REAL ID ACT and Vandenberg Air Force Base Access

  • Published
  • Vandenberg Air Force Base

Passed by Congress in 2005, the REAL ID Act enacted the 9/11 Commission's recommendation that the Federal Government "set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver's licenses." The Act established minimum security standards for state-issued driver's licenses (DL) and identification cards (ID) and prohibits Federal agencies from accepting licenses and identification cards for official purposes from states that do not meet these standards.

The following U.S. territories are currently under an extension through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) allowing military installations to accept all valid DLs and IDs whether they are compliant or noncompliant:

American Samoa (10 Oct 19), Kentucky (1 Aug 19), Maine (10 Oct 19), New Jersey (10 Oct 19), Northern Mariana Island (1 June 19), Oklahoma (10 Oct 19), Oregon (10 Oct 19)

All other U.S. territories are REAL ID compliant.

If your current DL/ID states “Federal Limits Apply”, “Not Valid for Federal Purposes”, “Not For Use as Federal Identification” or other similar verbiage (Figure 1 below), you must have a secondary form of identification (Figure 2 below) to gain unescorted access to a military installation, which is effective 24 May 19 in California.  If you cannot provide a secondary identification, you must be escorted or access to the installation will be denied.  If you have a California DL that is not REAL ID compliant and/or seek a new California DL, follow the steps in Figure 3 below.

If you currently hold a valid DBIDS card, you will not have an issue until your DBIDS card expires.  At that point, you will require a REAL ID compliant DL or another form of identification stipulated in Figure 2 below to gain unescorted access to the installation.

Please visit the following websites to stay up to date on territory extensions/reviews deadlines, alternate identification requirements and application documents needed to apply for a REAL ID.  Any local questions should be directed to the Vandenberg Air Force Base Visitor’s Center at (805) 606-7662.

https://www.dhs.gov/real-id

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv

https://www.tsa.gov/