Per a Pentagon release, the DOD will expand the online program for ID renewal. The pilot program for the online ID renewal program began in 2023, allowing certain military dependents to renew their Uniformed Services Identification card (USID) to be renewed online. The expansion will allow military retirees and dependents to renew their military ID cards online.
Expanding the online program aims to free up appointments at the ID offices on military bases. A common complaint for military dependents is the lack of appointment availability to renew an ID card, and is often coupled with long waits once there for the appointment. With the availability of online renewal, appointments will be freed up for active duty military members and government employees who have to renew or apply for Common Access Card, CAC, which requires in-person visits.
Those who can renew online are those who are within the United States. Per the DOD, of the 4.5 million card holders, 2.5 million are USID card holders, with about a million eligible for online renewal. To complete a renewal online, military sponsors and card holders request the renewal online at the ID card office online. The sponsor will need to verify the dependent via the Form DD 1172-2.
Further eligibility for online renewal:
- The service member sponsor must have an active CAC with an active status for at least 30 days past the renewal request date
- The dependent ID must not be expired
- The dependent ID must not be expiring within 90 days
- The sponsor and cardholder must have an email address registered in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). In order to do this, edit the profile on the ID Card office online.
- The photo of the cardholder must be less than 12 years old
- The card holder’s address must be within the Continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii, and cannot be a P.O. Box
The online program will not apply to those applying for a card for the first time. Those getting a USID for the first time will have to go to an ID office on base to complete their application on the Real-Time Automated Personnel Identification System, RAPIDs.
If eligibility requirements are met, use the online website and click on “Family ID cards” and then “Renew Family ID cards.” The renewal card will be sent from the Defense Manpower Data Center, and emails will be sent to both the sponsor and the cardholder once the card is mailed. Once the card is received, the sponsor will have to go back to the ID Card office online and acknowledge receipt of the card.
Once the new card is received, the old card should be returned to the local ID card office or can be mailed to: DMDC; DSC Attn: USID Card Returns; 2102 E 21st Street N.; Wichita, KS 67214. The military ID cards are considered government property, which is why the old cards are requested to be turned in.
