How to Get DD Form 2765: Eligibility, Forms, and RAPIDS Appointment

To get a DD Form 2765, the Uniformed Services Identification and Privilege Card, confirm you fall into an eligible category, gather two forms of ID and the documents that prove your category, complete a DD Form 1172-2 signed by your sponsor, and book an in-person appointment at a RAPIDS ID card office where staff verify your paperwork and print the card on site.

Check That You’re in an Eligible Category

Eligibility for the DD Form 2765 is set by 32 CFR Part 161 and covers a defined list of populations. The groups most applicants fall into are:

Military retirees currently drawing retired pay who do not hold a Common Access Card or other DoD ID.
Veterans rated 100 percent permanently and totally disabled due to service-connected conditions by the VA.
Medal of Honor recipients.
Spouses, children, and surviving family members of retired or deceased service members who are registered in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS).
Former spouses who meet the 20/20/20 rule: at least 20 years of marriage overlapping at least 20 years of creditable military service. Former spouses meeting the 20/20/15 rule get transitional TRICARE for one year after the final divorce decree.¹
Members in Transitional Assistance Management Program status, along with a handful of narrower categories including full-time paid USO and United Seamen’s Service personnel serving outside the U.S., Military Sealift Command officers and crews deployed to foreign countries, and select Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve personnel.

Under the 20/20/20 rule, the former spouse becomes their own sponsor in DEERS and holds the card under their own Social Security number. Reserve and Guard members who have qualified for retirement but haven’t yet reached the age to draw retired pay are entitled to a DoD ID card, though they may receive a different card variant depending on status.²

If You’re a Veteran Without a 100 Percent Rating

A 2020 DoD expansion opened commissary, exchange, and MWR access to Purple Heart recipients, former prisoners of war, veterans with any service-connected disability rating below 100 percent, and approved primary family caregivers under the VA’s Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers. These groups generally use a Veteran Health Identification Card or a VA letter with a photo ID for access, not a DD Form 2765.³ If that describes you, a RAPIDS appointment won’t produce a 2765.

Documents to Bring to Your Appointment

Every applicant, sponsor or dependent, needs two original forms of identification. At least one must be a valid, unexpired state or federal government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license, passport, or current DoD ID. The second can be any document from the DoD’s list of acceptable identification, such as a Social Security card or birth certificate.⁴ Expired identification is one of the two most common reasons people get turned away.

Beyond the two IDs, bring documentation proving your eligibility category:

Retirees: a copy of your DD Form 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) and, if applicable, your retirement orders.⁵
100-percent disabled veterans: your VA disability award letter explicitly showing a 100-percent service-connected rating. If the letter also notes “permanent and total” status, bring that; it may affect your card’s expiration date.
Dependents and survivors: marriage certificates, birth certificates, or court orders establishing the relationship to the sponsor. Surviving dependents also need documentation of the sponsor’s death, such as a death certificate or DD Form 1300, Report of Casualty.⁶
Former spouses: a copy of the final divorce decree and documentation showing the length of the marriage and the sponsor’s creditable service.

You also need a federal person identifier, usually your Social Security number or tax ID number, verified by a document such as a Social Security card or a W-2.

Complete and Sign the DD Form 1172-2

The DD Form 1172-2 (Application for Identification Card/DEERS Enrollment) is the application that drives the entire process. No card gets printed without one on file.⁷ Section I collects the sponsor’s full legal name, Social Security number or DoD ID number, date of birth, and branch of service. Later sections cover the applicant.

There are four ways to get the form signed:

Electronically through ID Card Office Online. A sponsor with a CAC or DS Logon can log in to the RAPIDS Self-Service portal, verify a dependent, and digitally create and sign the 1172-2. The signed form is saved under the dependent’s DEERS record and still needs to be printed and brought to the RAPIDS site.
In person at the RAPIDS site, where the sponsor appears with the applicant and signs on the spot.
By notarized signature. The sponsor signs the form and has it notarized; wet or digital signatures are acceptable.
Using a general power of attorney if the sponsor is deployed or otherwise unavailable, again with wet or digital signature.⁶

Names, marital status, and dependent information on the 1172-2 must match DEERS exactly. A mismatch will stall the appointment. Providing false information on the form is a federal offense under 18 U.S.C. § 1001, punishable by up to five years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.⁸⁹

Book and Attend a RAPIDS Appointment

All DD Form 2765 cards are issued at Real-Time Automated Personnel Identification System (RAPIDS) offices, located on military installations and at some off-base federal facilities. To find the nearest one and book an appointment, use ID Card Office Online at idco.dmdc.osd.mil. The locator tool searches by ZIP code and shows available slots.¹⁰

At the appointment, a Verifying Official reviews your documents, confirms your identity against the two IDs you brought, and checks your eligibility in DEERS. A digital photograph is taken. Once everything checks out, the card is printed on site and handed to you before you leave. The current Next Generation card is plastic cardstock with security features designed to deter counterfeiting.²

Two things trip people up here: showing up without the sponsor present and without a pre-signed 1172-2 (or notarized copy or power of attorney), and bringing expired identification. Either one means you leave empty-handed and have to rebook.

Renewing or Replacing a Card You Already Have

The DoD recommends submitting a renewal request 30 to 60 days before your card expires. The system accepts requests up to 120 days out.¹¹ Renewal typically requires the same in-person RAPIDS visit with updated documentation. The DoD has been piloting an online renewal option for certain cardholders; check IDCO to see whether you qualify.

If your card is lost or stolen, go to the nearest RAPIDS site for a replacement and bring the same two forms of identification you would for an initial issuance.¹² The old card is deactivated in DEERS once the replacement is issued. If you have a legacy tan paper-laminate card issued before the December 2020 transition, it remains valid through its printed expiration date, and cards showing an indefinite (INDEF) expiration stay valid indefinitely. The DoD has said cards will not be reissued solely to obtain the new format, though you can request a voluntary replacement at any RAPIDS site.

1
TRICARE. Former Spouses
2
Department of Defense. Next Generation Uniformed Services ID Card
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VA News. Commissary, Military Service Exchange, and MWR Access Extended to More Veterans
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Department of Defense. Getting Your ID Card
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National Archives. DD Form 214 Discharge Papers and Separation Documents
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Department of Defense. DEERS Enrollment and ID Card Issuance
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Department of Defense. DD Form 1172-2 – Application for Identification Card/DEERS Enrollment
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 1001 – Statements or Entries Generally
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 3571 – Sentence of Fine
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Defense Manpower Data Center. Identity Management – ID Cards
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Department of Defense. Online Uniformed Service Identification Card Renewal Pilot
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Department of Defense. Managing Your Uniformed Services ID Card