To request a Certification of Military Service, fill out Standard Form 180, sign it, and send it to the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis — online through eVetRecs, by mail, or by fax. The key step most people miss: on the form, check the “Other” box and write in “Certification of Military Service, NA Form 13038,” because a plain records request will only get you a DD-214 copy or a notice that none exists. The certification is free for veterans and their next of kin, and it’s recognized as the equivalent of a DD-214 when applying for VA benefits, burial honors, home loans, and other programs that require proof of service.
Who Is Allowed to Request the Certification
Under the Privacy Act of 1974, military personnel records are restricted to the veteran or, if the veteran has died, to next of kin. The National Archives defines next of kin narrowly:1National Archives. Request Military Service Records
- Surviving spouse who has not remarried
- Mother or father
- Son or daughter
- Sister or brother
Grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and in-laws don’t qualify. If you’re requesting records for a deceased veteran, you’ll need to prove the death and your relationship. The Archives accepts a death certificate, a letter from a funeral home, or a published obituary as proof of death.
One important exception loosens these rules for older service: see the section on the 62-year rule at the end.
Information to Gather First
The NPRC holds more than 70 million files, so your request needs enough detail to identify the right one.2National Archives. Request Military Personnel Records Using Standard Form 180 Before you start filling out anything, pull together whatever you have of the following:
- The veteran’s full legal name as used during service (it may differ from their later name)
- Service number or Social Security Number. Records from before the 1970s usually rely on the service number.
- Branch of service: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or Public Health Service
- Approximate dates of service, even by decade
- Date and place of birth, which helps a lot when no service number is available
You don’t need every item, but the more you supply, the faster the search runs.
Filling Out Standard Form 180
Standard Form 180 is the paper form used to request military records, including NA Form 13038. Download the current version from the General Services Administration.3General Services Administration. Standard Form 180 – Request Pertaining to Military Records
Section I collects the veteran’s identifying information and service history. Fill in everything you gathered above.
Section II is where the request goes wrong most often. If you only check the box for a DD-214 copy, that’s what you’ll receive, or a notice that no DD-214 is on file. To get the certification, mark the “Other” box and write in the exact phrase: Certification of Military Service, NA Form 13038. That tells the records center to produce the formal certification instead of a photocopy.2National Archives. Request Military Personnel Records Using Standard Form 180
Section III covers your return address and your signature. The form has to be signed and dated by hand. Unsigned requests get rejected outright. There’s no fee for most veteran or next-of-kin requests; if a search becomes unusually labor-intensive, the NPRC will notify you before any charge is applied.3General Services Administration. Standard Form 180 – Request Pertaining to Military Records
Where to Send the Request
Online Through eVetRecs
The eVetRecs system at vetrecs.archives.gov is the fastest option. It walks you through the request and generates a service request number on the confirmation page. Save that number; you’ll need it to check status later.1National Archives. Request Military Service Records
By Mail or Fax
To mail a signed SF-180, send it to:
National Personnel Records Center
Military Personnel Records
1 Archives Drive
St. Louis, MO 63138
The fax number is 314-801-9195. Keep a copy of whatever you send.
Check the Branch Routing Chart
Page 3 of the SF-180 has a chart that assigns a code number based on branch of service, current status (active, retired, discharged, deceased), and date of separation. Each code points to a specific custodian address. The NPRC in St. Louis handles most requests, but some branches and date ranges go elsewhere. Check the chart before you drop the envelope in the mail.3General Services Administration. Standard Form 180 – Request Pertaining to Military Records
Emergency Requests for Burial or Disaster Loss
When a veteran has died and a funeral is only days away, the NPRC handles service verification through an expedited channel.
For burial at a VA National Cemetery, call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117. That office contacts the Archives directly, and you don’t need to file paperwork yourself.4National Archives. Emergency Requests
For a non-VA cemetery, fax a signed SF-180 with proof of death to the Customer Service Team at 314-801-0764. You can also file through eVetRecs by choosing “Emergency Request” from the drop-down menu on the Veteran Service Details page. For phone help, call the NPRC Customer Service Line at 314-801-0800 weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Central Time.
If a natural disaster destroyed your separation documents, write “Natural Disaster” in the comments field on eVetRecs or in the purpose field on the SF-180 to move your request to the priority queue.
Processing Time and Tracking
Allow about 10 days for the NPRC to receive and begin working on a standard request. Clean cases with intact files and solid identifying information usually come back within a few weeks. Complex cases, particularly those involving fire-damaged or incomplete records, can take substantially longer while technicians reconstruct the service history.5National Archives. Check the Status of a Request for Military Service Records
After that initial 10-day window, check status online at vetrecs.archives.gov using the service request number from your confirmation page. The number looks like 2-123456789 or C-123456789.
The completed NA Form 13038 arrives by U.S. mail to the return address on your request. Government agencies and private organizations that need proof of military service accept the certification as primary evidence, on par with a DD-214 for benefits eligibility.6National Archives. Burnt in Memory
If the Records Were Destroyed in the 1973 Fire
On July 12, 1973, a fire at the NPRC in St. Louis destroyed roughly 16 to 18 million military personnel files. It hit Army records for service members discharged between 1912 and 1964 hardest, along with Air Force records for those discharged between 1947 and 1964. No duplicates existed. If your relative served in those windows, the original file may be gone.
The NPRC’s Records Reconstruction Branch was set up to handle exactly these cases. When the original file is missing, technicians pull data from auxiliary sources across several agencies to rebuild the service history, and the NA Form 13038 was designed in large part for this situation. Using the reconstructed data, the NPRC can certify dates of active duty, character of service, and rank.6National Archives. Burnt in Memory
You can speed up reconstruction by sending supplemental evidence with your SF-180. The VA accepts:7U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Reconstruct Military Records Destroyed in NPRC Fire
- Statements from service medical personnel
- Sworn “buddy statements” from fellow service members
- Military accident or police reports
- Employment or insurance examination reports from the service period
- Letters or photographs from the veteran’s time in service
- Copies of any medical records from military or private providers during or shortly after service
Check old boxes and attics before you give up on a fire-affected record. A single surviving document can be the thread technicians need.
Records Older Than 62 Years Are Publicly Accessible
Military personnel records don’t stay restricted forever. Under a schedule signed in 2004, official military personnel files transfer from Department of Defense ownership to National Archives ownership 62 years after the service member’s separation. Once transferred, the records are “archival” and open to the general public — anyone can request them, not just the veteran or next of kin.8National Archives. About Military Service Records and Official Military Personnel Files
Records for anyone who separated less than 62 years ago are “non-archival,” restricted under the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act, and only limited information can be released to the public.
For most families researching a World War II or Korean War veteran, the 62-year window has already closed, the records are publicly accessible, and the process is simpler. No signature or proof-of-death documentation is required for archival records.