Swore in yesterday to the CEC collegiate program and I know I need a CAC. My recruiter simply told me to make an appointment with an ID and pass office on a nearby naval support activity base. I was reading on the CAC.mil that you need sponsorship and enrollment in the DEERS system. Is this done automatically? If so should I wait to make the appointment so that the paperwork goes through, and once I do make the appointment do I need to bring paperwork other than two forms of ID?
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Collegiate in need of a CAC...
- Thread starter JimIII
- Start date
Call your nearby base and ask. Probably no one answer will work everywhere.
Yeah I'll reach out on Monday, just curious how everything would work out. Thank you!
It takes a while for DEERS to update. Call or visit the nearest RAPIDS facility. If they give you a laminated red ID instead of a CAC, just say thank you and visit again next month.
Congratulations on your selection. That’s the important part. By the way, this begins a career-long evolution to politely be patient on Big Navy to do certain things for you, balanced alongside you politely being proactive and inquisitive to drive your own needs and career when things seem stalled or questions go unanswered. I’m still terrible at this and still learning.
Congratulations on your selection. That’s the important part. By the way, this begins a career-long evolution to politely be patient on Big Navy to do certain things for you, balanced alongside you politely being proactive and inquisitive to drive your own needs and career when things seem stalled or questions go unanswered. I’m still terrible at this and still learning.
Yep, what you're looking for to get started is a website called RAPIDS Appointment Scheduler. You search by zip code, make an appointment (it's in something like 15 or 30 minute slots but it doesn't actually take up the whole time), and IIRC the website either tells you exactly which documents and forms of identification to bring with you- or there's a phone number to call.
I know it sounds like a strange paperwork drill, but the personnel who are qualified to run the ID card machine are knowledgable on the paperwork side of it. Running the actual machine is easy (you press a couple of buttons and click on menus on a screen) but the important part of being qualified is the part about what is or is not proper supporting documentation... sorta the same idea if you weren't sure what you need to renew your driver's license and the self-help FAQ didn't answer your question, then the best person to ask is the actual person at the DMV who is authorized to issue you the new license.
exNavyOffRec
Well-Known Member
every OR I worked with when they had a new collegiate swear in walked them through the process to get an ID card, many times they went with them to explain where things were on the base, where you can and can't go, etc.....
Just a question that might be pertinent, though not asked. How does OP get on base to visit DEERS office without valid ID, unescorted? Are there such offices that aren't within the confines of a base that one would need to enter first? All of the exterior "pass/ID" offices outside the gate I am familiar with don't conduct the actual issuance of DoD IDs. I guess maybe they can give a gate pass to get in with the appropriate paperwork and acceptable I-9 ID stuff? Question for the crowd.
If memory serves correctly, I got a contractor CAC from a pass/id office when I started my civilian job. Maybe it depends on the facility. If that's not available, getting your first CAC seems like a legitimate reason for a visitor pass. I think a recruiter should be able to provide guidance.
Good point.....now that you mention it, I remember getting mine updated as a kid with my dad at the local reserve center. That was before the age of CAC cards though.....do they have the ability to issue one of those?
Yes.