There is no public database you can search to find out if someone was dishonorably discharged from the military. Under federal privacy law, the character of a veteran’s discharge is protected information for 62 years after separation, and the National Personnel Records Center will not release it to a member of the public. If you want to know how to look up whether someone was dishonorably discharged, your realistic options are these: search court-martial records (a dishonorable discharge can only come from a general court-martial), wait out the 62-year archival window, or fit into one of the categories the law grants full access to, such as the veteran, the next of kin of a deceased veteran, or an authorized representative with written consent.
Why You Cannot Just Look It Up
Military personnel records for anyone who left service less than 62 years ago are governed by the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Freedom of Information Act. The Privacy Act blocks federal agencies from releasing personal records to third parties without written consent, and FOIA carves out an exemption for information whose release would be a “clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.”1eCFR. 32 CFR 1662.23 – The FOIA Exemption 6: Clearly Unwarranted Invasion of Personal Privacy The reason someone left the military and the character of their discharge fall inside that privacy zone.2National Archives. Request Military Service Records
Any request you file with the National Personnel Records Center as an unrelated member of the public will come back with basic service facts and nothing about how the person left.
What the Public Can Actually Get
Federal law lets the National Archives release a narrow set of facts from a veteran’s Official Military Personnel File without the veteran’s consent. Anyone can request:
- Full name used during service
- Service number
- Dates of service
- Branch of service
- Final rank
Duty assignments, geographic locations, and military education may also be released in some cases.3National Archives. Military Service Records – Section: Access to Military Records by the General Public None of it will tell you the character of the discharge. A final rank that looks low for the years served might raise a question, but it proves nothing on its own.
Court-Martial Records: The Real Workaround
This is the part most people miss. A dishonorable discharge can only be imposed as the sentence of a general court-martial. Court-martial proceedings are handled more like judicial records than personnel files, and they are searchable.
Under Article 140a of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the Secretary of Defense must maintain uniform standards for public access to court-martial docket information, filings, and records across the services.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 U.S. Code 940a – Art. 140a. Case Management; Data Collection Each branch runs a public portal. The Army’s Court-Martial Public Record System provides case summaries, docket information, and filings.5U.S. Army. US Army Court-Martial Public Record System The Navy and Marine Corps publish charge sheets, trial results, convening authority actions, and appellate opinions for cases referred on or after December 23, 2020.6Navy JAG Corps. Navy-Marine Corps Court Filings and Records
These portals will not label a person as “dishonorably discharged” in so many words. What you are looking for is a general court-martial conviction with a sentence that includes a dishonorable discharge. If you find one, you have your answer.
For older cases that predate the online portals, you can submit a FOIA request directly to a branch’s legal office. The Navy JAG Corps, for example, accepts FOIA requests for special and general court-martial records of trial when you can provide the accused’s name, branch, type and year of court-martial, and discharge type.7Navy JAG Corps. FOIA Request – Military Justice The more you already know, the better this route works.
The 62-Year Rule for Older Records
Privacy protection is not permanent. Under a schedule signed in 2004, the Department of Defense transfers military personnel files to the National Archives 62 years after the service member separates. Once transferred, the records are archival and open to the public, including the full details of the discharge.8National Archives. About Military Service Records and Official Military Personnel Files As of 2026, that covers anyone who separated before 1964.
One large caveat. A fire at the National Personnel Records Center on July 12, 1973 destroyed an estimated 16 to 18 million files. Roughly 80 percent of Army records for personnel discharged between November 1912 and January 1960 were lost, along with about 75 percent of Air Force records for personnel discharged between September 1947 and January 1964.9National Archives. The 1973 Fire, National Personnel Records Center If the record you want falls inside those ranges, there may simply be nothing left to retrieve.
Who Can Access the Full Record
Privacy restrictions relax for three groups of requesters.
The Veteran
A veteran can always request their own complete file, including the DD Form 214, which shows the character of service, reason for separation, and separation codes.10National Archives. DD Form 214 Discharge Papers and Separation Documents Requests can go through the online system or a mailed SF-180.11Veterans Affairs. Request Your Military Service Records (Including DD214)
Next of Kin of a Deceased Veteran
If the veteran has died, the next of kin can obtain the full record, discharge character included. The National Archives defines next of kin as the unremarried surviving spouse, a parent, a son or daughter, or a brother or sister.12National Archives. Military Service Records Submit proof of death, such as a death certificate, with your request.
Authorized Third Parties
Anyone else, including an attorney or benefits advisor, needs the veteran’s written authorization. The SF-180 includes a signature block for that authorization, and the requester must submit a copy of the authorization letter or power of attorney.13General Services Administration (GSA). Standard Form 180 – Request Pertaining to Military Records Without it, the request drops back to the limited public information.
How to File the Request
Before you submit anything, gather the veteran’s full name used during service, branch, approximate dates of service, and, if you have it, service number or Social Security number. Those identifiers speed things up, but a request can proceed without them.2National Archives. Request Military Service Records
You have two ways to file. The paper route is Standard Form 180, downloaded from the National Archives website and mailed or faxed to the National Personnel Records Center at 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138 (fax: 314-801-9195).14National Archives. Request Military Personnel Records Using Standard Form 180 The faster route is the online request system at the National Archives, which requires identity verification through ID.me. Veterans and next of kin can use either.2National Archives. Request Military Service Records
Plan for a wait. Routine requests often take 90 days or longer. Anything requiring reconstruction after the 1973 fire, or research on older records, can stretch to six months or more. There is no expedited option you can pay for.
What You Are Actually Looking For
A dishonorable discharge is the most severe separation the military can impose on an enlisted service member. It can only be handed down by a general court-martial, typically for offenses that would be felonies in civilian court. For commissioned officers, the equivalent is a dismissal.
The consequences that follow the veteran are significant, which is part of why the label is so heavily protected. A dishonorable discharge bars the veteran from VA pension, disability compensation, and dependency and indemnity compensation for that period of service.15eCFR. 38 CFR 3.12 – Benefit Eligibility Based on Character of Discharge Federal law prohibits anyone discharged under dishonorable conditions from possessing, shipping, or receiving firearms or ammunition.16Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts The federal reemployment protections under USERRA do not apply when the separation was under dishonorable or other punitive conditions.17U.S. Department of Labor. Know Your Rights Under USERRA
Because that status carries real legal weight and real stigma, the law treats it as private. If you have a legitimate reason to know, the court-martial portals are the first place to look, the 62-year rule opens the door on older records, and everything else runs through the veteran, the next of kin, or written consent.