How to Get and Renew Your DD Form 1173 Military Dependent ID Card

To get a DD Form 1173 military dependent ID card, enroll the dependent in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS), complete DD Form 1172-2, and visit a RAPIDS ID card office with two original forms of identification and proof of the relationship to the military sponsor. The Department of Defense has moved from the older paper DD Form 1173 to a plastic Next Generation Uniformed Services ID (USID) card, but legacy cards remain valid through their printed expiration date.¹

Who Qualifies for a Dependent ID Card

Eligibility comes from 10 U.S.C. § 1072. The main categories:

Lawful spouses of active-duty members, retirees, and reservists.
Unmarried biological, adopted, or stepchildren under 21, plus children placed in the home by a placement agency in anticipation of adoption.
Unmarried full-time students under 23 enrolled at an approved institution of higher learning who rely on the sponsor for more than half their support. The card is issued to the graduation date or the day before the 23rd birthday, whichever comes first.²
Unmarried incapacitated adult children whose mental or physical condition began while they were still a dependent under the age rules above, and who rely on the sponsor for more than half their support.³
Unremarried widows and widowers of members who died on active duty or in retired status.
A parent or parent-in-law who lives with the member and depends on the member for more than half their support.³
Unmarried persons placed in the member’s legal custody by a U.S. court for at least 12 consecutive months, meeting the same age and support requirements as biological children.

The specific card type depends on the sponsor’s status. Dependents of active-duty members and reservists on active duty for more than 30 days receive a card with full commissary, exchange, and TRICARE privileges. Dependents of reservists not on active duty, or of retirees not yet drawing retired pay, receive a DD Form 1173-1 with more limited benefits.¹

Former Spouses

An unremarried former spouse qualifies under the 20/20/20 rule if the marriage lasted at least 20 years, the sponsor served at least 20 creditable years toward retirement pay, and those two 20-year periods overlapped. That earns full medical, commissary, and exchange privileges. A 20/20/15 overlap (15 to 20 years of overlap) gets full benefits only if the divorce was finalized before April 1, 1985; later divorces under those facts get one year of transitional benefits.⁴ A former spouse loses eligibility if they have access to an employer-sponsored health plan.³

Children Under 10

Children under 10 usually don’t need their own physical card and can use a parent’s card, as long as they are enrolled in DEERS. At age 10, the sponsor must get the child a card. The exception: children under 10 who live with someone other than the sponsor, or who are in the custody of a parent not eligible for TRICARE after a divorce, should get their own card regardless of age.⁵

Step 1: Enroll the Dependent in DEERS

No card is issued until the dependent is in DEERS. Service members are enrolled automatically, but they must take action to add family. This can’t be done by phone. The sponsor visits an ID card office with the underlying documents — marriage certificate, birth certificate, divorce decree, adoption paperwork — to add each dependent.⁶

Timing matters. Add a newborn within 30 days of birth using the hospital documentation, and bring the Social Security card as soon as it arrives. Add a new spouse within 30 days as well, or expect problems with military pay entitlements.⁶

Step 2: Gather Two Forms of ID and Proof of Relationship

Every applicant brings two original forms of identification. No photocopies. At least one must be an unexpired federal or state-issued photo ID.¹ Acceptable primary documents include:

U.S. passport or passport card
REAL ID-compliant state driver’s license or ID card
Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551)
U.S. military ID or dependent’s ID (for renewals)

The second document can come from a broader list: a Social Security card, an original or certified birth certificate with an official seal, a voter registration card, a Certificate of Naturalization, a Native American tribal document, or another government-issued photo ID.⁷ An expired USID card works as a secondary document for a reissuance, but not for a first-time card.

Then bring proof of the sponsor relationship: a certified marriage certificate for a spouse, a birth certificate for a child, a court order for a legal custody dependent, adoption paperwork for an adopted child. Every name on your documents should match what’s in DEERS. A maiden name on a birth certificate and a married name on a driver’s license is one of the fastest ways to be turned away.

Step 3: Complete DD Form 1172-2

DD Form 1172-2, “Application for Identification Card/DEERS Enrollment,” is the application that authorizes DEERS enrollment and card issuance.⁸ Download the blank form as a PDF from cac.mil.⁹

When a DoD sponsor is enrolling a dependent, the sponsor fills out Section I (sponsor information), Section II (dependent information), and Section V (certification), and signs. If the sponsor signs in person at the ID card office in front of the verifying official, no notarization is needed. If the sponsor signs elsewhere and sends the form with the dependent, the signature must be notarized. A digital signature on the form does not require notarization.¹⁰

If the sponsor is deployed or unavailable, the dependent can bring a notarized power of attorney authorizing someone to act on the sponsor’s behalf. The verifying official at the ID card office confirms the dependency relationship exists in DEERS before going further.¹⁰

Step 4: Visit a RAPIDS ID Card Office

Schedule an appointment through the ID Card Office Online site at idco.dmdc.osd.mil, which includes a site locator.¹¹ Some offices take walk-ins, others are appointment-only, and appointment holders get priority everywhere.

At the office, staff verify DEERS enrollment, review the DD Form 1172-2 and supporting documents, take a digital photograph, and may capture fingerprints to link biometric data to the DEERS record.¹² The card is typically printed on site in about 15 to 30 minutes. Before you leave, check your name, sponsor information, expiration date, and benefit markings. Fixing an error later means another appointment.

Renewing a USID Card Online

If you already hold a USID card, you may be able to renew online rather than visit an office. Both the sponsor and the cardholder must meet these conditions.

The sponsor must be able to log in to ID Card Office Online using a CAC, DS Logon, or myAuth credential, have an email in DEERS with DoD correspondence authorized, and have a personnel status extending at least 30 days past the renewal request date.

The cardholder must have benefits extending more than 30 days into the future, a DEERS photo taken within the last 12 years, an email in DEERS with correspondence authorized, and a U.S. mailing address (including APO, FPO, or DPO) on file in DEERS.¹³

Foreign affiliates, overseas local hires, non-U.S. citizen sponsors, anyone whose DEERS record is locked or restricted, and dependents who need to update their status with new documentation still have to renew in person. If you’re disabled or care for an incapacitated dependent and cannot travel to an office, call your nearest ID card facility directly; some can mail a replacement card in those situations.

Reporting a Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Card

Report a lost or stolen card through the RAPIDS self-service portal at idco.dmdc.osd.mil or by calling Military OneSource at 1-800-342-9647.¹⁴ Report the loss quickly to protect your benefits from unauthorized use. To get a replacement, follow the same process as initial issuance: complete a DD Form 1172-2 and visit a RAPIDS office with two forms of identification. An expired USID card counts as an acceptable secondary document for reissuance, so if your card is damaged but still identifiable, bring it along.⁷

Photocopies and Confiscation

The card is government property. Under 18 U.S.C. § 701, anyone who manufactures, sells, possesses, or reproduces a government identification card or a convincing imitation faces a fine, up to six months in prison, or both.¹⁵ That covers photocopying, even when a store asks for a copy to verify a military discount. Show the card; don’t let anyone copy it.¹⁶

Gate guards and security personnel can confiscate a USID card on the spot if it’s expired, obviously altered, mutilated to the point of being illegible, being used by someone other than the cardholder, or being used fraudulently. Shoplifting on an installation is also grounds. If your card is confiscated, you must be given a receipt, and you can request supervisor review of the decision.¹⁷

1
ID Card Office Online. Next Generation Uniformed Services ID Card
2
Marine Corps Base Quantico. Ages 21 to 25 Child and/or Step-Child – ID Issuance/Renewal
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 1072 – Definitions
4
TRICARE. Former Spouses
5
U.S. Coast Guard. Frequently Asked Questions
6
milConnect. Search Results for Add a Person to DEERS
7
CAC.mil. Department of Defense List of Acceptable Identity Documents
8
ID Card Office Online. Getting Your ID Card
9
Department of Defense. DD Form 1172-2 – Application for Identification Card/DEERS Enrollment
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CAC.mil. Instructions for Completion of DD Form 1172-2
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Defense Manpower Data Center. Identity Management – ID Cards and Access
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ID Card Office Online. ID Card Lifecycle
13
ID Card Office Online. Online Uniformed Service Identification Card Renewal Pilot
14
USAGov. How to Report a Lost or Stolen Military or Veteran ID Card
15
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 701 – Official Badges, Identification Cards, Other Insignia
16
Little Rock Air Force Base. Copy-CAC and Get Caught: Military IDs Should Not Be Photocopied
17
Marine Corps Base Butler. Confiscating ID Cards