Identification Card

Every member of your family should have an ID card. The Uniformed Services Identification and Privilege Card (ID) gives you access to the benefits of being in the National Guard or Reserves. In peacetime, your ID card entitles you to:

• Exchange privileges.
• Limited commissary privileges.
• Recreational facilities.
• Military discounts.

If you are called to active duty for 30 days or more, an ID card is necessary for you and your family to use active duty services and programs such as:

• Military health insurance (CHAMPUS or TRICARE).
• Unlimited commissary privileges.
• Exchange privileges.
• Recreational facilities.
• Military discounts.

All uniformed service members and their dependents are eligible for ID cards:

• Spouse.
• Widow or widower.
• Children between the ages of 10 and 21 (all children under 21 must be unmarried).
• Children under 10, if they are not living with the Guard or Reserve member.
• Unmarried children over 21 who are mentally or physically disabled and unable to support themselves.
• Unmarried children between the ages of 21 and 23 who are full-time college students.
• Parents or in-laws for whom the Guard or Reserve member provides more than half of their income.

You will need to prove eligibility to obtain IDs for dependents. This may include providing:

• Clear photocopies of marriage certificates and birth certificates.
• Certified copies of adoption papers, paternity papers, divorce papers, and death certificates.
• A licensed physician’s or medical officer’s statement of physical handicaps of dependent children over the age of 21.
• A certificate of full-time college enrollment from the school registrar for children between 21 and 23.

Enroll your family in the Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System (DEERS). Contact your unit Full-time Readiness NCO.

DEERS is an automated information system that lists all military members and their family members and dependents who are eligible for military benefits, including CHAMPUS and TRICARE. All service members are listed automatically, but their dependents must be added when they apply for an ID card.