DD Form 1172-2 is the application a military sponsor uses to enroll a dependent in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) and to request a Uniformed Services ID card or Common Access Card. You complete the sections that apply to your situation, gather original identity and eligibility documents, and bring everything to a Real-Time Automated Personnel Identification System (RAPIDS) office, where a verifying official reviews the paperwork, updates DEERS, and typically prints the card the same day.1Department of Defense. Getting Your ID Card Only the sponsor — the service member, retiree, or eligible employee — can add or remove family members. A dependent cannot start the process alone.2TRICARE. Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System
When You File This Form
You use DD Form 1172-2 any time someone needs to be added to, updated in, or verified within DEERS. The common triggers:
- A new dependent after marriage, birth, adoption, or legal guardianship.
- Initial issuance of a Common Access Card to an employee or contractor who is not fed into DEERS automatically through a personnel system.3Department of Defense. Instructions for Completion of DD Form 1172-2
- Renewal or replacement of an expired or lost Uniformed Services ID card.
- A status change such as retirement, divorce, or a dependent aging out of eligibility.
Documents to Gather Before Your Appointment
The most common reason a RAPIDS visit fails is missing paperwork. Pull everything together first.
Identity Documents
Both the sponsor and each dependent must bring two original forms of identification. Photocopies are not accepted. At least one must be a current, unexpired government-issued photo ID such as a passport, driver’s license, or current DoD ID card.1Department of Defense. Getting Your ID Card For a young child without a photo ID, a birth certificate paired with the sponsor’s photo ID satisfies the requirement.
Eligibility Documents by Relationship
The record you need depends on who you are enrolling:
- Spouse: a certified marriage certificate from a government vital records office.
- Biological child: a certified birth certificate listing the sponsor as a parent.
- Stepchild: the child’s birth certificate plus the sponsor’s marriage certificate to the child’s biological parent.
- Adopted child: a court-issued adoption decree or final adoption certificate.
- Ward or foster child: a court order establishing the legal relationship.
- Full-time student age 21 or 22: a registrar’s letter certifying full-time enrollment in a course of study leading to an associate degree or higher, with an anticipated graduation date. A verification letter from the National Student Clearinghouse or a similar third party contracted by the school counts as equivalent.4Department of Defense. DEERS Enrollment and ID Card Issuance
Any document in a foreign language must come with a certified English translation.1Department of Defense. Getting Your ID Card
Parents and Parents-in-Law
Enrolling a parent, parent-in-law, stepparent, or someone who stood in loco parentis takes an extra step. You must separately complete DD Form 137 (Secondary Dependency Application) and show that you provide more than 50 percent of that person’s financial support.5Department of Defense. Secondary Dependency Application (DD Form 137) If you did not claim the person on your most recent tax return, you also fill out the Worksheet for Determining Financial Support attached to DD Form 137. A parent or parent-in-law who does not live with the sponsor is not entitled to a USID card even after qualifying as a secondary dependent for other benefits.
How to Fill Out DD Form 1172-2
Download the fillable PDF from the Executive Services Directorate at esd.whs.mil.6Washington Headquarters Services. Department of Defense Forms Management Program – DD 1172-2 Most RAPIDS offices also keep blank copies on hand. The form has five sections, and you complete only the ones that apply to you. A sponsor enrolling a dependent fills out Sections I, II, and V. A sponsor updating their own record fills out Sections I and II. Section III is for DoD personnel sponsoring someone for a CAC. Section IV applies only to foreign affiliates on orders to the United States.3Department of Defense. Instructions for Completion of DD Form 1172-2
Section I: Sponsor or Employee Information
Block 1 asks for the sponsor’s last, first, and middle name or initial, with a combined limit of 51 characters. Block 2 is sex, entered as a one-character code from the table in the instructions. Block 3 is the sponsor’s Social Security Number or DoD ID Number (EDIPI). Block 4 is the sponsor’s status code (active duty, retired, civilian employee, and similar). Block 5 is the organization, branch, or service code. Block 6 is pay grade.3Department of Defense. Instructions for Completion of DD Form 1172-2
Leave Block 7 (Geneva Convention Category) blank; DEERS populates it automatically. Block 8 is a three-character country code for citizenship. Block 9 is the date of birth in YYYYMMDD format. Block 10 is the place of birth, including city, state, and country if outside the United States. The remaining blocks capture the sponsor’s home address and contact information.
Section II: Sponsor Declaration and Remarks
The sponsor signs and dates this section, certifying that the information is accurate. The remarks field is for any supplemental notes. Without this signature the form cannot be processed.
Section V: Dependent Information
When enrolling a dependent, this section carries the weight. Enter the dependent’s full legal name, Social Security Number or DoD ID Number, date of birth, and relationship to the sponsor using the code from the instructions table. Common codes include SP for spouse and CH for child. Every entry here drives what benefits the dependent receives, so a wrong relationship code or a transposed birth date can delay enrollment or produce incorrect coverage.
Keeping Adult Children on the Record
Unmarried biological, adopted, and stepchildren of a sponsor are eligible for TRICARE and other DoD benefits until age 21.7TRICARE. Children Eligibility can extend to the 23rd birthday if the child is enrolled full-time at an approved institution of higher learning and the sponsor still provides more than half of the child’s financial support. It ends on the 23rd birthday or when the child leaves school, whichever comes first.8TRICARE. Going to College
To keep a student’s DEERS record active past 21, the sponsor provides a registrar’s letter each school year confirming full-time enrollment in a course of study leading to an associate degree or higher, with the expected graduation date. A student attending two schools part-time cannot combine courses to meet the full-time requirement.4Department of Defense. DEERS Enrollment and ID Card Issuance
Where to Submit the Form
In Person at a RAPIDS Office
Most applications are processed at a RAPIDS ID card office on or near a military installation. Locate the nearest office and book an appointment at ID Card Office Online (idco.dmdc.osd.mil).2TRICARE. Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System Walk-in availability varies. Offices run high volumes, and arriving without an appointment often means being turned away.
Bring the completed form, two original forms of ID for each person being enrolled (at least one a government-issued photo ID), and all supporting eligibility documents. The verifying official reviews everything, enters the information into DEERS, and, if the record checks out, captures a digital photo and fingerprints and prints the card on the spot.1Department of Defense. Getting Your ID Card
Online Renewal for Existing Cardholders
If a dependent already has an active DEERS record and only needs a USID card renewal, with no document updates or status changes, the sponsor can request the renewal through ID Card Office Online. Log in, go to Family ID Cards, and choose Renew Family Member ID Card. The new card is mailed to the address on file. Recipients in the continental United States should receive it within about 15 days of the mailing notification. If it does not arrive, report it as lost in transit through the portal.9Department of Defense. Online Uniformed Services Identification Card Renewal Pilot
Online renewal is not available to everyone. You must visit a RAPIDS office in person if your record is locked or restricted, if you are a foreign affiliate sponsor who is not a U.S. citizen, if you or your dependent need to present new documentation, or if the child is enrolled in TRICARE Young Adult but not otherwise eligible for a USID card.
Mistakes That Cost You a Second Trip
- Photocopies instead of originals. A photocopy of a birth certificate or marriage certificate will not be accepted. Bring the original or a certified copy from the issuing agency.
- Missing sponsor signature. If a dependent shows up with an unsigned Section II, the verifying official cannot process the form unless the sponsor is present or has signed in advance.
- Expired photo ID. At least one of the two IDs must be a current, unexpired government-issued photo ID.
- Wrong date format. The form uses YYYYMMDD throughout. Writing month first creates data mismatches in DEERS.
- Untranslated foreign documents. Anything not in English needs a certified translation before RAPIDS will process it.
Penalties for False Information
The form carries a Privacy Act statement citing the statutes and directives that authorize DoD to collect the information.10Department of Defense. DD Form 1172-2 Application for Identification Card/DEERS Enrollment Submitting false information is a federal offense. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1001, knowingly making a materially false statement on a government document carries a fine and up to five years in prison.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1001 – Statements or Entries Generally Service members can also be prosecuted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Fraudulently enrolling an ineligible person in DEERS can lead to criminal charges, loss of benefits for the entire family, and administrative separation.