To prepare the Commonwealth for the REAL ID Act, a federal act that was passed in 2005, federal facilities including the National Fire Academy will be enforcing this act effective June 7, 2017. Any students taking courses at the National Fire Academy including our Tennessee/Virginia State Weekend will be required to furnish the required identification before being allowed to enter the facility. This enforcement tells us that students from Virginia will need to furnish another form of ID other than a state issued drivers license/ID Card for access to the facility. Other forms of identification include a valid federal PIV (Personal Identity Verification) card, military ID (active, retired, reserve, dependent, civilian employee), U.S. passport, U.S. passport card, or Transportation Worker’s Identification Card (TWIC). Individual criminal background (NCIC) checks can be performed, but will require submission of personally identifiable information from the state that would be responsible for collecting and transmitting that information. Possessing a U.S. passport would eliminate the need for repeat NCIC checks upon each visit to campus. State Enhanced Driver’s Licenses (EDLs) designated as acceptable border-crossing documents by DHS under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative are acceptable for official federal purposes such as accessing a Federal facility or boarding a commercial aircraft. Individual agency policies may still apply.
Here is a link for more information on the REAL ID Act: