Fort Bragg to start cracking down on IDs

Fort Bragg and other some other military installations next month will start tightening up identification requirements to get on post.

Posted 10:21 p.m. Dec 6, 2017 — Updated 10:21 p.m. Dec 6, 2017

RALEIGH, N.C. — Fort Bragg and other some other military installations next month will start tightening up identification requirements to get on post.

To obtain a visitor pass, people will have to present a REAL ID or two forms of identification.

Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Beginning in October 2020, a REAL ID will be required for all commercial air travel and for visitors to federal buildings, nuclear facilities and military installations that don't already require them.

In North Carolina, people can obtain a REAL ID through the state Division of Motor Vehicles, much like applying for a driver's license. But there are more stringent identification requirements, and several documents are needed:

One document to prove identity, such as a birth certificate, a valid U.S. passport or immigration documents
One document to verify birth, such as a birth certificate, a valid U.S. passport or immigration documents
One document to confirm a Social Security number, such as a Social Security card or a W-2 form
Two documents to establish residency in North Carolina, such as a utility bill, a vehicle registration card or a bank statement

North Carolina doesn't require people to obtain a REAL ID, but those who don't will need to present two forms of identification to board a plane or get on a military base once the new rules go into effect in three years.

"Some states have made it mandatory. North Carolina certainly didn't want to force everyone who might not necessarily travel by air or who might not conduct business at a military base or a federal facility," DMV spokeswoman Patrice Bethea said Wednesday.

Bethea added, however that a REAL ID "will just make it easier because it will be the only form of identification that they'll need.

"We'd hate for someone to show up to an airport or to a military base to conduct any business or to fly out with family on vacation and they don't have the proper documentation," she said.

Terry Perrone said she knew nothing about REAL IDs until she got a notice in the mail, and she was a bit confused about the requirements.

"It'd be nice to know that that information was more readily accessible for all people so no one has the confusion that I have," Perrone said.

A REAL ID costs $13 for people seeking a duplicate driver's license, or people can wait to obtain one when renewing their licenses, authorities said.

When military installations begin enforcing the stricter requirements in January, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security suggests people contact specific facilities to find out what their requirements are.

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