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New Way to Renew Military ID Cards

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If there is one thing military life has taught us, it is to hurry up and wait. Prepare for orders, but wait for them. Call TRICARE and be on hold for goodness knows how long. Need to pick up medication for the sick kid, wait in the pharmacy waiting room for at least an hour. Military life seems to have a lot of waiting. Waiting at the ID office for a new ID may not be one of them much longer.

The Uniformed Service ID (USID) care system now has an online capability to renew ID cards. Cards will be printed by the Government Publishing Office and mailed to the card recipient.

Requirements:

  • Sponsor much have a Common Access Card (CAC) and request the renewal of an active USID card (aka not expired)
  • The Sponsor and the card recipient must have an email address listed in DEERS, and it is noted that the DOD has the authorization to contact them
  • The Sponsor’s personnel status must extend at least 30 days from the renewal request date
  • The card recipient has a photo in DEERS taken in the last 12 years
  • The card recipient’s mailing address is in DEERS and is in within the United States, including Hawaii or Alaska

How To Renew:

  • GO to the USID Card Office Online
  • Select “Family ID Cards”
  • Select “Renew Family Member ID Card”
  • The card will be mailed, and an email will be sent to the sponsor and card recipient to acknowledge receipt of the card.
  • Once the card is acknowledged, the new card will be active, and the prior card will be inactive
  • The prior card should be returned but to a RAPIDS ID card site
  • If the card renewal is not approved, the card recipient will receive an email

How smoothly will this process be? Who knows. But hopefully, it leads to a little less waiting in line.

Some military bases have rolled out ID renewal kiosks. The requirements are the same as online renewals. Is there an ID renewal kiosk near you?

Comments

  1. I retired in 1995. I still have the OLD type ID card (no upc strip on the back) It has an indef expiration date. I dont use it very often. Do i really need to update my card? thankyou for your time.

  2. So retirees still will be waiting? At least they have decades of experience.

  3. Look at the first item under Requirements:

    “Sponsor much have a Common Access Card (CAC) and request the renewal of an active USID card (aka not expired)” – see what is wrong?

  4. What about retirees and their dependents renewing their ID cards? We don’t have CAC cards and sometimes it’s difficult for us to get to a base for renewal.

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