Real ID Act

REAL ID Act implementation and how it impacts U.S. military installation access

Implementation of the REAL ID Act begins May 7, 2025. That day, and any day after that, anyone 18 years and older that plans to visit certain Federal facilities or fly domestically will need a REAL ID or another acceptable form of identification to enter U.S. military bases or board federally regulated commercial aircraft.

Additional forms of identification that may be used in conjunction with a state non-REAL ID driver’s license to request access to the installation are as follows:

United States Passport or United States Passport Card
US Birth Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of Citizenship (Form-550)
Enhanced driver’s license issued by a State, territory, possession, or the District of Columbia.
Any other U.S. Federal, State, territory, possession, or District of Columbia Government-issued credential bearing a photograph, including credentials from other paragraphs in this section that are deemed acceptable by the DoD Component head and consistent with applicable laws.( ex. Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST,TWIC, Tribal Card, VHIC, PIVs)
Identification Card Issued By Federal, State, or Local Government Agencies Provided It Contains a Photograph and Biographic Information such as Name, Date of Birth, Gender, Height, Eye Color, And Address.
Any other government-issued credential bearing a photograph and deemed acceptable by the DoD Component
Non-CAC LRC issued by the local installation or region.
Permanent Resident Card/Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form I-551)
Foreign passport with a temporary (I-551) stamp or temporary (I-551) printed notation on a machine-readable immigrant visa
Foreign passport bearing an unexpired immigrant or non-immigrant visa or entry stamp.
Foreign Government Issued Passport with Current Arrival-Departure Records (INS Form 94) Bearing Names as the same name as the passport and containing an endorsement of an Aliens nonimmigrant status, it that Status authorizes the Alien to work for the employer

Visitors requesting installation access who do not have a REAL ID Act-compliant form of identification and cannot provide supplemental identify-proofing documents must be escorted at all times while on a military installation by a DOD ID card holder.

For the most current information concerning state-by-state compliance with the REAL ID Act, please visit http://www.dhs.gov/real-id-enforcement-brief. Those with questions about REAL ID should visit http://www.dhs.gov/real-id-public-faqs. Those who are still uncertain whether they have the proper identification to enter PoM should call 831-242-4222.

Individuals who possess a valid Department of Defense-issued ID card will not be affected in their ability to enter military installations.

(NOTE: The Real ID Act was enacted by Congress as a result of a 9/11 Commission recommendation that all state issued ID cards meet certain security and issuance standards. Implementation of the REAL ID Act requirements as it pertains to U.S. military installation access began in mid-January 2016.)