Military Base Wedding Access for Non US citizens

No, I would not expect to need proper identification to go to a WEDDING

Did your invitations make clear that the event is taking place on a military base?

I totally get why ID/documentation is needed. I guess the lesson for lurkers is that if you have family from out of the country you shouldn't have a reception on a military base. I hope things go OK with you OP, I agree that this has the ability to turn into a really sensitive issue.

I personally never travel anywhere without an ID of some sort, but if i didn't have military experience, I probably wouldn't realize what I needed to get on base.

I think the polite thing to do is let your guests know in advance, because its better coming from you than being turned away because they don't have proper documentation.

@Shauna is absolutely right. It is a military base for crying out loud. You cannot just walk onto a military installation anymore. That all changed after 9/11. This is common sense 101.

Many people don't have government IDs at all, or have expired ones. This is a great reason not to get married on a military base, I guess.

An on base venue was on our potential venue list. I was given the same information as the OP, that they only needed a list of first and last names. I even specifically asked about non-citizens as FH's parents don't live in the US and was given the same information, that they would be allowed in. So I can definitely understand why she did not anticipate this.

For those who say it's "common sense," it's possible that guests might not even be aware that it's on a military base ahead of time. Most onsite venues have names and addresses and the base is not listed on that address. And, sure, if you grew up around the military, it might be "common sense" to you, but if you weren't exposed to that, you might have no idea.

This is not common sense. It may be common if you have loved ones in the military but it is certainly not common knowledge to those of us with no military connections.

The political climate of this country, quite frankly has nothing to do with this.

Military bases have security requirements and they always have. Maybe OP and FH should have considered this prior to booking the venue, but that's not really our call either. She asked for advice on how to approach this going forward. That makes it pretty clear to me that she understands the sensitivity of the subject.

@OP, the first thing you need to do, is contact your chapel coordinator, chaplain, and/or the base security office. Find out exactly what info you need and when you need it by. Then you or FH call your family to apologize for the lack of clarity, explain the situation and ask for info.

@K.M., if you have no military connections, it really doesn't apply to you then....

Why would anybody think military installations are open to the public?

@MrsWrs why would she have to consider family ability to attend or not? What If she assumed his family is here legally and they have proper Identification, green card, etc, because DH's family would never break the law! I would be more insulted if people automatically assumed I was a illegal and in the country illegally and cater their wedding around my criminal activity.

Criminal activity FFS

Being here illegally does not make them "criminals".

By definition anyone doing anything illegally makes them a criminal.

Il·le·gal

i(l)?l???l/Submit

adjective

1.

contrary to or forbidden by law, especially criminal law.

"illegal drugs"

synonyms: unlawful, illicit, illegitimate, criminal, felonious;

I'm in total agreement with BecomingMrsOz. I sometimes grow weary of the "etiquette this, etiquette that"...this is the real world, sometimes shit happens.

OP, be up front and honest with your guests, but better maybe to have your FH talk to his family and get the info. It would probably be better coming from him than from you.

I would personally call, or have him call, each affected family member and say the following: "Hi Jane, we got your RSVP and are very excited to see you in a couple weeks. The reason I'm calling is because in order for our guests to gain access to the military base where the wedding is being hosted, there is some information they require for security clearance. We apologize for not informing you soon, we didn't even know ourselves! That said, would you feel comfortable answering a few questions for me?"

Order is important here: express your joy in getting to see them, explain why you will be asking for what you're asking for, and then ask if it's alright with them. You will always have a couple standoffish folks, but I'd venture the majority would be willing to give you what you need. It's not your fault, you thought you did your due diligence. Just be honest with folks and I'd imagine everything will work out.

ETA: if this is, in fact, a case where some members may not be able to attend because they are not in the United States lawfully, as it seems to be possibly implied, than I'm afraid you might have screwed the pooch, OP, by not considering this sooner. In that case, there likely will be some family members who will not be comfortable answering your questions, and may not attend, and things may get not-so-nice. I hope for both your sake's that this isn't the case...

@MrsWrs I didn't say anything to you about immigration. I was stating that OP had no reason to question her venue because she probably thought highly about FH's family and it maybe never crossed her mind that they were illegal. Why would FH's family be mad at them? Because they are breaking the law and the couple is supposed to take into consideration people breaking the law?

Wow - let's drop the immigration argument!

This is really standard security protocol. DH just did this the other day for his tee time at a golf course on an air force base. No big deal!

It doesn't really matter with OP's wedding planning right now whether or not this is common knowledge. Jena - just inform all of your guest what the identification requirements are, and then everyone will know!

OP, I would make sure to run the requirements by everyone. You can handle your family and let FH handle his, but even a US citizen could mistakenly forget their ID and not be allowed to enter. Just make sure all of your guests know the requirements, but you don't have to ask about anyone's status.

ID is required for all military bases. I know not everyone knows that, but it is standard protocol.

@AL Many people might not have state based drivers licenses, but they should carry state based non-driver IDs if they don't. They should also not be expired. Expired non-driver ID's are not accepted pretty much anywhere. I can't drive with an expired driver's license, either.

Regardless of that .. @OP if you are stating that you are both from military families than they should already know that ID is required. However, it is unfortunate that they did not tell you of any extra requirements to prove immigration status. I can see how it would offend some people. At this point there is really nothing you can do. I think Dedodara has some pretty solid advice. I would go with that. I am sure people will not think there is ill-intent behind the questioning.