WASHINGTON (WHNT) – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced U.S. military veterans and Gold Star families will be granted a lifetime of free access to national parks, wildlife refuges, and other federal lands managed by the Department of the Interior.

The department made the announcement Tuesday. They say those who qualify can get these passes starting on Veterans Day, November 11, 2020, and every day following.

“With the utmost respect and gratitude, we are granting Veterans and Gold Star Families free access to the iconic and treasured lands they fought to protect starting this Veterans Day and every single day thereafter,” said Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt.

According to the release, Veterans and Gold Star families will have free access to approximately 2,000 public locations spread out across more than 400 million acres of public lands.

To get the free pass, veterans must provide some form of identification showing they were enlisted in the armed forces or the U.S. National Guard and Reserves.

Veterans must be able to present one of the following forms of identification:

• Department of Defense Identification Card
• Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
• Veteran ID Card
• Veterans designation on a state-issued U.S. driver’s license or identification card 

Gold Star families are those who have lost an enlisted family member while serving in a war, a military operation outside of the U.S. or in an international terrorist attack.

For more information about the passes, click here.