How to Fill Out and Submit SECNAV Form 5512/1 for Base Access

SECNAV Form 5512/1 is the Department of the Navy’s registration form for anyone who needs unescorted access to a Navy or Marine Corps installation without a Common Access Card. To use it, you fill in your personal information, list two original identity documents, get your sponsor’s details right, sign the form, and submit it with your IDs to the base Pass and ID Office. Security personnel then run a background check before issuing a base access pass or Local Population ID Card.

Who Needs to File It

The form applies to contractors, vendors, civilian employees of tenant organizations, family members of service members, and regular visitors with recurring access needs — anyone requesting unescorted access to a Navy or Marine Corps installation who isn’t already carrying a CAC or other DoD-issued credential.¹ If you are visiting once and your sponsor can escort you the entire time, many installations handle that at the gate without this form. For unescorted or recurring access, SECNAV 5512/1 is the standard.

What to Have Ready Before You Start

Gather everything before you open the form. Missing fields send it back.

Full legal name — last, first, middle, and any suffix — spelled exactly as it appears on your ID documents.
Social Security Number.
Date of birth, and city, state, and country of birth.
Citizenship status. Non-citizens list their country of citizenship.
Home address and phone number.
Sponsor’s name and phone number (the person on the installation vouching for your access).
Employer name, address, and phone; supervisor name and contact.
Expected work hours and days if your access will be recurring.
Physical descriptors: weight, height, hair color, eye color.
Two original identity documents.

The Two-Document Rule

You must present two identity source documents in original form. No copies, nothing expired, nothing cancelled. If the two documents show different names — for example, a maiden name on a birth certificate and a married name on a license — you also need proof of the name change, such as a marriage certificate or court order.²

REAL ID

As of May 7, 2025, DoD installations require REAL ID-compliant identification for access. A REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or state ID — marked with a gold star or similar indicator — works as a primary document.³ If your license is not REAL ID-compliant, you can still get on base, but you must pair it with a supplemental document such as a U.S. passport, birth certificate, or Social Security card.⁴

Which Documents Count

Your two documents must be different types, and at least one is typically a government-issued photo ID: a REAL ID license, U.S. passport, Permanent Resident Card, or federal agency credential. Secondary documents you can pair with a primary include:²

U.S. Social Security card
Original or certified birth certificate with an official seal
Voter’s registration card
Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550 or N-570)
Certificate of U.S. Citizenship (Form N-560 or N-561)
Certification of Birth Abroad (Form FS-545 or DS-1350)
U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Card
Government-issued photo ID from a federal, state, or local agency
Native American tribal document
Employment Authorization Document issued by DHS

Bring the originals. The registrar inspects them in person.

Filling Out the Form

You can get a blank form from your sponsor or download a fillable PDF from a Navy command website. Different versions circulate — block numbering shifts slightly between them — but the information collected is the same. Write or type clearly, and do not leave a field blank.

Personal Information (Blocks 1–12)

Enter your last name, first name, middle name, and any suffix in Blocks 1 through 4. Check the boxes for ethnicity, race, and gender. Fill in date of birth, city of birth, state of birth, and country of birth in separate fields.⁵ Check whether you are a U.S. citizen. If you hold dual citizenship or are not a U.S. citizen, enter your other country of citizenship.

Identity Documents (Blocks 13–18)

Check the boxes for the two documents you are presenting, then record each document’s number, issuing state, issuing country, issue date, and expiration date. If your document type is not preprinted on the form, write it in under “Other Approved Identity Source Documents.”⁵

Physical Description and Address (Blocks 19–23)

Enter your weight in pounds and height in inches, and check the boxes for hair and eye color. Then your home address and home phone number. These descriptors go on your pass, so getting them right the first time saves a reissue.

Sponsor, Employer, and Work Schedule (Blocks 24–27)

Block 24 is your base sponsor’s name and phone number. Security will verify it, so double-check the number. Blocks 25 and 26 capture your employer’s name, address, and phone number, plus your supervisor’s contact. Block 27 asks for your expected work hours and days on the installation.⁵

Felony Question, Acknowledgment, and Signature (Blocks 28–30)

Block 28 asks whether you have been convicted of a felony. Answer honestly. The background check will surface it either way, and misrepresentation on the form is itself grounds for denial. Block 29 is where you initial your acknowledgment that you will return the Local Population ID Card when your access is no longer needed. Block 30 is your signature and date, attesting that everything on the form is true and authorizing the Department of the Navy to run background checks through federal and state databases.¹

Block 31 is completed by the base registrar, not by you. The security official records verification of your identity and the results of the NCIC check there.

Extra Fields for Non-U.S. Citizens

Naturalized citizens fill in their Certification Number and Petition Number, plus the date, place, and court of naturalization. Non-citizen residents provide their Alien Registration Number, its expiration date, date of entry into the United States, and port of entry.¹ Foreign nationals may also need to present their passport with an I-551 stamp showing legal entry, and if supplemental documentation is insufficient, an escort by a CAC-holding sponsor may be required for the entire visit.

Submitting the Form

Bring the completed form and both original identity documents to the installation’s Pass and ID Office, or give them to your sponsor to deliver. The security team reviews the form for completeness, inspects your documents, and initiates vetting.

The background check queries the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and the Terrorist Screening Database to verify your identity and determine whether you present a security concern.¹ Processing time varies by installation and workload. Some commands finish within a few business days; others advise allowing up to 14 business days for routine requests and longer for large groups.⁶ Once approved, you visit the Pass and ID Office in person for a photograph and to pick up your pass.

What Can Get You Denied

Under DoD policy (DTM 09-012), the minimum criteria are that you are not on a terrorist watchlist, not on a DoD installation debarment list, and not on the NCIC felony wants and warrants list.¹ The Department of the Navy also prohibits registered sex offenders from accessing Navy facilities and housing.

Other factors that commonly result in denial include an active arrest warrant for any offense, a felony conviction within the past ten years, convictions for violent crimes or drug distribution, and an inability to verify your claimed identity. Fraudulent information on the form is itself disqualifying. If your access is denied and you believe the decision is wrong or you have a compelling need, some installations allow an access appeal; ask the Pass and ID Office about the process at that installation.

After You Get the Pass

Your pass or Local Population ID Card is tied to the specific installation and purpose listed on your form. Carry it every time you enter the base, and present it at the gate with a valid photo ID. When your access is no longer needed — contract ends, visit concludes, employment changes — return the card to the issuing office. You committed to that when you initialed Block 29, and failing to return it can create problems for you and your sponsor.

If your personal information changes, whether a new address, a name change, or a different sponsor, contact the Pass and ID Office to update your record rather than waiting for the pass to expire. Each installation sets its own rules on pass duration and renewal, so ask when your card is issued how long it stays valid and what renewal requires.

1
Department of the Navy. SECNAV Form 5512/1 – Department of the Navy Local Population ID Card/Base Access Pass Registration
2
Department of Defense. List of Acceptable Identity Documents
3
Defense Logistics Agency. Real ID Standards for Military Base Access Start May 7
4
111th Attack Wing. REAL ID Required for Base Access Beginning May 7
5
Department of the Navy. SECNAV 5512/1 Base Access Form
6
Naval Postgraduate School. Gate Access Services – Base Police