Veterans can order replacement dog tags, but not from the federal government. The Department of Defense does not mail out new tags to former service members. What you can get, at no cost in most cases, are the official service records that let a commercial engraver stamp an accurate set. The path to replacement dog tags for veterans runs through the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis: request your file, confirm the format your branch used during your era of service, then order the tags from an online vendor or a military exchange.
Requesting Your Service Records
You have two ways to ask NPRC for your file. The faster option is eVetRecs, the National Archives’ online portal, which handles identity verification and submits the request electronically.1National Archives. Request Military Service Records The paper option is Standard Form 180, “Request Pertaining to Military Records,” mailed or faxed to the National Personnel Records Center at 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138, or faxed to 314-801-9195.2National Archives. Request Military Personnel Records Using Standard Form 180 Either way, the request has to be signed and dated.
Have this ready before you start:
- Full name used in service
- Service number or Social Security number
- Branch of service
- Dates of service
- Date and place of birth
What comes back is usually a DD Form 214, the Report of Separation, which lists your dates of service, rank, branch, duty assignments, and discharge type.3National Archives. DD Form 214 Discharge Papers and Separation Documents The DD-214 alone won’t show every field that appeared on your tags. Blood type and religious preference sit in the fuller personnel file, so ask for the complete Official Military Personnel File if you want an exact match.
Who Can Request Records and What It Costs
Any veteran with any character of discharge can request their own records. For a deceased veteran, next-of-kin can request on their behalf. The National Archives defines next-of-kin as a surviving spouse who has not remarried, or a parent, child, or sibling of the veteran.1National Archives. Request Military Service Records Next-of-kin requests require proof of death: a death certificate, obituary, coroner’s report, or a signed statement from a funeral director.4National Archives. NPRC Funeral Home Director Information Page
Requests from veterans and eligible next-of-kin are generally free while the record is still restricted, which is the first 62 years after separation. Once a record becomes archival, meaning the veteran left service more than 62 years ago, it opens to the general public and copying fees apply: $25 for files of five pages or fewer, and $70 for files of six pages or more, which is where most files land.1National Archives. Request Military Service Records In 2026 that threshold covers anyone who separated before 1964.
What Your Tags Should Say
Getting an accurate replacement means matching the format your branch used when you served. The single biggest change in the modern era is the removal of the Social Security number. The Army swapped SSNs for the 10-digit DOD ID (also called the EDIPI) starting in 2015,5U.S. Army. Dog Tags Get First Update in 40 Years the Marine Corps in 2016,6United States Marine Corps Flagship. Replacement of Social Security Number With Department of Defense ID on Identification Tags and the Air Force by 2019. Tags issued before those dates carried the SSN.
The layouts differ by branch. Marine Corps tags run five lines: last name; first and middle initials with blood type; DOD ID or SSN; USMC with gas mask size; religious preference.7Marine Corps University. Marine Corps Identification Tags Army tags also run five lines: last name; first name and middle initial; DOD ID or SSN; blood type; religious preference. Navy and Air Force tags use two lines, packing the name on top and the ID number, branch abbreviation, blood type, and religious preference onto the second line. Religious preference follows a DOD code list that includes specific denominations along with entries like “NO PREFERENCE” and “ATHEIST.” Your personnel file will show which code appeared on your original set.
If Your Records Were Lost in the 1973 Fire
One boundary trips up a lot of families. A 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center destroyed an estimated 16 to 18 million Official Military Personnel Files, with no duplicates. The damage concentrated in two windows:
- Army: roughly 80% of records for personnel discharged between November 1, 1912 and January 1, 1960
- Air Force: roughly 75% of records for personnel discharged between September 25, 1947 and January 1, 1964, with last names alphabetically after “Hubbard, James E.”
If your service falls in one of those windows, NPRC has spent decades rebuilding partial files from VA claims, state records, pay vouchers, and other auxiliary sources.8National Archives. The 1973 Fire, National Personnel Records Center A reconstructed file may confirm basic service information but skip the finer details a dog tag replica needs. In that case, old photographs of the original tags, enlistment papers, or VA correspondence at home may be your best source.
How Long It Takes and How to Check Status
Processing times vary with request complexity and the current backlog. NPRC asks that you wait at least 90 days before following up, because duplicate requests slow the queue down further.1National Archives. Request Military Service Records To check status without creating a duplicate, use the Online Status Update Request form on the National Archives website. You’ll need your request number or enough identifying information for staff to find the case. If NPRC needs more information or denies a request, they will write back with an explanation.
Rush Requests for Funeral Honors
When a veteran has died and the family needs records fast for funeral planning, standard processing is too slow. NPRC runs an emergency track for this. A funeral director or family member fills out SF-180, notes the urgent purpose, and faxes it to the Customer Service Team at 314-801-0764. The emergency phone line is 314-801-0800.4National Archives. NPRC Funeral Home Director Information Page Proof of death has to go with the request.
Ordering the Physical Tags
Once your records confirm the details, the tags themselves are easy. Because the government doesn’t produce replacements for veterans, you’ll use a commercial vendor. Online retailers stamp mil-spec tags on 304-grade stainless steel with the correct branch formatting, and some will recreate a set from a photograph of your originals. Military exchange stores at on-base PX and BX locations also offer embossing, though availability varies by installation. A standard two-tag set with chains typically runs $5 to $20 online.
When you place the order, decide which era you want the tags to reflect. If your service predates the mid-2010s transition and you want an accurate replica of what you wore, use the SSN format. If you’d rather not put your Social Security number on metal you plan to carry or display, the DOD ID format is a reasonable substitute. There is no requirement to update older tags to the new standard; the Marine Corps stated explicitly that existing tags do not need to be reissued.6United States Marine Corps Flagship. Replacement of Social Security Number With Department of Defense ID on Identification Tags