US passport, etc).  Before gaining access for the first time all new users will be required to go through a background check - those with felony convictions, felony arrest warrants and other types of derogatory information related to criminal history or terrorism will be turned away.  This process is typically handled by Security at the Visitor Control Center (VCC) on base.  As of Dec 2020 you must register at each base where you want entry - registering at one base won’t automatically get you access to a different base.  Also, not all bases are allowing spouses to accompany the vet on base.  Bases that do allow the veteran to bring their spouse on base may have to check into the VCC to get them a day pass. 

  Related to this you should note that in addition to the 5% surcharge all commissary users currently pay, new customers with the VHIC will have to pay a 1.9% fee when using a commercial credit card and a .5% fee for debit cards.  The regular veteran ID card (VIC) will not provide base access.  Those veterans who are not in the two categories mentioned above will need to wait on “Phase Two” of this program - the timeframe for that has not been announced.  

  Besides access to the commissary and exchange, vets will also have access to some Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) services, such as AmericanForcesTravel.com, FamCamp and RV parks, lodging, and equipment rentals. For tickets (from ITT) it is at the discretion of the military department, subject to capacity and funding conditions.

  On Buckley AFB (as of Jul 2021) veterans will need to make an appointment at the Visitor Control Center (Bldg 41) at the 6th Ave gate (720-847-9381) to get their VHIC registered in the Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) and have a background check done. Once registered on base, that registration is good until the veteran’s driver’s license expires, or they get a new one, in which case they will have to re-register.  Buckley AFB will let vets bring their spouse accompany them on base, but they will need to stop at the VCC to get a day pass issued.

Can a military retiree with a felony conviction still get on Buckley SFB?

  The basic rule, according to the Buckley SFB Visitor Control Center (VCC), is any felony conviction will prevent base access for 10 years. After the 10 years has passed it depends on what the felony was.  Apparently, Security has a list of various felonies so an individual could be barred for over 10 years depending on the felony.  I was told that after the 10 years, an individual can appeal the disbarment and those are decided on a case-by-case basis.  

  For any questions regarding this subject the individual should contact the Buckley SFB VCC to ask about their specific situation.  The VCC can be reached at 720-847-9381.