How to Fill Out DD Form 2842: DoD PKI Certificate of Acceptance

To fill out DD Form 2842, complete Part 1 with your name, identifying number, organization, contact information, and signature, then appear in person before a DoD Registration Official who verifies your identity, witnesses your signature, and completes Part 2. The current version is dated April 2026 and replaces all earlier editions.1Department of Defense. DD Form 2842 – Department of Defense (DOD) Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Certificate of Acceptance and Acknowledgement of Responsibilities Signing it is how you formally accept a set of DoD PKI certificates and the security duties that come with them.

Before You Start

Download the form from the Executive Services Directorate site at esd.whs.mil under the DD Forms 2500–2999 index.2Department of Defense. DD Forms 2500-2999 Save the PDF and open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader rather than a browser window. Some fields and the digital signature feature may not work if you try to fill it out inside a browser.

You will not mail this form. It is completed and signed in person in front of a Local Registration Authority or a designated Trusted Agent, so plan the paperwork around your appointment, not the other way around.3Department of Defense. Instructions for Completing DD Form 2842

Part 1, Block by Block

Part 1 is yours. Every field ties your physical identity to the certificates you are about to accept, so match your official personnel records exactly. A name that does not match the ID you bring is the most common reason a registration stalls.

  • Block a, Name. Enter your full legal name in Last, First, Middle order.
  • Block b, Identifying Number. Enter the number the Registration Official gives you. This is normally your Electronic Data Interchange Personal Identifier (EDIPI) or Unique Identifier (UID). Do not try to look it up on your own; the official supplies it.
  • Block c, Organization. Enter your branch of service, major command, and duty station.
  • Block d, Telephone. Enter either a seven-digit DSN number or a ten-digit commercial number with area code.
  • Block e, Email. Enter your current email address.
  • Blocks f and g, Identification. These record the ID documents the official checks against your appearance. What goes in them depends on how you verify (see below).
  • Block h, Signature. Sign so your signature matches Block a. On the electronic version, the digital signature applies automatically.
  • Block i, Date. Use YYYYMMMDD format, for example 2026JUN15.

What You Are Agreeing to by Signing

The subscriber obligations are printed directly above the signature line. Read them before you sign. On the April 2026 edition, by signing you commit to:1Department of Defense. DD Form 2842 – Department of Defense (DOD) Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Certificate of Acceptance and Acknowledgement of Responsibilities

  • Use the certificates and private keys only for the official purposes for which they were issued.
  • Protect the private keys at all times.
  • Follow the applicable Certificate Practice Statement or Registration Practice Statement for choosing a PIN or other access-control method. Do not share the PIN, leave it visible, or write it on the token.
  • Ensure only authorized personnel can reach the passwords and private keys for certificates issued under this acknowledgement.
  • Understand that if you receive key-management (encryption/decryption) key pairs, copies of the private decryption keys are also placed in a key-recovery database.
  • Report any loss, suspected unauthorized use, or misplacement of your PIN, token, private keys, or certificates immediately to your supervisor, security officer, Certification Authority, Registration Authority, Local Registration Authority, or Trusted Agent.
  • Promptly notify the RA, LRA, or TA when your keys and certificates are no longer needed so they can be revoked.

The broader policy behind these duties sits in DoD Instruction 8520.02, which prohibits sharing PKI credentials or PINs with anyone, including a senior official’s own staff, and restricts certificate use to authorized DoD networks and purposes.4Department of Defense. DoD Instruction 8520.02 – Public Key Infrastructure and Public Key Enabling

Identity Documents to Bring

Blocks f and g depend on how the Registration Official confirms who you are. There are three paths:3Department of Defense. Instructions for Completing DD Form 2842

  • One federal photo ID. A single federal government credential with your picture, such as a military ID, U.S. passport, or similar, is enough on its own. Put the document type in f(1) and its unique number in f(2).
  • Two non-federal IDs. If you do not have a federal photo ID and cannot be biometrically verified, bring two non-federal documents, at least one showing your photo (a driver’s license, for example). First document goes in f(1) and f(2); second in g(1) and g(2).
  • Biometric verification. If the official can verify you biometrically, no documents are needed. Enter “Biometrically Verified” in f(1) and g(1) and “N/A” in f(2) and g(2).

The DoD keeps a formal list of acceptable documents. Primary documents that can stand alone as the federal photo ID include a U.S. passport or passport card, a military ID or Common Access Card, a Permanent Resident Card, and a PIV card. Secondary documents used as the second form include a U.S. Social Security card, an original or certified birth certificate with an official seal, a voter registration card, a Certificate of Naturalization, and immigration documents such as Form I-688 or Form I-571.5Department of Defense. List of Acceptable Identity Documents Every document must be an original, unexpired, and uncancelled. Photocopies are not accepted. One narrow exception: an expired DoD ID card can serve as a secondary document for a Uniformed Services ID reissue, but not for initial issuance.

Meeting the Registration Official

You appear in person before a Local Registration Authority or a Trusted Agent. They check your ID against you and against Block a, watch you sign Block h, and then complete Part 2 themselves. You do not fill in any of Part 2. The official enters their own name, organization, telephone, and email in Blocks a through d, then signs and dates Blocks e and f. Their signature confirms they personally verified your identity under the applicable Certificate Practice Statement and personally witnessed your signature.3Department of Defense. Instructions for Completing DD Form 2842 On the electronic version, their digital signature applies automatically.

What Happens After You Sign

Once both signatures are in place, the Registration Official keeps the completed form or uploads a digital copy into the system of record for audit purposes, and certificate activation begins. The form itself sets no standard turnaround. Actual wait times depend on the installation and current workload; some locations issue same day, others run longer during high-volume periods like PCS season.