To request a copy of your DD214, submit a free request to the National Archives one of three ways: online through the eVetRecs portal, by mailing or faxing a Standard Form 180, or — if your records have been digitized — by downloading them through milConnect.1National Archives. eVetRecs2National Archives. Request Military Personnel Records Using Standard Form 180 The service is free to veterans, next of kin, and authorized representatives. Standard requests take roughly 65 to 90 days, and some stretch longer.3National Archives. Request Military Service Records Ignore any company that offers to obtain the document for a fee; they are submitting the same free request you can submit yourself.
The Three Ways to Request Your DD214
All three routes end at the same place: the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, which stores military personnel records for the National Archives and Records Administration.
eVetRecs (Online)
The fastest way to start a request is through the eVetRecs portal on the National Archives website.4National Archives and Records Administration. eVetRecs You verify your identity, enter your service details, and submit electronically. The same portal lets you check the status of an open request or retrieve a completed response. Filing online does not push you to the front of the queue, but it does eliminate the risk of a lost letter.
Standard Form 180 (Mail or Fax)
You can download Standard Form 180, Request Pertaining to Military Records, fill it out, and mail or fax it in.2National Archives. Request Military Personnel Records Using Standard Form 180 Federal law requires that the form be signed in cursive and dated within the past year. Mail goes to the National Personnel Records Center, 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138. The fax number is 314-801-9195. The correct address can vary by branch of service and era, so check the instructions on the form before sending.
milConnect (Digital Records Only)
Some veterans can download their records directly through milConnect, run by the Defense Manpower Data Center. After signing in, go to Correspondence/Documentation and choose Defense Personnel Records Information System (DPRIS) to request your Official Military Personnel File.5milConnect. Defense Personnel Records Information System The catch is that the vast majority of military personnel records are paper-based and not available online. If your record was digitized, this is the quickest route. If it wasn’t, use eVetRecs or SF-180 instead.
Information You’ll Need to Submit
The National Personnel Records Center holds nearly 100 million records, so the more identifying detail you provide, the faster staff can locate yours. Gather what you can before starting:3National Archives. Request Military Service Records
- Full name used during service, including any maiden or prior legal name at enlistment
- Service number or Social Security number (older records use service numbers; more recent ones use SSNs)
- Branch of service and dates of entry and separation
- Date and place of birth, which helps when the service number is unknown
If you don’t have all of this, check old military ID cards, pay stubs, or previous VA correspondence. Partial information can still work. Don’t let a missing detail keep you from submitting.
Ask for the Member 4 Copy
The DD214 comes in two versions. The Member 1 copy is a short form that omits sensitive details, including your separation code, reenlistment eligibility code, and the character of your discharge. The Member 4 copy is the long form and includes everything. The Member 4 is the version you need when applying for benefits, because agencies and employers verifying eligibility often will not accept the short form. When you submit your request, specify the Member 4 copy.
Processing Times and Status Checks
Standard requests, whether submitted online or by mail, typically take 65 to 90 days, though many veterans report waiting three to six months. Allow about 10 days after submitting before checking on your request. You can track progress through the National Archives’ online status checker using your request number, or call the NPRC Customer Service Line at 314-801-0800.6National Archives. Check the Status of a Request for Military Service Records Peak call times run weekdays between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Central; calling early gets shorter hold times.
Records affected by the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center, which destroyed roughly 16 to 18 million files, can take significantly longer.7National Archives. The 1973 Fire, National Personnel Records Center No duplicate copies or microfilm existed for those records. The NPRC has spent decades reconstructing what it can from auxiliary sources, but some files are gone. If your record was among those lost, expect a longer process and the possibility that only partial information can be recovered.
Requesting a DD214 for Someone Else
You don’t have to be the veteran to make a request, but access depends on your relationship and how long ago the veteran separated.
Next of kin — defined as an unremarried surviving spouse, parent, son, daughter, sister, or brother — can request records by providing proof of the veteran’s death, such as a death certificate, funeral home letter, or published obituary.3National Archives. Request Military Service Records The request must be signed and dated by the next of kin, the same as a veteran’s own request.
For veterans discharged less than 62 years ago, the general public can only access limited information from the personnel file; full records require authorization from the veteran or next of kin. Once 62 years have passed since discharge, the National Archives opens the full record to the public.8Veterans Affairs. Request Your Military Service Records Members of the public requesting these archival records pay a flat fee: $25 for files of five pages or fewer, or $70 for larger files, which is where most records fall.
Emergency and Funeral Requests
When a veteran dies and the family needs discharge verification quickly for burial at a VA national cemetery, skip the standard process. Call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117. Their staff contacts the National Personnel Records Center directly to verify service for burial benefits, which is far faster than submitting your own request and waiting months.9National Archives. Emergency Requests
If burial is at a private cemetery and you still need the DD214 urgently, the next of kin can fax an SF-180 with a signature and proof of death to the Customer Service Team at 314-801-0764. You can also submit through eVetRecs by selecting “Emergency Request” from the dropdown menu that asks why you’re requesting records.9National Archives. Emergency Requests Emergency fax requests generally come back in 10 to 14 business days.
Natural disaster victims who need to replace a lost DD214 can get priority handling by writing “Natural Disaster” in the comments section of eVetRecs or the purpose section of the SF-180.
If You Served in the National Guard
If you served in the Army or Air National Guard and were never activated for a federal deployment long enough to generate a DD214, your equivalent document is the NGB Form 22, the Report of Separation and Record of Service. To request a copy, submit a Standard Form 180 to the state adjutant general’s office for the state where you were discharged or served, not to the National Personnel Records Center.10NGB Publications and Forms Library. Service Records
Fixing Errors on the Copy You Receive
If your DD214 has a mistake — a misspelled name, wrong dates, missing awards — the correction process depends on how significant the error is.
Minor administrative corrections are handled through a DD Form 215, which supplements the original DD214.11National Archives. Correcting Military Service Records Under current DoD guidance, the DD Form 215 must be created and transmitted electronically by the military branch, so you’ll work through your former service branch rather than NARA to get one issued.
For substantial corrections such as upgrading a discharge characterization, changing a reenlistment code, correcting performance evaluations, or adding disability ratings, apply to your branch’s Board for Correction of Military or Naval Records. Submit DD Form 149 along with evidence supporting the error or injustice.12U.S. Department of War. Request Correction of Military Records If you’re seeking a discharge upgrade and separated less than 15 years ago, you must first go through the Discharge Review Board using DD Form 293 before the Board for Correction will consider your case. If the Board denies your application and you have new evidence that wasn’t previously considered, you can resubmit for reconsideration.