ID cards from 5 states no longer valid at Fort Bragg gates

Fort Bragg said Wednesday that it no longer accepts driver’s licenses from five states as valid proof of identity for visitors seeking to enter the Army installation.

Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico and Washington state have been ruled out of compliance with the 2005 REAL ID Act, a federal anti-terrorism measure intended to improve the security of state-issued licenses and IDs.

“Driver’s licenses and ID cards issued by these states cannot be used to access not just Fort Bragg, but all federal facilities, to include other military installations,” Tom McCollum, a Fort Bragg spokesman, said in a news release.

Visitors from the five states can use U.S. passports, military IDs and other federal ID cards to enter Fort Bragg.

The REAL ID Act includes strict requirements for proof of identity, home address and U.S. citizenship, along with measures to make it difficult for anyone to alter a driver’s license or make a counterfeit license.

The Department of Homeland Security said last week that air travelers will still be able to use IDs from non-compliant states at airport security checkpoints until Jan. 22, 2018.

DHS said 23 states now meet Real ID standards, and 27 states and territories have been given more time to comply. North Carolina’s extension for compliance expires in October. State officials say they expect to request further extensions and to bring North Carolina into compliance by December 2017.

This story was originally published January 13, 2016 at 5:16 PM with the headline "ID cards from 5 states no longer valid at Fort Bragg gates."