ID Cards

  Your first option is to use the online renewal process to get an ID card renewed and mailed to your home.  For this option, the ID card being renewed cannot be expired.  This option can be used by U.S.-based retirees, their dependents and reservists.

  This option is only for people who already have a USID and need to renew it. Those applying for an ID card for the first time will still need to go to an on-base office of the Real-Time Automated Personnel Identification System, or RAPIDS. 

  Sponsors and cardholders may request renewals of their ID card at the ID Card Office Online website: https://idco.dmdc.osd.mil/idco/  At the site, the sponsor must verify the dependent's identifying information and digitally sign a new Form DD 1172-2 to receive the renewed ID by mail.

Eligibility requirements:

• The USID card being renewed is active (not expired).

• The card recipient has a photo in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) taken in the last 12 years.

• The card recipient has an email address saved in DEERS for communication.

• The card recipient has a physical address (not a post office box) saved in DEERS in the continental U.S., Alaska or Hawaii.

The Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) will create and mail the new card, emailing both the sponsor and cardholder when it has done so. An email will also be sent if the online renewal wasn't successful.

Once the card arrives, the sponsor must log back into the ID Card Office Online website to acknowledge receiving it. Since military ID cards are considered government property, users are asked to return their old, replaced ID cards either by dropping them off at a local ID card office or by mailing them to:

DMDC- DSC Attn: USID Card Returns 2102 E. 21st Street N. Wichita, KS 67214

 There is also a second option if the online ID card renewal process won’t work for some reason.  If the sponsor is unable to go to a DEERS facility in person (due to mobility issues or whatever) the spouse (or someone else if applicable) will need to have a Power of Attorney to manage the retiree’s affairs or a letter from a physician stating why the retiree can’t go to a DEERS facility.  The DEERS facility will need to see one of those documents.  Additionally, they will need an 8x10 (head and shoulder view) of the retiree.  All new IDs issued at a DEERS facility require a new photo. For questions on this process, contact your local DEERS facility.

The easiest way for you to locate the nearest ID card facility, as well as all the ID card sites available in your area, is probably by using the online RAPIDS site at: https://idco.dmdc.osd.mil/idco/#/

Once you get to the RAPIDS site, click on the “ID Card Office Locator & Appointments” Continue box. The page that comes up should default to the “Search for Site by Address” tab. Ensure “All” is selected under the “Search For” area, then enter your zip code in the “Enter Location” area, select an entry from the “Radius” drop-down menu, and click on the “Search” box.  A list of sites will pop up and then you can select “More Info” for the site you want to use, and the “Schedule an Appointment” block.  A calendar will come up for that site where you can scroll through the months on the calendar to see when appointments are available.  During the pandemic some locations may not show any appointments available.  When you pick a day with appointments you will see a list of the times available for that day below the calendar and you can pick the one you want and click on “Book This Appointment.”  When you select a specific ID card site it will list the address, phone number and office hours for the site. If you want to make an appointment by phone you can always call the number listed on the webpage or contact your local Retiree Activities Office (RAO) for assistance.

  There are three locations on Buckley AFB where you can get an ID card issued (Air Force MPF in Bldg 606, Air National Guard in Hangar 801 and the Navy Operations Support Center (NOSC) at 7 North Snowmass St.) Phone numbers and addresses are available from the website above.  For appointments at the MPF you can also contact the MPF Call Center at 720-847-4357 on Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri from 1200-1500.

 During the pandemic DoD has issued guidance (8 Sep 2020 memo signed by Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness) that any ID card expiring after 1 Jan 2020 is valid through 30 Jun 2021. (current as of 22 Mar 21)

When military retirees get their first retired ID card it will not expire until they turn 65 and qualify for Medicare.  At that point they need to update their information in Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) so the system knows if they are enrolled in Medicare and eligible for Tricare for Life (TFL). Their new ID card issued at this point will have no expiration date, it will be INDEF.

On 21 Sep 2020, the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness signed a memo stating, “DoD will reduce the age for indefinite ID card issuance to spouses and other eligible dependents from age 75 to 65.”  Prior to that, members of this group were required to get their ID renewed every four years until they reached age 75.  This memo indicated the Defense Manpower Data Center will work with the DEERS Service Project Offices to implement this change with the rollout of the Next Generation Uniformed Services ID card.

For full time students between the ages of 21-23, they need to have a letter from the school stating they are a full-time student and their expected graduation date. If they are over 23, they are not eligible for an ID card unless they are enrolled in the Tricare Young Adult Program (they need to call Tricare to get that set up if they haven’t).

You will need:

-  Two forms of ID (Passport, Drivers License, Military ID, etc)

-  DD Fm 1172-2 signed by the sponsor if the sponsor is not with you. If the sponsor is going to sign the form prior to your appointment because they can’t accompany you, they may have to have it notarized or signed using a general power of attorney.

Veterans with a 100% disabled rating are eligible for a 100% Disabled Vet ID Card. They will need the following to apply for the ID card:

-  A letter from the VA confirming their 100% disabled rating

-  Two forms of ID (passport, driver’s license, etc.)

If enrolling a spouse, they will need to have:

-  Marriage Certificate

-  Spouse’s social security card

-  Another form of ID (driver’s license, passport, any government issued ID, etc.)

When enrolling children, they will need the following to enroll them in DEERS:

-  Child’s birth certificate

-  Social Security card

When a military retiree passes away the surviving spouse/family member should return the ID card of the deceased, with a certified death certificate, to an ID card issuing office. If there is a surviving spouse, they should obtain a new ID card for themselves.  This is because the death changes the status for both the dependent and sponsor. The spouse’s new category in DEERS would be “widow” or “widower” and they will have an USID card that says “DB” (DoD Beneficiary). Please see below for references. 

Table 15.1. Conditions for Issue, Reissue or Renewal of the DD Form 1173.

Item 3. To show a change in dependency status

Item 4. To show a change in sponsor’s status (such as retirement or death).

Page 238 of AFI 36-3026

Widow or Widower - See Un-remarried and Unmarried for definitions, eligibility, and non-eligibility to DEERS entitlements. This surviving spouse category in DEERS is associated to an eligible sponsor who is deceased. The surviving spouse category in DEERS/RAPIDS reflects “widow” or “widower,” if they have not remarried; however, the widow or widower ID card designation reflects the letters “DB” as a DoD Beneficiary.

There is an excellent DEERS enrollment and ID card issuance checklist at the following link:

https://www.cac.mil/Portals/53/Documents/required_docs.pdf

The link below will show you a list of acceptable DoD Identity Documents:

https://www.cac.mil/Portals/53/List_of_Acceptable_Documents.pdf?ver=2019-08-20-130159-397

 If a retired military member has a Foreign National spouse who doesn’t have a Green Card or a Social Security number, they can still get a dependent ID card and get enrolled in DEERS so they are eligible for Tricare.

 The foreign spouse can receive a Dependent Retired ID card as long as the sponsor and the spouse present two forms of ID (foreign passport, driver’s license, etc) and the marriage certificate.

The spouse will be assigned a Temporary Identification Number (TIN) which expires after 90 days.  This expiration date is driven by the fact the spouse does not have a Social Security number or card.

If that is the case (the TIN has expired) the spouse will then be assigned an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) if they are not eligible for a Social Security card.  The ITIN permits continued medical eligibility for the spouse.

If the spouse is not eligible for either of the above, a TIN or ITIN, then a Foreign Identification Number (FIN) is issued.  This allows enrollment into TRICARE for medical coverage.

 For additional details you should contact your local DEERS/ID card issuing facility.  On Buckley SFB you can contact the Manpower and Personnel Flight (MPF) at 720-847-4357. As of July, 2022 the MPF

Call Center hours of operation are Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri from 1200-1500.