The day has finally come- you are married to your service member! Usually, this moment comes after some long distance, lots of unpredictability, and logistics! But now that you are officially a military spouse, what comes next?
Settling into your new role can be intimidating and confusing, so we are here to break it down for you! We will review everything you need to know as a new military spouse, from enrolling into DEERS (Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System) to what you need to know about Tricare.
So, let’s get official.
Getting everything official as a military spouse may be overwhelming, but we are here to tell you not to fear! We will break down the steps you need to take, and on your way in no time!
Step #1: Obtain your marriage certificate
Once you are married, you will submit your marriage license (signed by the officiant and witnesses) to the county where you got your license. Once they process it, you should receive it in the mail a few weeks later.
Step # 2: Enroll in DEERS
Once you have your marriage certificate, you can enroll in DEERS. You should attend the appointment to get your Military ID that day. You will need:
- Your marriage certificate
- Birth certificate
- Social Security Card
- Two forms of ID (driver’s license, passport, etc) Note: one form of ID must contain a photo
Step #3: Obtain your Military Spouse ID
After you are enrolled, you can get your military spouse ID. You will need this to get on and off the installation, purchase goods from The Commissary, Exchange, or Class Six, etc.
To obtain a military spouse ID, you will need:
- form DD1172-2
- Your marriage certificate
- Birth certificate
- Social Security Card
- Two forms of ID (driver’s license, passport, etc) * Note: one form of ID must contain a photo
As mentioned above, enrolling in DEERS and getting your Military ID in one appointment is easier, if possible!
Step #4: Establish a Power of Attorney
This step may not need to happen right away, but it can be beneficial for many reasons. If your spouse is away for training or deployment, but you need to take care of official business, it is beneficial to have. Some examples of circumstances you may face where you would need a power of attorney (POA) are:
- Scheduling a move
- Signing for a house
- Updating services under your spouse’s name (phone, tv, internet, utilities)
A power of attorney allows you to conduct business on your spouse’s behalf when they are not around. To better understand the power of attorney paperwork, you can check out this form here.
Step #5: Enroll in Tricare
Once established in the DEERS System, you can enroll in a TRICARE program. The most popular options are TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Select. We know how complicated it can be to make the right choice, so we broke it all down for you in a blog post. Once you determine which plan you will be enrolled in, take some time to familiarize yourself with your regional contractors. These assigned agencies will support you and are divided into the region you are located in: East, West, or Overseas.
Step #6: Update Life Insurance
If your spouse wants to add you to their life insurance policy known as SGLI (Service Members Group Life Insurance), they will need to add you as a beneficiary through the military unit’s personal office or the milConnect website. They will need your full legal name and social security number to register.
If you want life insurance, you may qualify for FSGLI (Family Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance). Your spouse would have to register you through the milConnect system as well.
We hope that this checklist makes you feel informed about what you need to do to set yourself up as a new military spouse. If you are looking for more information about life as a new military spouse, check back as we are building our, “New Military Spouse Series”!
Meet Madison
Madison is an Army WAF of 8 years (and a GAF of 6 years prior). She has used her experience as both a girlfriend and wife to foster connections wherever she moves. She has lived overseas, faced deployment, and experienced the continuous PCS cycle with her 6th move this year. She loves traveling, exploring all that her community has to offer, trying new restaurants and breweries with her husband, and attending fitness classes (currently loving barre, pilates, + F45). She spends her days going on adventures with her two kiddos and fur pup (a rescue from her time living in South Korea). Madison is thankful for the opportunity to connect and serve military spouses while working with WAF!
