CTUIR to reimburse members for passport or REAL ID fees
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, February 4th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories
MISSION – (News release from CTUIR) At its Jan. 26 meeting, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) Board of Trustees (BOT) passed a resolution allowing the CTUIR Enrollment Office to reimburse tribal members who pay for U.S. passport books and cards as well as REAL ID identification cards and driver’s licenses.
In June 2025, the BOT terminated an initiative to provide enhanced tribal identification cards for CTUIR members due to increasing and long-term costs. It also directed staff to develop a process to reimburse tribal members for the cost of obtaining U.S. passport books or cards and REAL ID identification cards or driver’s licenses. Also, the BOT made the resolution retroactive to Jan. 1 so that tribal members who obtained one of the documents between Jan. 1 and Jan. 26 will be eligible for reimbursement.
A REAL ID is a state-issued driver’s license or identification card that complies with federal standards established by the 2005 REAL ID Act. Such IDs are necessary for activities such as boarding commercial flights and entering federal facilities.
The resolution allows any enrolled CTUIR member, regardless of age or location, to be eligible for the reimbursement of fees paid for obtaining passport or REAL ID documents. This includes renewal fees if renewed before or upon expiration. The CTUIR will not reimburse fees paid to replace lost or stolen documents or for expedited processing.
Tribal members will be reimbursed for only one document and are responsible for choosing which document fees they want reimbursed.
Enrollment employees will not help people apply for the documents or decide the document for which they should seek reimbursement. Tribal members will need to pay all required fees first and obtain the document before requesting reimbursement through the Enrollment Office.
To apply for a reimbursement, tribal members must complete a Request for Reimbursement Form, which is available at the Enrollment Office and online at https://ctuir.org/departments/enrollment/state-idpassport-request-for-reimbursement-form/
Along with the completed request form, tribal members must provide:
- An original receipt of the fees paid. If purchased online, a printout of the electronic receipt is acceptable.
- A photocopy of the passport book, passport card, REAL ID identification card or driver’s license.
The Enrollment Office will issue the reimbursement to the person listed on the receipt, who must be a tribal member. Once the CTUIR has reimbursed a tribal member for fees paid for one of the eligible documents, the tribal member is ineligible for another reimbursement until the original document expires. Also, there is no timeline for when reimbursement materials must be turned in after a tribal member receives one of the eligible documents, Enrollment officials said.
For more information, call the CTUIR Enrollment Office at 541-429-7035 or email enrollment@ctuir.org.
Visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel.html for information on how to obtain a passport and related fees. Required passport documents include:
- A birth certificate with an official seal or stamp of the government that issued it,
- A photo identification such as a valid driver’s license, and
- A color photo with a white or off-white background taken in the past six months without glasses that clearly shows the applicant’s face.
For information on how to obtain a REAL ID identification card or driver’s license, tribal members will need to visit their respective state’s department of licensing.
