REAL ID requirement to access military installations

REAL ID requirement to access military installations begins May 7, what to know

May 7 marks the official deadline for REAL ID compliance to be required by various federal organizations and entities – including military installations – to gain access.

Physical Security Officer Jamie Desrochers said that Fort Knox has been following this guidance since Installation Management Command Headquarters originally sent it out roughly a year ago, meaning there will likely not be any significant changes to gate access.

“If visitors don't have a REAL ID then, very similar to what we're doing now, they have to have a supplemental identification with them,” said Desrochers. “Whether that be a birth certificate, passport, another state ID, car registration, etc., they will have to provide supplemental documentation.”

However, according to Desrochers, the acceptance of certain types of supplemental documentation can be a situational decision, so it’s best to have a REAL ID.

“We're going to lean towards a photo ID [like a student ID] more than something with a non-photo ID [like a vehicle registration] and we don’t accept some of the refugee travel documents or work visas,” said Desrochers. “For foreign nationals and non-U.S. citizens we require a REAL ID and their passport with the I-551 stamp, annotating that they entered the country legally.”

If visiting foreign nationals do not have a REAL ID, supplemental documentation must be provided and an escort by a sponsor with a DoD Common Access Card may be required for the duration of their visit.

Desrochers added that those with a valid Department of Defense identification card will not have affected access to the installation.

Desrochers said the goal with implementing the REAL ID Act is to create an additional vetting system.

“This will help us make sure that everybody here is supposed to be here.”

Editor’s Note: For more information on the REAL ID Act and a list of acceptable supplemental identification forms for access to the installation follow the link to the REAL ID Act page, https://home.army.mil/knox/about/Garrison/directorate-emergency-services/physical-security-division/access-control/real-id-act

SOURCE Army News Release