Beginning Sept. 15, 2016, people will no longer be able to access this installation with a state-issued identification card or driver’s license from Minnesota, Missouri, Washington or American Samoa. The states and territory are not compliant with the REAL ID Act of 2005.

While New Mexican-issued licenses and IDs are valid under Real ID criteria in some aspects until October 2020, they will not be valid for base access after Oct. 10 of this year.

While officials expect resolutions to be implemented for New Mexico and 28 other states and territories prior to Oct. 10, they are preparing for the possibility that these IDs will become invalid, according to Maj. Brent Pickrell, 377th Security Forces Squadron commander.

“New Mexico has received an extension for their state issued ID cards through Oct. 10 of this year. New Mexico plans to file for another extension, and while we believe this request will likely be approved, we must plan for the contingency where it does not,” said Pickrell, who commands the unit on Kirtland controlling installation access.

From Sept. 15, people with an ID from a state or territory that does not meet REAL ID provisions (Washington, Missouri, Minnesota and American Samoa) must present an alternate form of ID or they will not be granted access without an escort who already has access privileges, Pickrell explained.

From Oct. 10, people with state-issued IDs from states or territories currently under an extension (Alaska, Arkansas, California, Guam, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, N. Marianas, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Virgin Islands) will need one of the prescribed alternate forms of ID for unescorted base access, unless further extensions are approved.

Alternate forms of ID considered valid include:
• U.S. Passport;
• U.S Passport Card;
• Permanent Resident Card/Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form I-551);
• A foreign passport with a temporary (I-551) stamp or temporary (I-551) printed notation on a machine readable immigrant visa;
• An employment authorization document that contains a photograph (Form I- 766);
• Identification card issued by federal, state, or local government agencies, provided it contains a photograph and biographic information such as name, date of birth, gender, height, eye color, and address;
• U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Cards/Credentials;
• PIV or Federally-Issued PIV-1 Cards (Personal Identification Verification) issued by the Federal Government;
• PIV-I card (Personal identification verification-Interoperable Issued by Non-Federal Government entities);
• DHS “Trusted Traveler Cards” (Global entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST);
• Merchant Mariner card issued by DHS/ United States Coast Guard (USCG);
• Border Crossing Card (Form DSP-150);
• U.S. Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-550) or U.S. Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551).

Base officials also said that current holders of distinguished visitor’s passes would be granted access with the passes until they expire, and new passes would be issued according to the REAL ID requirements.

Kirtland is implementing the changes in alignment with the Air Force-wide policy.

“If an individual is escorted, the sponsor is required to be physically present with the individual for the duration of the visit to the base,” said Lt. Col. Tony Castillo, Branch Chief Police Services at Headquarters Air Force.

Pickrell gave the example of a relative visiting a member of Team Kirtland from Tacoma, Wash.

“If they do not have one of the alternate forms of ID, the member they are visiting will have to go the Visitors Center, provide documentation as an escort and stay with them at all times, including in the same vehicle, while on base,” Pickrell said.

The same will apply for someone making a delivery, Pickrell said. If they are a truck driver with a DL or ID from a state that does not meet REAL ID compliance or have an extension, they will need to be sponsored and escorted.

“If an over-the-road truck driver with a driver’s license from Missouri comes to make a delivery on Kirtland, the receiver of the goods will have to come to the gate to sponsor and escort the trucker, including riding with him in the truck to and from the delivery location,” Pickrell said.

Further, according to Air Force officials, anyone attempting to gain access to an Air Force installation without a Department of Defense identification card will be subject to a routine background check.

“Installation commanders may still deny access and issuance of access credentials if their background check determines the individual represents a threat or negatively impacts the safety or security of an installation’s personnel or resources,” Castillo said.

The changes align the Air Force’s installation access policy with requirements of the REAL ID Act, which focuses on improving the reliability of state-issued identification documents, and helps prevent a person’s ability to evade detection by using a fraudulent form of ID.

For a full list of REAL ID Act and compliant and non-complaint states, please visit https://www.dhs.gov/current-status-states-territories.