Spouse’s Military ID – A Simple Guide Through Translation

Does your spouse need a military ID (also referred to as a dependent ID) to access military benefits like TRICARE? Spouses must register in DEERS (Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System) to receive their military ID and be eligible for benefits.

If your spouse is a foreign national, the identification documents required to receive a military ID must be translated to English with a notarized certificate to be accepted.

At Teneo Linguistics Company, we are very experienced in translating required documents for military spouses registering in DEERS.

With our vast experience, we decided to put together a simple guide to getting these documents translated.

WHICH DOCUMENTS DO I NEED TRANSLATED?

If your spouse is a foreign national, any official identification documents necessary to receive a military ID will require certified translation into English.

The official documents required for your spouse’s DEERS enrollment are:

• Marriage Certificate
• Primary ID – Valid Passport, US Driver’s License or State-Issued ID Card, with Photo
• Secondary ID – Birth Certificate
• Apostille for each public document issued by the country

A valid passport and original birth certificate are the most common documents used for primary and secondary identification for spouses of foreign nationality. Other acceptable primary and secondary ID documents are listed HERE.

Again, if any of the documents you plan to use as identification are not in English, they require a translation into English with a notarized certificate.

Here at Teneo Linguistics Company, once you submit your documents, our Project Managers quickly provide you a free quote and turnaround time, with the options of rush translation and notarized certificate of accurate translation.

Get a quote for certified translation HERE.

DO I NEED TO OBTAIN AN APOSTILLE?

The short answer is, Yes. Your spouse will need to obtain an apostille for each public document issued by their country of origin (like a birth certificate or marriage certificate). In our experience, couples coming in for translation did not know they needed an Apostille until sitting down at their RAPIDS appointment.

Apostilles authenticate the seals and signatures of officials on documents issued by a public authority. This allows the documents to be recognized in foreign countries who are members of the Hague Convention Treaty.

A list of countries that are members can be found HERE.

HOW DO I GET AN APOSTILLE?

The only way to get an apostille is to request one from a Competent Authority in the country of origin. Each country that is a member of the Hague Convention Treaty is required to have at least one authority. Some countries have several authorities.

Here are a couple of helpful links regarding apostilles:

• List of Competent Authorities for each country: This resource includes contact information for each country including mailing addresses, websites, emails, phone numbers, and more for each authority.
• Apostille Section of the Hague Conference Website.
• The ABCs of Apostilles: This simplified guide provides basic information about apostilles including what they are, what you need to know before requesting one, and more.

You can also contact the country’s embassy to get more information on how to get an apostille. You can easily find embassy locations and contact information HERE.

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO GET APOSTILLES FOR YOUR DOCUMENTS.

Depending on the country, it can take several weeks to get the apostilles you need sent to you. Be sure to get these documents before you schedule your RAPIDS appointment for DEERS registration.

HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT TRANSLATION FOR YOUR SPOUSE’S MILITARY ID?

CONTACT US

Teneo Linguistics Company

(817) 441-9974