Military service records are not public in the way court filings or property deeds are. Federal law keeps most of a service member’s file private during their lifetime, and the National Personnel Records Center will release only a short list of basic service facts about a living veteran without that person’s written consent. Files open fully to anyone 62 years after the veteran separates, when they become archival and transfer to the National Archives.
What Anyone Can Get About a Living Veteran
Even without the veteran’s permission, the National Personnel Records Center will release a narrow set of information from a non-archival Official Military Personnel File under the Freedom of Information Act. That releasable list covers:
- Name
- Rank
- Branch of service
- Dates of service
- Awards and decorations
- Duty assignments
- Duty status at separation
That is the whole of it.1National Archives. Access to Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF) for the General Public Anything else in the file requires the veteran’s signed authorization, or next-of-kin consent if the veteran has died.
What Stays Private, and Why
Two federal statutes do the locking. The Privacy Act of 1974 bars federal agencies from disclosing records about an individual without that person’s written consent, with narrow exceptions for law enforcement, congressional oversight, and court orders.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 552a – Records Maintained on Individuals The Freedom of Information Act, under Exemption 6, protects personnel and medical files when disclosure would be a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 552 – Public Information; Agency Rules, Opinions, Orders, Records, and Proceedings
Together they keep the substantive contents of a file out of public reach. Medical records, performance evaluations, disciplinary actions, Social Security numbers, home addresses, and other personal identifying details are not releasable to the public.
The 62-Year Rule
The privacy shield does not last forever. Sixty-two years after a service member separates, the file becomes archival. It transfers into the National Archives and opens to anyone willing to pay a copying fee.4National Archives. Request Military Service Records In 2026, that covers veterans who separated in 1964 or earlier.
Fees for archival files depend on size. A file of five pages or fewer costs a flat $25. A file of six or more pages costs $70. Files for persons of exceptional prominence are charged at $0.80 per page with a $20 minimum.4National Archives. Request Military Service Records Anyone can request an archival file: genealogists, journalists, researchers, distant relatives. No consent from the veteran or the veteran’s family is required once the 62-year threshold passes.
If You Are the Veteran
Veterans and current service members have the right to their complete Official Military Personnel File, including medical records. Non-archival records requested by the veteran are generally provided at no charge.
There are three ways to ask.
Standard Form 180
The traditional route is submitting a Standard Form 180 to the National Personnel Records Center. You provide your full name as used during service, Social Security number or service number, branch, and dates of active duty.5National Archives. Request Military Personnel Records Using Standard Form 180 Mail the form to the National Personnel Records Center, 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138, or fax it to 314-801-9195.6National Archives. Military Personnel Records Allow about 10 days for the request to be received and begin processing; after that you can check status by calling 314-801-0800.7National Archives. Check the Status of a Request for Military Service Records
eVetRecs
The eVetRecs system at vetrecs.archives.gov lets you file the same request electronically after verifying your identity through ID.me.8National Archives. eVetRecs – Request Veteran Records It is open to veterans and to next-of-kin of deceased veterans.
milConnect and DPRIS
Veterans who separated after their branch’s cutoff can pull scanned documents from milConnect’s Defense Personnel Records Information Retrieval System, often within a couple of hours.9milConnect. FAQ Documentation DPRIS The cutoff dates are:
- Navy: January 1, 1995
- Marine Corps: January 1, 1999
- Army: October 1, 2002
- Air Force: October 1, 2004
- Coast Guard: October 1, 2006
Separated before your branch’s cutoff and DPRIS will not have your file. Use SF-180 or eVetRecs instead.
The DD Form 214, the Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, is the document most veterans actually need. It carries the service facts required for benefits, employment, and veterans’ organization membership, and can be replaced through the same channels.10National Archives. DD Form 214 / Discharge Papers and Separation Documents
If You Are Next-of-Kin
When the veteran has died, next-of-kin step into the same access rights the veteran had. Next-of-kin here means the unremarried surviving spouse, son, daughter, father, mother, brother, or sister.11National Archives. Access to Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF) – Veterans and Next-of-Kin Submit an SF-180 or an eVetRecs request, sign and date it, and include proof of death: a death certificate, a letter from a funeral home, or a published obituary all work.12National Archives. Military Service Records
For time-sensitive needs like a funeral, fax the signed SF-180 and proof of death to the Customer Service Team at 314-801-0764, or call 314-801-0800 to flag the urgency.11National Archives. Access to Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF) – Veterans and Next-of-Kin
If You Are Someone Else
An employer, a reporter, a friend, a private investigator, a distant relative: without the veteran’s written consent, you get only the publicly releasable basics listed above. Name, rank, branch, dates of service, awards, and duty status. Nothing further.1National Archives. Access to Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF) for the General Public
The veteran can widen that access by signing Section III of the SF-180 authorizing release to a named third party. The third party then submits the form with the signed authorization to NPRC by mail or fax.5National Archives. Request Military Personnel Records Using Standard Form 180 Requests for private information without that authorization are denied.
The 1973 Fire
Anyone researching older service records runs into this eventually. On July 12, 1973, a fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis destroyed an estimated 16 to 18 million Official Military Personnel Files. No duplicates, microfilm, or indexes existed. Around 6.5 million burned or water-damaged records were salvaged, many of them incomplete.13National Archives. The 1973 Fire, National Personnel Records Center
Two groups took the worst of it:
- Army personnel discharged between November 1, 1912 and January 1, 1960: roughly 80% of records destroyed.
- Air Force personnel discharged between September 25, 1947 and January 1, 1964, with surnames alphabetically after Hubbard, James E.: roughly 75% destroyed.
If a request falls in one of those windows, NPRC searches auxiliary sources to reconstruct basic service information: VA claims files, state records, Adjutant General’s Office pay vouchers, Selective Service registration, Government Accounting Office pay records, military hospital records, and unit records.13National Archives. The 1973 Fire, National Personnel Records Center The reconstructed file will not match the original, but it can often confirm service dates and basic eligibility. Submit through the normal SF-180 process and NPRC searches the auxiliary sources automatically.