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Request your military service records (including DD214)

You can request a copy of your DD214 and other military service records from the National Archives. Learn more about how to make a request.

Types of information you can get

You can request your military service records to get information like this:

  • Your character of discharge (from your DD214 or other separation documents)
  • Your duty stations and assignments
  • Your medals and decorations (awards)
  • Your qualifications, licenses, and certificates

How to request your records from the National Archives

You can request records from the National Archives online, by mail, or by fax.

Note: If you’re submitting an application for VA benefits, we’ll request your DD214 for you when we receive your application. You don’t need to do this yourself through the National Archives.

Option 1: Request your records online 

You can request your military service records online using the National Archives’ eVetRecs tool. When you get to eVetRecs, select Make a new request.

Request your records using eVetRecs on the National Archives website

Note: You’ll receive an email letting you know that we’ve received your request.

Option 2: Fill out the National Archive’s request form (to mail or fax)

Fill out a Request Pertaining to Military Records (Standard Form 180).

Get Standard Form 180 to download

Mail or fax your completed form to the appropriate address or fax number listed on the last page of the form. To find the right address or fax number for you, you’ll need to use the first chart on that page to find your branch of service, separation date, and type of record.

Other questions you may have about requesting records

Can I get my records from the Defense Department (DOD)?

If you were discharged after any of these dates, you can request your records from the DOD through the milConnect website:

  • If you were in the Air Force and discharged after October 1, 2004, or
  • If you were in the Army and discharged after October 1, 2002, or
  • If you were in the Marines and discharged after January 1, 1999, or
  • If you were in the Navy and discharged after January 1, 1995

Sign in to milConnect now

Note: You’ll need a Premium DS Logon account to request your records through milConnect. If you don’t have a Premium DS Logon account, you can learn more about creating DS Logon accounts on the DS Logon website. 

Learn more on the DS Logon website

How do I request my records if I served in the Marines from 1998 to the present or the Coast Guard from 2008 to the present?

Contact your personnel command for your records.

You can also request your records from the National Archives and they’ll send your request to your personnel command.

How do I request someone else’s records?

If you’re a family member planning a burial for a Veteran in a VA national cemetery

If you don’t have the Veteran’s records to provide to the National Cemetery Scheduling Office, they will try to locate the records they need to determine eligibility for burial benefits. You don’t need to request the Veteran’s military service records yourself.

Call our National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117 (TTY: 711). We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET, and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET. 

Get more information about planning a burial

If you’re the next of kin of a Veteran who has died

You may be considered the next of kin if you’re related to the Veteran in any of these ways:

  • You’re the Veteran’s surviving spouse and you haven’t remarried, or
  • You’re the Veteran’s parent, or
  • You’re the Veteran’s child, or
  • You’re the Veteran’s sibling

You can request a copy of the Veteran’s military records from the National Archives online, by mail, or fax.

Learn more about how to request military service records from the National Archives

You can also request their military records in any of these ways:

  • Visit the NPRC in person
  • Contact your state or county Veterans agency
  • Hire an independent researcher

When you request the Veteran’s records, you’ll need to provide a copy of one of these documents:

  • Death certificate or other public record of the Veteran’s death, or
  • A letter from a funeral home

If you’re not the Veteran’s next of kin

If the Veteran was discharged more than 62 years ago, you can order a copy of their military records. The National Archives opens all records to the public 62 years after discharge.

Learn how to access archived records

If the Veteran was discharged less than 62 years ago, you may be able to request limited information from their Military Personnel File. You’ll need authorization from the Veteran’s next of kin to request their full military service record.

Find out about general public access to military records