DD Form 2249, now called the Pentagon Facilities Access Enrollment Form, is the enrollment record that authorizes recurring swipe-card access to the Pentagon and its leased facilities. Since November 1, 2024, it must be submitted electronically (the “e2249”) through the Pentagon Force Protection Agency’s Access Management Portal at access.pfpa.mil. You do not submit it yourself. An Authorizing Official, usually your supervisor, sponsor, or Contract Officer Representative, files it for you.
Who Actually Fills It Out
Only Component Authorizing Officials can access and submit the e2249 through the portal.1Department of Defense Forms Management Program. DD 2249 – Pentagon Facilities Access Enrollment Form Your job is to hand your sponsor the personal information and identification they need, then show up at the Pentagon Pass Office to enroll your credential once the authorization is approved.
At some Pentagon-affiliated facilities, supervisors still complete Section 1 of a downloadable DD Form 2249 and email it to a security manager, who submits the authorization to PFPA. The Department of Defense Education Activity uses this workflow for its Mark Center employees.2DoDEA. Building Access Either way, the paperwork moves through a sponsor, not through you.
Who Needs the Form and Who Doesn’t
DD Form 2249 covers anyone who needs swipe-card access to the Pentagon or a Pentagon-leased facility on a recurring basis: military personnel, DoD civilian employees, and contractors. The form enrolls your Common Access Card or Personal Identity Verification card into the Pentagon’s physical access management system, which controls the turnstiles and card readers.
If you’re only attending a single meeting or dropping something off, you’re a visitor, not an enrollee. A sponsor registers you through the Visitor Management System at visitorsponsor.pfpa.mil, and you receive a link to complete a separate visitor registration.
The form is Pentagon-specific. Other DoD installations run their own visitor control and credentialing under DoD Manual 5200.08, Volume 3. Some use DD Form 2249 in their local procedures; many use their own pass applications handled by the installation’s Pass and ID Office or Visitor Control Center. If you need access to a base that isn’t the Pentagon, ask that installation’s security office what form applies.
Information Your Authorizing Official Will Need
The e2249 collects the same categories of information the paper form always did. Provide the following, and check every field before submission because errors trigger denials that require starting over:
- Full legal name, exactly as it appears on your government-issued ID
- Date of birth in YYYYMMDD format
- Social Security Number, used to run the National Crime Information Center background check
- Office of assignment and the specific rooms or areas you need to access, which determines your card’s access permissions
- Phone number and email so security personnel can reach you during vetting
- For contractors: your employer’s name and the active contract number authorizing your work at the facility, which PFPA cross-references with DoD contract registries3Federal Register. Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
A transposed SSN digit or a name that doesn’t match your ID is the most common cause of a redo.
Identification to Bring to the Pass Office
Once your e2249 is approved, you visit the Pentagon Pass Office with acceptable ID to have your CAC or PIV card enrolled. Since May 7, 2025, all DoD installations enforce REAL ID Act standards, so a standard non-compliant driver’s license alone will not get you in.4Defense Logistics Agency. Real ID Standards for Military Base Access Start May 7
Acceptable credentials under DoD Manual 5200.08 include:
- DoD Common Access Card or Uniformed Services ID card
- REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or state-issued non-driver ID (look for the star)
- U.S. passport or passport card
- Permanent resident card
- Foreign passport with an unexpired visa or entry stamp
- Federal PIV card, Transportation Worker ID Card, or Veteran’s Health ID Card
Without a REAL ID-compliant license, present a passport, a federal PIV card, or a non-compliant license paired with a secondary credential such as a TWIC or Veteran’s Health ID Card.4Defense Logistics Agency. Real ID Standards for Military Base Access Start May 7 Every credential must be original, current, and free of “Not Valid for Federal Purposes” language.
The Background Check
PFPA runs a National Crime Information Center check on every person 18 or older who requests access to the Pentagon or a Pentagon facility.5Federal Register. Department of Defense Office of the Secretary – Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request The check cross-references your information against the FBI’s criminal database and flags outstanding warrants, felony records, and AWOL status.6Joint Base Charleston. Military Base Access Now Requires FBI Background Checks
Conditions that will get an application denied or existing access revoked include:
- An outstanding criminal warrant of any type
- A felony conviction within the past ten years
- Registration as a sex offender
- Listing on the National Terrorist Watch List
- A dishonorable or bad conduct discharge
- Felony convictions involving sexual offenses, gang activity, extremism, violence, or drug crimes
- Submitting false information on the pass application
- Being unlawfully present in the United States
Submitting false information isn’t just an administrative problem. Fraudulent use of credentials to enter a federal facility is a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. ยง 1036, carrying up to six months in prison, or up to ten years if the entry was made with intent to commit a felony.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1036 – Entry by False Pretenses to Any Real Property, Vessel, or Aircraft of the United States
If You’re Denied
Under DoD Manual 5200.08, anyone denied installation access or issued a barment letter has the right to be told the basis for the denial, review the evidence, submit a response, and receive fair and impartial consideration of that response. The appeal timeline and procedures vary by installation and service branch, so ask the security office that issued the denial for its written appeal instructions. Move fast. Most installations set a deadline of 30 days or less for a rebuttal.
After Your Pass Is Issued
Wear your CAC, PIV card, or building pass visibly at all times inside the facility. Security personnel routinely check, and walking around without a displayed credential draws attention quickly.
Your pass grants access only to the specific areas listed in your e2249 enrollment. Badging into a space you’re not authorized for is logged and may trigger a security review. If your duties change, your Authorizing Official has to submit an updated e2249 to add new spaces.
Lost or Stolen Credentials
Report a lost or stolen CAC or building pass to your local security office and your sponsor immediately. For a lost CAC, you’ll need documentation from the security office or your CAC sponsor confirming the loss before a replacement is issued, and that documentation gets scanned into the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System.8CAC.mil. Managing Your Common Access Card Expect the security office to treat it as a security incident, particularly if the loss involved leaving the card unattended.
When You Leave
When your employment or contract ends, turn in your building pass or surrender your CAC enrollment to the security office. Your Authorizing Official is responsible for revoking your e2249 authorization in the portal, but the physical credential is on you. Holding onto an expired pass can create complications the next time you need DoD facility access.
A Note for Contractors Who Need a CAC
If you’re a contractor who needs a Common Access Card and not only a building pass, the CAC itself runs through a separate credentialing system called Mission Partner Identity, Credential, and Access Management, which replaced the older Trusted Associates Sponsorship System. A Mission Partner Affiliation Sponsor arranged through your company enrolls you; once approved, you have seven days to log in and 30 days from that first login to complete the CAC application, or the sponsor has to start over.9CAC.mil. Getting Your Common Access Card: For Contractors If you don’t know who your sponsor is, ask your contracting officer before your start date. The e2249 enrolls the credential for Pentagon access; MP ICAM is what gets you the credential in the first place.