Military ID & CAC Cards: Eligibility, Renew or Replace | Military OneSource (2024)

Those eligible for theUniformed Services ID cardare:

• Military spouses and dependents
• Military retirees
• Reservists and National Guard not in active-duty status
• Members on the Temporary Disability Retired List and the Permanent Disability Retired List
• Retired reserve not yet drawing military retirement pay
• Medal of Honor recipients
• 100% disabled veterans
• Former members in receipt of retired pay
• Eligible foreign military
• Transitional Health Care recipients
• Full-time paid personnel of the United Service Organizations and Red Cross when serving outside the U.S.
• United Seamen’s Service personnel when serving outside the U.S.
• Officers and crews of Military Sealift Command vessels deployed to foreign countries
• Select Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve personnel
• Retired DOD civilian employees

Other family members eligible for a military ID include authorized dependents of:

• Military retirees
• Reservists
• National Guard
• Retired reservists
• National Guard not yet receiving military retirement pay
• Medal of Honor recipients
• 100% disabled veterans
• Former spouses eligible for 20-20-20 benefits

The family member must first be enrolled in the Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System, or DEERS, to receive their first military ID card.

Enroll in DEERS by completing a DD Form 1172-2. The service member is the sponsor and will sign and submit the form.

Submit the form through theID Card Office Onlineor in person at a RAPIDS site.Use this RAPIDS Site Locatorto find a location near you to make an appointment.

Go to a RAPIDS site with your completed DD Form 1172-2 andtwo forms of identification, including a state or federal government photo ID. Dependents will need a Social Security number or tax ID number if they are U.S. citizens or U.S. persons. Newly married military spouses should bring their marriage certificate. Children under 18 will need proof of relationship to their military sponsor, like a birth certificate, to get their Uniformed Services ID Card. You may require additional documentation depending on your eligibility or circ*mstances.

For more details on how to apply for your first military ID, read thispre-arrival checklist.

How you renew or change your ID is similar to how you first got it, but with two changes:

1. Your current Uniformed Services ID Card counts as one of your two forms of identification.
2. You can apply to renew or replace your military IDusing the ID Card Office Online.

To change your ID card, your profile in DEERS will need to be up to date. You cancheck or change your DEERS information online at MilConnect. You may also call the Defense Manpower Data Center Support Office to update DEERS information, 800-538-9522 Monday through Friday, 6 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Pacific Time, except federal holidays.

You may need a birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce decree, or other official document to make updates to your DEERS records.

Check out thispre-arrival checklistto learn more about renewing your military ID.

Unmarried former spouses are eligible for a military ID if they meet the20/20/20 rule:

• The sponsor served at least 20 years that is creditable in determining the sponsor’s eligibility for retired or retainer pay.
• The spouse and sponsor were married at least 20 years.
• There was at least 20 years of overlap between the marriage and the military service.

In this situation, the former spouse is their own sponsor, and the ID card is issued under their own Social Security number. In addition to their two forms of identification, former spouses must bring in theirmarriage certificate, divorce decree and proof of the service member’s service in the formof a Statement of Service, DD Form 214, or Dates of Inclusive Service statement to complete their enrollment.

Unmarried former spouses who meet the20/20/15rule have the same documentation requirements as 20/20/20 spouses, but the period of overlap is at least 15 years but less than 20 years. Their ID cards are only valid for medical care and will expire after one year.

Military ID cards are not typically issued for dependents under the age of 10. However, there are situations in which it is necessary. These include:

• The child’s sponsor is a single parent who does not have an eligible spouse.
• The child’s parents are dual-military parents.
• The child lives with a temporary guardian and does not reside with their sponsor.
• The child lives with a parent who is not the sponsor’s spouse.
• The child’s physical appearance warrants the issue of a military ID.
• Any other unique circ*mstances as determined by the installation’s security office.

Under federal law, military ID cards are issued only to those veterans who are eligible to receive medical care and other benefits provided by the DOD. This includes:

• Retired military members
• Those who are entitled to receive retainer pay
• Veterans determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs to have a 100% disability rating or are 100% unemployable due to a service-connected injury or disease

If you do not fall into one of these categories, you are not eligible for a DOD ID card.

Spouses of veterans are eligible for a military ID if the veteran is eligible to receive medical care and other benefits provided by the DOD. This includes:

• Retired military members
• Those who are entitled to receive retainer pay
• Veterans determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs to have a 100% disability rating or are 100% unemployable due to a service-connected injury or disease

Spouses of veterans who do not fall into one of these categories are not eligible for a DOD ID card.