To fill out Standard Form 180 for military records, download the current SF-180 PDF from archives.gov (or use the online eVetRecs system), complete Section I with the veteran’s identifying details, check the specific documents you need in Section II, state your purpose, sign the form in cursive with a date within the past year, attach any required proof such as a death certificate, and mail it to the address on page 3 that matches the veteran’s branch and separation date. Most requests are made by veterans themselves, next-of-kin of deceased veterans, or authorized representatives, and the form is free for non-archival records in those categories.
Get the Current Form or Use eVetRecs
Two paths lead to the same place. The paper SF-180 is a fillable PDF on the National Archives website. You can type into the fields on screen, but you still have to print it and sign it by hand before mailing.
The online option is eVetRecs at vetrecs.archives.gov. Sign in with ID.me, work through screens covering service details, the documents you want, and the delivery address, and upload any supporting files as PDFs under 5 MB each. On submission you get a case number beginning with “C-” that lets you check status later. Mailed forms produce no automatic confirmation, so if tracking matters to you, eVetRecs is the simpler route.
Section I: Identifying the Veteran
Section I exists to pull one file out of millions. Fill in as much as you can:
- Full legal name used during service. If the veteran served under a maiden name or other prior name, use that name.
- Social Security Number and service number. Either one speeds the search. If you don’t have the service number, write “unknown” rather than leaving it blank.
- Branch of service: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or Space Force.
- Approximate start and end dates of active duty or reserve service.
- Date and place of birth, which help most when no service number is available.
Missing details won’t automatically kill your request, but they slow it down. The form instructions tell you to mark fields you genuinely can’t fill as “NA” rather than leaving them empty. A blank looks like an oversight; “NA” tells the archivist you tried.
National Guard and Reserve Service
If the veteran served in the National Guard and was never called to active duty, the National Personnel Records Center probably does not hold the file. Army National Guard records for non-active-duty members sit with the state, territory, or district Adjutant General. The same is true for Air National Guard enlisted members not on active duty. Air National Guard officers are handled by the Air Reserve Personnel Center at Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado.
Sending an SF-180 to NPRC for a Guard member who never activated usually results in a response redirecting you to the state, which adds weeks. Check the address table on page 3, and if service was entirely with the Guard, contact the state Adjutant General’s office directly.
Section II: Choose the Documents and State a Purpose
Section II is where vagueness costs you a second request. Check exactly what you need.
For most benefit applications, employment verification, and funeral honors, the DD Form 214 (Report of Separation) is enough on its own. It summarizes the whole period of active service: discharge date, character of service, duty assignments, rank, awards, and separation codes. You can instead (or additionally) request medical and service treatment records, the complete Official Military Personnel File, or specific documents like promotion orders or training certificates.
The form also asks why you want the records. Give a concrete answer: “VA disability claim,” “home loan eligibility,” “burial benefits.” The purpose affects how the request is prioritized and which documents come back. A burial request is handled differently than a genealogy request.
Emergencies and Burials
If you need records for a funeral or an upcoming medical procedure, don’t mail the form and wait. Fax the completed SF-180 to the NPRC Customer Service Team at 314-801-0764 and write “EMERGENCY” with a short explanation in the purpose field. On eVetRecs, select the “Emergency Request” option under Veteran Service Details.
Burials at a VA National Cemetery follow a separate track. Call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117 instead of submitting an SF-180 yourself; NARA works with cemetery staff to pull the records for verification. For burials at non-VA cemeteries, fax the SF-180 with the next-of-kin’s signature and proof of death to 314-801-0764.
Sign It in Cursive, Dated Within the Past Year
The Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552a, controls who can request non-archival military records. For records less than 62 years old, only the veteran or an authorized person may sign.
Two details trip people up. The signature must be in cursive, not typed or stamped. And the date next to the signature must fall within the past year. A form with a typed name in the signature block or a date from two years ago will be sent back.
If you’re not the veteran, you can sign in three situations:
- Next-of-kin of a deceased veteran, meaning the unmarried surviving spouse, father, mother, son, daughter, sister, or brother. Proof of the veteran’s death must accompany the request.
- Court-appointed legal guardian for a veteran declared incompetent.
- Authorized representative acting under a signed power of attorney or other legal authorization, with the authorizing documents attached.
Proof of Death for Next-of-Kin Requests
If you’re the next-of-kin, attach one of the following. Without it, the request is returned no matter how complete the rest of the form:
- Copy of the death certificate
- Published obituary or newspaper death notice
- Coroner’s report of death
- Funeral director’s signed statement of death
- Verdict of a coroner’s jury
- DD Form 1300 (Casualty Report)
If a death certificate hasn’t been issued yet, a signed statement from the funeral home is usually the fastest alternative.
Mail It to the Right Address
Page 3 of the SF-180 lists mailing addresses in a table organized by branch, separation date, and record type. Look up the veteran’s branch and service dates and use the address that matches. Most requests go to the National Personnel Records Center at 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138, but branch-specific offices hold certain records.
A form sent to the wrong office is usually forwarded, but forwarding adds weeks. Use a trackable shipping method if you mail it, because NPRC does not acknowledge receipt of mailed requests. Your delivery receipt is the only confirmation you’ll have until the records arrive.
After You Submit
How Long It Takes
NARA advises allowing about 10 days for a mailed request to be received and start processing. A straightforward DD-214 copy tends to move faster than a full personnel file or medical records, which can take considerably longer depending on complexity and the backlog at NPRC. There is no guaranteed turnaround.
Checking Status
eVetRecs users can check status online with the case number issued at submission. If you mailed the form and have no case number, use the “Online Status Update Request form” on the NARA military records page, which asks for your name, address, phone number, and the veteran’s branch.
You can also call the NPRC Customer Service Line at 314-801-0800, staffed weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Central. Hold times spike between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., so early or late calls are shorter.
Fees
For non-archival records (less than 62 years since separation), there is generally no charge when the veteran, next-of-kin of a deceased veteran, or an authorized representative makes the request. Some specialized services may carry a nominal fee, invoiced with the records.
Archival records (62 or more years since separation) are open to anyone, and copies carry a flat fee: $25 for a file of five pages or fewer, $70 for six pages or more. Most personnel files fall into the six-plus category. NARA sends an invoice first and ships the copies after payment.
If Your Records Fall in the 1973 Fire Loss
A July 12, 1973 fire at NPRC in St. Louis destroyed an estimated 16 to 18 million Official Military Personnel Files, with the heaviest losses among Army personnel discharged between November 1, 1912 and January 1, 1960, and Air Force personnel with surnames after “Hubbard, James E.” discharged between September 25, 1947 and January 1, 1964. If your request falls in that window, an SF-180 may come back with a “no records” response. That is not always the end. NPRC has a branch that reconstructs fire-damaged files from VA claims files, state records, pay vouchers, Selective Service registration, and military hospital medical records. The more identifying detail you provide on the form, the better the reconstruction odds. If you need the records for a VA disability claim, filing the claim first may be more efficient, because the VA will request what it needs from NPRC on your behalf.
SF-180 Is for Getting Records, Not Fixing Them
If your records arrive with an error, such as a wrong discharge characterization, incorrect service dates, or missing awards, SF-180 is the wrong form for the correction. Under 10 U.S.C. § 1552, each service maintains a civilian board authorized to correct records. The application is DD Form 149 (Application for Correction of Military Records), generally filed within three years of discovering the error, though the board can waive the deadline. For discharge upgrades within 15 years of separation, DD Form 293 goes to the branch Discharge Review Board first.