Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, along with Navy bases across the country, no longer requires vehicles to have permanent installation-access decals as of July 1.

Instead, gate security will rely on electronic credentialing and increased scrutiny in verifying identification cards manually, according to a Navy news release.

Officials suggest personnel with current decals maintain them on their vehicles through the expiration dates so they have more time to register vehicles in the Consolidated Law Enforcement Operations Center system at the pass and identification office, which is a continued requirement.

Originally, the decal program was created to ensure that vehicle owners traveling on base were complying with state regulations for registration and insurance.

As state programs have become more uniform and efficient, it has eliminated the need for a base decal program.

In addition, elimination of the decal program should result in costs saving and a reduction of administrative tasks, according to the news release.

Those using privately owned vehicles on NAS Whidbey will still be required to meet state and local requirements including valid insurance, vehicle safety inspections, registration, proof of motorcycle safety training and vehicle emissions compliance where applicable.

Rental vehicles are considered privately owned vehicles for purposes of base entry and access control. The vehicle rental contract will suffice as proper licensing, registration, and proof of insurance for base access.

Parking enforcement will be maintained according to existing NAS Whidbey parking plans.

In efforts to ensure that vehicles meet state regulations, base security will conduct random administrative checks, and will also continue to rely on the assistance of the military community to report suspicious or abandoned cars.