Get your DD214 without the paperwork, the phone calls, or the wait.
Requesting military records means a federal form, a fax machine, and 8 to 12 weeks of chasing the National Archives. We do all of it for you and deliver your DD214 through a secure link.
And yes, we will say it plainly: you can request your DD214 free from the National Archives yourself. This page shows you exactly how. Most veterans read it and decide their time is worth more than the fee. Read on, then decide.
Free, or off your plate.
The document costs nothing either way. What you are really choosing is who does the work, and who absorbs the risk if something goes wrong.
Do it yourself
$0 for the document
- A few hours learning the form and the rules
- One wrong field and NPRC rejects it. You start over and add weeks
- You chase NPRC by phone when it stalls
- You gather the death certificate and relationship proof yourself, for a next-of-kin request
- 8 to 12 weeks of not knowing where it stands
- Your SSN on a form you fax or mail yourself
Have us do it
Flat $125, guarantee included
- We complete the SF-180 correctly the first time
- We catch the mistakes that cause rejections
- Submitted to NPRC the same business day you sign
- We do the follow-up and the calls, with an update every two weeks
- We handle the next-of-kin paperwork requirements for you
- Delivered through a secure encrypted link, never a plain email
- A real US-based person on your case, start to finish
120-day money-back guarantee. Free to start, no card until the final step.
What you're asking for.
A DD214 is the one or two page document issued at the end of a service member's active duty. It records dates and character of service, branch and component, awards and training, and the reason for separation. It is free from the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), a division of the National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri. Below is the actual process, not a watered-down version.
Two ways to request it yourself.
Online is faster but only fits a narrow set of cases. The paper form works for everyone, and it is where most of the trouble starts.
Path A: eVetRecs
The online portal. Works only if the veteran separated after October 1997 and is requesting their own records.
Walk me through it →
Path B: SF-180
The universal paper form. Any era, any branch, veteran or next-of-kin. Fax or mail to NPRC, and hope you filled it out right.
Walk me through it →
The online path.
You can only use eVetRecs if all three are true
- ✓ The veteran is requesting their own records
- ✓ The veteran separated after October 1997
- ✓ Active duty, Reserve, or National Guard service
Don't fit all three? You are on Path B (SF-180), which is where it gets harder.
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1
Go to vetrecs.archives.gov
Click "Request Military Service Records" to start.
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2
Create an account
You will need a working email address NPRC can use to confirm receipt.
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3
Fill in your service details
Branch, component, approximate dates, rank at discharge. Best estimates are fine, since NPRC can locate records with approximate information.
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4
Electronically sign the privacy release
Required by NPRC to release military records.
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5
Submit and save your case number
NPRC emails a confirmation within a few business days. Save the case number, because you will need it every time you call to check status.
Separated before 1997, or requesting for someone else? That is the harder path, and it is the one we run every day.
Have us handle itThe paper form path.
The Standard Form 180 works for any service era, any branch, and both veteran and next-of-kin requests. It has three sections, and a small slip in any of them is enough for NPRC to send it back.
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1
Download the SF-180
Get the official form (PDF) from archives.gov. Print it, or fill it on-screen and print it for signature.
Download from archives.gov -
2
Fill out Section I (veteran info)
Use the veteran's name as it appeared during service, not the current legal name if it has changed. Include both names if applicable.
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3
Fill out Section II (what you want)
Check the box for "Report of Separation (DD214 or equivalent)" and state the purpose in plain English, such as "VA home loan," "burial benefits," or "personal records."
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4
Sign in Section III
Veterans sign their own request. Next-of-kin sign as the requester and indicate the relationship to the veteran.
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5
Attach proof, if next-of-kin
A copy of the death certificate (or obituary), plus proof of relationship (birth or marriage certificate).
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6
Submit via fax or mail
Fax to 314-801-9195, which is fastest. Or mail to: National Personnel Records Center, 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138. Mail certified with tracking.
The five traps that get requests rejected.
Miss any one of these and NPRC sends the form back. That is another 8 to 12 weeks, from the beginning. Catching them is exactly what we do for a living.
Signature in the wrong section
Veterans sign Section III. Next-of-kin sign as the requester and indicate the relationship. Do not sign as if you were the veteran.
Name discrepancy
Use the name as it appeared during service. If it changed since (marriage, legal name change), list both.
Missing proof for next-of-kin
Include a death certificate and proof of relationship up front. Do not wait for NPRC to ask, because that is weeks of back-and-forth.
Vague service info
Estimates are fine. "Served in the military" is not. Specify branch, component, and approximate dates.
Wrong component noted
Active Duty, Reserve, and National Guard records can route differently. Note the component clearly or it lands in the wrong queue.
One rejection erases two months. We prepare the form so it clears the first time, then track it to your inbox.
Let us do it rightRequesting for a deceased veteran.
NPRC releases DD214s to eligible next-of-kin: surviving spouse (not remarried), parent, child, or sibling. Other relatives and friends cannot request the record without specific authorization or a court order.
What you will need to attach
- A copy of the death certificate (state-issued is best; a published obituary may also be accepted)
- Documentation of your relationship to the veteran (birth certificate, marriage certificate)
No death certificate yet? Request one from the state's vital records office where the death occurred, typically $15 to $25 and one to four weeks.
You have enough on your plate. Let us gather the requirements and handle the records while you handle everything else.
We'll handle itIf records were destroyed in the 1973 fire.
A 1973 fire at the NPRC building destroyed an estimated 16 to 18 million records. It primarily affected Army veterans separated 1912 to 1959 and Air Force veterans separated 1947 to 1963 with names beginning Hubbard through Z.
NPRC can still issue a reconstructed DD214 using alternate documents such as pay records, hospital records, unit morning reports, and prior award documentation. It takes longer (6 or more months) and it is the most involved case there is. This is exactly where a done-for-you service earns its fee.
Fire-affected records are the hardest to recover. Tell us the situation and we will chase down the alternate documentation for you.
Talk to usHow long it actually takes.
NPRC's standard processing time is 8 to 12 weeks from when they log your request. Some come back faster, some take longer, and none of them update you along the way. That part is on you.
If you have heard nothing in 90 days
- 1 Call NPRC directly at 314-801-0800. Have your submission date and the veteran's identifying information ready.
- 2 Contact your U.S. Senator or Representative's office and ask about a "constituent casework inquiry." Most congressional offices have a caseworker who can place a status inquiry with NPRC, typically getting a response within 30 days.
That is a lot of chasing. On our end, the follow-up and the calls are our job, and you get an update every two weeks whether there is news or not.
Everything in one place.
- eVetRecs portal
- vetrecs.archives.gov
- SF-180 form (PDF)
- archives.gov SF-180
- NPRC main number
- 314-801-0800
- NPRC fax
- 314-801-9195
- NPRC online inquiry
- archives.gov contact
- Mailing address
- 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138
Now you know the whole process.
If you want to run it yourself, everything you need is above and it is genuinely free. If you would rather skip the form, the fax, the rejections, and the 8-to-12-week wait, we will take it from here.
One flat $125, with a 120-day money-back guarantee included. The document is still free from the government; you are paying us for the prep, the follow-up, and the secure delivery.
Free to start. No card until the final step. A real US-based person handles your case.