How to Apply for a Veteran ID Card and What It Does

To apply for a Veteran ID Card, sign in at VA.gov, upload a digital copy of your discharge papers, a government-issued photo ID, and a headshot, and submit the online application. There is no paper form, no office visit, and no fee. If the VA approves your request, it emails you a digital card you can save to your phone or print.

Who Qualifies

Two things have to be true. You served on active duty, in the Reserves, or in the National Guard (including the Coast Guard), and your discharge was honorable or general under honorable conditions.¹ Veterans with other-than-honorable, bad conduct, or dishonorable discharges are not eligible.²

There is no minimum length of service. National Guard and Reserve veterans qualify on the same terms as active-duty veterans, and an NGB Form 22 works in place of a DD214 as proof of qualifying service.¹ The VA checks what you submit against Department of Defense personnel records, so eligibility is verified, not self-certified.

What to Have Ready Before You Start

Gather these before you open the application so the session doesn’t time out while you’re hunting for files.

A digital copy of your discharge document: DD214, DD256, DD257, NGB22, or PHS1867. PDF, JPEG, or PNG is fine.¹
A current, valid government-issued photo ID: driver’s license, passport, or state ID.¹
Your Social Security number, used to match your application to federal military records.¹
A digital color headshot: square, shoulders-up, plain background, full face and neck visible, no hats, head coverings, or headphones that cast shadows or hide your hairline.¹

Use high-resolution scans of your discharge papers. Blurry or illegible text is one of the easier ways to slow your application down. If you can’t find your DD214, you can request a replacement from the National Personnel Records Center using Standard Form 180, but that process can take several weeks or longer.³

Applying Online at VA.gov

The whole process runs through VA.gov. First, sign in with an ID.me or Login.gov account. If you don’t have either, setup takes a few minutes and involves uploading a photo ID and completing identity verification.⁴

Once you’re in, the application walks you through uploading your headshot and discharge document, entering your Social Security number, and confirming your contact information. After you submit, the VA sends an automated confirmation email with a reference number.

The card is free. VA.gov lists no cost to apply.⁵ If a third-party site is asking you to pay to “process” a VIC application, that isn’t the VA.

What You Receive

Since September 2022, every new Veteran ID Card is digital. No plastic card arrives in the mail. Once your application is approved, the VA emails the card to you as an attachment.¹ Save it to your phone, print it, or both. Veterans who already hold a physical VIC issued before the change can keep using it.

What the Card Will and Won’t Do

The VIC is a proof-of-service card built for one job: showing a business that you’re a veteran when you’re claiming a military discount. It lets you do that without handing over a DD214, which is loaded with information you don’t want a cashier looking at.

It is not a general-purpose military ID. Specifically:

It does not get you onto a military base. You need a Department of Defense ID card for that.²
It is not a VA health card. If you’re enrolled in VA healthcare, you use a separate Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) for medical appointments.⁶
The TSA does not accept the VIC at airport checkpoints. It does accept the VHIC.⁷

The airport point is the one that trips people up. Show up with only your VIC and you will not clear security. Bring your passport, driver’s license, or VHIC.

If You Lose the Card or Need a New Copy

Email vetidcard@va.gov. The VA will process the request and email you a replacement digital card.¹ Address and contact updates are separate: change those in your VA.gov profile, and the update flows through to healthcare, disability compensation, pension, and education benefits.⁸

Other Ways to Prove Veteran Status

Before you apply, it’s worth checking whether you already carry something that does the same job or more.

The Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC), issued to veterans enrolled in VA healthcare, works for medical appointments, is accepted by the TSA, and is widely accepted for discounts.²
A Department of Defense ID card, issued to retirees, active-duty personnel, and certain Reserve and Guard members, grants base access and is broadly recognized.²
All 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico offer a veteran designation printed on the driver’s license or state ID. Requirements and fees vary by state.

If you already carry a DoD ID or a driver’s license with a veteran designation, the VIC adds little. It’s most useful for veterans who left service without retirement benefits and don’t have another quick way to prove they served.

1
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. How to Apply for a Veteran ID Card
2
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Types of Veteran ID Cards
3
National Archives. Request Military Personnel Records Using Standard Form 180
4
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Signing in to VA.gov
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 38 Section 5706
6
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Get a Veteran Health Identification Card
7
Transportation Security Administration. Acceptable Identification at the TSA Checkpoint
8
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Change Your Address on File With VA