How to Renew a Military Dependent ID Card: IDCO or RAPIDS Office

To renew a military dependent ID card, you have two paths: submit a renewal request through the ID Card Office Online (IDCO) portal and receive the new card by mail, or book an appointment at a RAPIDS office and walk out with it the same day. You can start either process up to 90 days before the card’s printed expiration date, or up to 120 days before if you’re renewing online to an overseas APO, FPO, or DPO address.¹

When to Start the Renewal

Look at the expiration date printed on the current Uniformed Services ID (USID) card. Ninety days out is the earliest a RAPIDS office or the online system will process a renewal. Show up sooner and you’ll be turned away.

Don’t push it to the final week either. RAPIDS appointments at busy installations book out, and online renewals need time to print and ship. If your sponsor has a deployment or PCS move coming up, start as soon as the window opens.

Renewing Online Through IDCO

The DoD’s ID Card Office Online portal lets the sponsor request a renewal from home, with the new card mailed to the address on file in DEERS. It works only if every one of these conditions is met:

The current USID card is still valid and not yet expired.
The card expires within 90 days (120 days for overseas addresses).
A DEERS photo taken within the last 12 years is on file.
The dependent’s benefits extend at least 30 days beyond the renewal request date.
Both the sponsor and the card recipient have email addresses in DEERS with DoD correspondence permissions enabled.
A U.S., U.S. territory, or APO/FPO/DPO mailing address is on file in DEERS.

If any condition fails, the system flags it and sends you to a RAPIDS office instead.¹

The sponsor initiates the request by logging into IDCO. Once approved, the card is printed and mailed by standard U.S. mail. If you’re in the continental United States and haven’t received it within 15 days of the mailing notification, report it as “lost in transit” through IDCO. Overseas recipients should wait longer before filing that report.¹

Renewing In Person at a RAPIDS Office

If you don’t qualify for online renewal, or you’d rather leave with the new card in hand, visit a RAPIDS ID card facility. The IDCO website has a locator that shows the nearest office, its hours, and contact information.²

Book an appointment first. Many RAPIDS offices are appointment-only now, and walk-ins either aren’t accepted or face long waits. Appointments are scheduled through the same IDCO website. At the appointment, staff verify your documents, take a new photo, and issue the replacement card on the spot.

Documents to Bring

Whether you’re renewing online or in person, get the paperwork ready before you start.

Two Forms of Identification

The dependent needs two original, unexpired IDs. At least one must be a primary identity document such as a U.S. passport, driver’s license, permanent resident card, or current military ID. The second can be another primary document or one from a secondary list that includes a Social Security card, a certified birth certificate, or a government-issued photo ID from a federal, state, or local agency. If the names on the two documents don’t match, bring proof of the legal name change.³

Proof of Continued Eligibility

Bring documentation showing the relationship to the sponsor still qualifies. Spouses should bring a marriage certificate. Children over 21 who are still in school need a letter from their registrar confirming full-time enrollment, and the sponsor confirms on the DD Form 1172-2 that they provide more than 50% of the student’s financial support. Court orders, guardianship papers, or other special arrangements should come along too if they apply.

DD Form 1172-2

The DD Form 1172-2 (“Application for Identification Card/DEERS Enrollment”) is the standard form for ID card requests, and the sponsor signs it to authorize issuance.⁴ If the sponsor can’t come to the appointment, there are two workarounds. The sponsor can log into IDCO and digitally create and sign the form, which saves it under the dependent’s DEERS record with no notarization required.⁵ Alternatively, the form can be signed under a general power of attorney with either a wet or digital signature.⁶

If the Card Has Already Expired

Once the expiration date passes, the online renewal option is off the table. IDCO requires an active, unexpired card to process the request. You’ll have to go to a RAPIDS office in person with the documents listed above.¹

An expired card does not, by itself, end TRICARE coverage. Eligibility runs off the sponsor’s status and the dependent’s relationship to the sponsor as recorded in DEERS, not off the plastic in your wallet.⁷ Providers will still ask to see the card, though, and an expired one causes friction at pharmacies, clinics, and base gates. Get to a RAPIDS office as soon as you notice the lapse.

Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Cards

A missing card is a different process from a renewal, and step one is reporting it. Use the RAPIDS self-service portal on IDCO, or call Military OneSource at 1-800-342-9647. Reporting deactivates the card so nobody else can use it.⁸

After the report, complete a DD Form 1172-2 and go to a RAPIDS office with two forms of ID for the replacement. The document rules match those for a standard renewal. If the dependent is overseas and can’t easily reach a RAPIDS site, the sponsor can submit a new issuance request through IDCO and have the replacement mailed.

1
CAC.mil. Online Uniformed Service Identification Card Renewal Pilot
2
DMDC. ID Card Office Online
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CAC.mil. Department of Defense List of Acceptable Identity Documents
4
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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CAC.mil. Getting Your Uniformed Services ID (USID) Card
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milConnect. FAQ – DEERS – TRICARE and DEERS
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USAGov. How to Report a Lost or Stolen Military or Veteran ID Card