SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --
New policies and processes
associated with the REAL ID Act are currently enacted at Seymour Johnson Air
Force Base, North Carolina, which may cause denial of access for some visitors.
Service members and their families should familiarize themselves with the new
policies and processes for visitors accessing Air Force installations and
causes for denial of access.
Beginning Aug. 16, 2016, all
visitors to Federal facilities and Air Force installations should contact the facility
to determine the proper required identification that is accepted and undergo a
background check. Military members who escort visitors with free-roaming access
onto base must also undergo a background check.
Visitors seeking access to Air
Force installations using state identification from states that are not in
compliance will no longer be authorized access without additional
documentation, according to the REAL ID Act. According to the DHS, Kentucky,
Maine, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina are currently not in
compliance, however, they may have received an extension.
Service members and their
dependents may also be affected by the REAL ID Act when travelling with
commercial airlines.
Jeh Johnson, Secretary of Homeland
Security, announced on Jan. 8, 2016, the following timetable for the
implementation of the REAL ID Act for air travel:
• Starting Jan. 22, 2018,
passengers with a driver’s license issued by a state that is still not
compliant with the REAL ID Act (and has not been granted an extension) will
need to show an alternative form of acceptable identification for domestic air
travel to board their flight. To check
whether your state is compliant or has an extension, go to the DHS website. Passengers with driver’s licenses issued by a
state that is compliant with REAL ID (or a state that has been issued an
extension) will still be able to use their driver’s licenses or identification
cards.
• Beginning Oct. 1, 2020, every air
traveler will need a REAL ID-compliant license, or another acceptable form of
identification, for domestic air travel.
This timetable recognizes that some
states must change their laws to comply with the REAL ID Act. It is also
designed to provide an opportunity for members of the public to learn more
about the implications of not having a REAL ID-compliant license, and so that
individuals have an ample opportunity to replace their pre-REAL ID licenses
with new compliant licenses or to obtain another acceptable form of
identification.
According to the DHS, along with
REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver’s licenses, Federal agencies accept other
forms of ID, such as state Enhanced Driver’s Licenses that are designated as
acceptable border-crossing documents by the DHS under the Western Hemisphere
Travel Initiative. Federal agencies also accept U.S. passports or passport
cards, DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST), U.S.
military ID (active duty or retired military and their dependents, and
Department of Defense civilians) and permanent resident card.
“When planning a visit to a federal
facility or military base, visitors should contact the facility to determine
what identification will be accepted,” said Tech. Sgt. Jonathan Waddell, 4th
Security Forces Squadron pass and registration noncommissioned officer
in-charge.
Waddell’s statements reinforce the
DHS’s advice to any and all who wish to visit an Air Force Base.
For more information, please call
(919) 722-2250 or go to www.dhs.gov/real-id-public-faqs
or www.dhs.gov/current-status-states-territories.