Family members, retirees and other eligible personnel can now skip the badge office and renew their military ID cards online under an expansion of a DoD pilot program.

The pilot program, which was launched last February, previously was open only to sponsors with a common access card. Now, most retirees and non-CAC holders are eligible for the online service, DoD announced.

“We think modern capabilities like renewing a driver’s license online make it easier for people to get what they need when they need it without burdening them with having to take a trip somewhere,” Mike Zarlenga, of the Defense Manpower Data Center, said in a DoD news release. “We’re excited about this, and it sounds like people see online renewal as making their lives easier, based on the feedback we’re getting.”

DoD issues about 4.5 million ID cards a year, Zarlenga said. About 2.5 million of those are Uniformed Services Identification cards, and, of those, about 1 million are renewals that are eligible for the online option, Zarlenga said.

Uniformed Services Identification cards are issued to retired and reserve members, dependent family members of uniformed service members and other eligible individuals in accordance with DoD policy to facilitate access to benefits, privileges and DoD installations.

Under the ongoing pilot program, eligible ID card holders can apply for renewal online via the ID Card Office website here.

The online option is available for renewals and not initial issue ID cards. It also is limited to applicants within the United States, although officials are working to expand the program elsewhere, according to the DoD news release.

Providing retirees and family members with an online option frees up badge offices for active-duty personnel and civilian employees who need to apply for or renew a CAC.

“We want to enable the ID card sites today to better service the CAC holders who are our mission enablers,” Zarlenga said in the news release. “We want to make sure that people visiting that office can get an appointment when they need one, and they can get their CAC and resume their mission or duties with minimal impact to them or to the department.”

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