Veterans and their next of kin can get a free replacement copy of the DD-214 from the National Archives, either online through eVetRecs or by mailing or faxing Standard Form 180 (SF-180) to the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis. If you're applying for VA benefits, VA will request your DD-214 for you, so you may not need to do anything at all.
The DD-214 is the Report of Separation. The Archives describes it as the document normally needed to verify military service for benefits, retirement, employment and veterans' organizations, and it is the most common record veterans need.
- $0for copies of the DD-214 and other service recordsfor most veterans and next of kin
- 3 waysto ask: online, by mail or by fax
- 62 yearsafter discharge, records open to the public
- ~10 daysbefore you can check your request's status
As of October 2026 · Sources: archives.gov (Request Military Service Records; SF-180); va.gov (Request your military service records).
What the DD-214 is
A Report of Separation is generally issued when a service member performs active duty or at least 90 consecutive days of active duty training. It lists dates and places of entry and release, last duty assignment and rank, military job specialty, decorations and awards, total creditable service and the character of service.
The form issued in most recent years is the DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. Before January 1, 1950, the services used several similar forms, among them WD AGO 53 and 55, NAVPERS 553, NAVMC 78PD and NAVCG 553. Those are the names you may see on older records.
Where your records are
- Check where your records areRecent separations from some branches come from the Defense Department's milConnect.
- Request online with eVetRecsSign in with an ID.me account; choose Make a new request.
- Or mail or fax Standard Form 180To the address in the chart on the form's last page.
- Sign and date a written requestFederal law requires a signature and a date within the last year.
- Urgent? Mark it as an emergencyFor surgery, a funeral and similar cases.
First check whether the National Archives is the right place. VA says that if you were discharged after certain dates, you can request your records from the Defense Department through milConnect instead: Air Force after October 1, 2004, Army after October 1, 2002, Marines after January 1, 1999, or Navy after January 1, 1995. For Marines from 1998 to the present and the Coast Guard from 2008 to the present, contact your personnel command; the National Archives will also forward a request.
For everything older, the NPRC is the repository. Records from veterans discharged more than 62 years ago are archival and open to the public. Newer ones are held as federal records with access limits: the full file is released to the veteran or next of kin, and others may get limited information.
How to request it
Source: National Archives, Standard Form 180 instructions. Send copies of supporting documents, never originals.
Online: use the National Archives' eVetRecs tool, choose Make a new request, and sign in with an identity-verified ID.me account. The Archives may ask for a live selfie as an added step. You'll get an email confirming receipt.
By mail or fax: fill out SF-180, sign it and mail it to the National Personnel Records Center, 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138, or fax it to 314-801-9195. The chart on the form's last page shows the right address for your branch, separation date and type of record. A plain letter works if you can't get the form, but it must be signed and dated within the last year. Send copies of supporting documents, not originals: they aren't returned.
The Archives says the response most commonly comes electronically if you gave an email address, or by mail.
What to include
To find a file among the NPRC's more than 70 million records, include as much as you know: the veteran's complete name as used in service, service number or Social Security number, branch, dates of service, and date and place of birth if you lack the service number. For records that may have been affected by the 1973 fire, add the place of discharge, last unit and place of entry into service. The fire damaged or destroyed 16 to 18 million Army and Air Force records for people discharged between 1912 and 1964, but the Archives can often reconstruct service from other records.
Next of kin and urgent requests
Next of kin means the unremarried widow or widower, son, daughter, father, mother, brother or sister of the deceased veteran. You must supply proof of death: a death certificate, a letter from the funeral home or a published obituary. If the veteran is going to be buried in a VA national cemetery, you don't need to request the records yourself: the National Cemetery Scheduling Office finds them.
For urgent needs such as upcoming surgery or a funeral, select Emergency Request in eVetRecs, or put the emergency in the Purpose section of an SF-180 and fax it to 314-801-0764. Hold times on the customer service line, 314-801-0800, are often long.
Allow about 10 days before you check the status of an ordinary request. Response times otherwise vary greatly.
Keep the replacement safe
Once it arrives, make a copy before you do anything else: it is what the Archives says is normally needed to verify service for benefits, retirement, employment and veterans' organizations. Keep the original somewhere fireproof, a PDF somewhere you can reach, and tell a family member where both are. The death in the family guide lists the documents families scramble for, and the seniors' documents guide shows what to keep together.
Paperlock keeps a scan of your DD-214 in a Face-ID-locked vault on your phone and reads the dates, so you can find it by asking instead of searching. It doesn't replace the official copy. For anything about your own record, the National Archives has the final word.