After rereading some of the background I have for this nation I'm not sure the total lockdown idea is the way to go. During peacetime they have a standing army of around 20% but when war comes it raises to around 60%. Almost every able bodied man and woman is included in the war effort somehow and as such are technically part of the army/navy. They wouldn't need papers to move through the barracks. It's just not ideal on a practical front to have people moving back and forth through what is the capitals garrisons living and training space.

The market/crafting section will still be closed off though to prevent foreigners getting through uninvited.

The wooden palisades around the outer sections are multipurpose in that they divide the city up into sections but they are also defensible during a siege rather than for use to control the populous.