It’s Official: Driver’s licenses from 5 states no longer accepted at US military bases

Driver’s licenses issued from five different states will no longer be accepted at U.S. military bases as proof of ID.

Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico and Washington have failed to implement security measures mandated by the REAL ID Act –a federal law enacted more than a decade ago.

A state is considered REAL ID Act compliant if they issue licenses that have certain security features “designed to prevent tampering, counterfeiting or duplication.” The 2005 law marked the beginning of post-9/11 standards for issuing licenses, which made it more difficult for terrorists to obtain ID ‘s with counterfeit records.

However, the states mentioned above, have not yet put those measures in place. According to the Washington Times, anyone who carries a driver’s license from a non-compliant state must now show an alternate form of identification — such as a passport– if they want to access a Defense Dept. base.

A statement released by the Pentagon Wednesday, said in part: “For most DoD installations, an identification card or an installation pass is required to facilitate access. Hence, where an ID or an installation pass is used for physical access, DoD installations are prohibited from accepting driver’s licenses or state identification cards from states deemed non-REAL ID compliant.”

According to the Dept of Homeland Security, U.S. airports will begin enforcing REAL ID Act restrictions, but not until 2018 — at the earliest.