Person(s) not in possession of military IDs, Department of Defense civilian or contractor IDs, or previously issued and active base access passes must enter JBSA-Fort Sam Houston through the following visitor control centers:
Walters Street Visitor Center: 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, closed holidays
BAMC/I-35: 24/7
Updated May 22, 2023
Media and official tours must contact the 502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs office for access coordination. Entry will not be authorized without prior notification and escort assignment.
502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
2080 Wilson Way
JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, Texas 78234-5004
502ABW.PA.official@us.af.mil
Unescorted Installation Access Procedures
Visitors (family, friends, etc.)
Active duty service members, retirees and their dependents (18 years or older), and civil service employees can sponsor up to five visitors for up to 180 days by completing three steps:
1. Contact the Visitor Center (VC) via government email, or in person to validate sponsorship.
2. Provide the visitor's full name, date of birth and driver's license number to the VC via government email in advance. Please send the Unescorted Access Request form to the VC at 502SFS.VCC@us.af.mil via a government email account.
3. Once approved, the visitor(s) must report to the VC to receive base access passes.
Note: Single sponsor requests for more than 5 people will require prior approval. The request must be submitted to the VC 10 days prior to the arrival of the guests.
Service Delivery (Tow Trucks, Taxi Cabs, Fast Food, Furniture Delivery, Maintenance, etc.)
Active duty service members, retirees and their dependents (18 years or older), and civil service employees can sponsor service delivery by completing three steps:
1. Notify VC of the pending service delivery via government email, or in person.
2. Provide the sponsor's name, contact information, service delivery destination and name of the company providing the service. send the Unescorted Access Request form to the VC at 502SFS.VCC@us.af.mil via a government email account.
3. The service provider must stop at the VC to be vetted and issued an access pass.
Note: Service delivery drivers must return access credentials to the VC upon completion of service.
Events (Receptions, Parties, Meetings, etc.)
Active duty service members, retirees and their dependents (18 years or older), and civil service employees can sponsor (one day) large events, parties, and/or meetings with an Entry Authorization List, or EAL, by completing three steps:
1. Contact the VC via government email, or in person to validate sponsorship.
2. Provide a completed Entry Authorization List (EAL) request to the VC via government email or in person at least 10 days prior to the event or at or at 502SFS.VCC@us.af.mil via a government email account.
3. The requestor will receive confirmation of the EAL with instructions for which Entry Control Point (ECP) their guests will use; the EAL will be posted by Police Operations at the ECP the morning of the event.
Note: Event attendees must bring a valid proofing document (see any attached trifold for a list of proofing documents) and enter only at the approved ECP the day of the event. The request must be submitted to the VC 10 days prior to the arrival of the guests.
Official Installation Access Procedures
Visitors (Community Partners, Sales Reps, etc.)
Active duty service members and civil service employees can sponsor up to 5 visitors for up to 30 days by completing the three steps:
1. Contact the Visitor Center (VC) via government email, or in person to validate sponsorship.
2. Provide a completed Unescorted Access Request Form to the VC prior to their visit in person or at 502SFS.VCC@us.af.mil via a government email account.
3. Receive visitor access approval or disapproval from VC via government email or in person. For all approved access, visitors must report to the VC to receive access credentials.
Contractors and Vendors (Construction Crews, Custodial Services, Food Vendors, etc.)
Active duty service members and civil service employees can sponsor contractors and vendors for up to 12 months by completing three steps:
1. Contact their designated unit Requesting Authority (RA)/Authorizing Official (AO) to prepare the request for contractor/vendor access.
2. Provide a completed Unescorted Access Request Form to the VC prior to their visit in person or at 502SFS.VCC@us.af.mil via a government email account.
3. Receive approval and/or disapproval of listed contractors/vendors from VC and ensure all approved contractors/vendors report to VC to obtain access credentials within 30 days of list approval.
Note: RA/AO designation must be submitted to the VC and approved prior to requesting contractor/vendor access. The VC will maintain a record of this designation.
Military Training Graduations
Expired Identification Cards
Civilians, dependents, and active duty members need to be fully aware of their ID’s expiration date and schedule renewal appointments prior to its termination date.
Expired CAC and or dependent ID cards will be confiscated by Security Forces and issued a Confiscated Identification Card Memo.
Active Duty members, retirees and their dependents (16 years or older), Civil Service and Contract employees who have expired Common Access Cards (CAC) or Identification cards can obtain an access credential by completing the following steps:
1. Provide the VCC with the Confiscated Identification Card Memo along with a valid sponsor present.
2. Schedule an appointment with the ID card section through RAPIDS Appointment Scheduler at
https://rapids-appointments.dmdc.osd.mil/ .
3. Must have two forms of valid ID and one must have a photo not including the Confiscation Memo.
4. Dependents must have the Sponsor complete DD Form 1172 online and the electronic renewal application or attached copy; the sponsor must certify DD Form 1172 with an electronic signature. To fill out the DD Form 1172, access the DMDC website at https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/self_service/rapids/unauthenticated?execution=e2s1 or by clicking on the "Online Form 1172" on the JBSA Customer Support website.
5. For more information, contact the nearest DEERS office at any JBSA location.
For more information, call the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston DEERS Office at 210-221-0415.
JBSA Security Forces install base access kiosks to enhance social distancing efforts
The 502nd Security Forces Group has installed new kiosks that will further reduce the health risks during customer check-in when requesting base access. See the article titled JBSA Security Forces install base access kiosks to enhance social distancing efforts for detailed information.
The URLs for each kiosk at the VCC locations are:
JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Hospital BAMC - http://eipublisher2.evogence.com/short_url/?GVYCdr25
JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Walters Street - http://eipublisher2.evogence.com/short_url/?HqO17923
QR codes for each location are:
The JBSA-Fort Sam Houston I-35 VCC Kiosk QR Code
JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Walters VCC Kiosk QR Code
