Fillable Form SF-180
SF 180 Form may be filled out by veterans of the U.S. military or their surviving next-of-kin to request,view and release a person's military record.
What is SF-180?
Officially Request Pertaining to Military Records, Standard Form 180, or simply SF-180 is a legal form that veterans of the U.S. military or next-of-kin of deceased veterans use to obtain military records or request a one-time replacement of medals earned in service. The next-of-kin of a deceased veteran may be the father, mother, sibling, or child. While an individual who is neither a veteran or next-of-kin can access military records, military personnel records are only available to the public 62 years after a veteran leaves the military.
Aside from military records proving a veteran’s service in the military, they may also be used to validate medical and legal status.
How to Fill Out SF-180?
SF-180 requires identifying information to locate the records accurately. Provide as many details as possible and double-check all information before submitting the form to avoid delays. If you cannot provide a required detail and there is no way to obtain it, write ‘NA’, which means that the information is not available.
Section I — Information Needed to Locate Records
1 asks for the full legal name of the veteran during service.
2 asks for the Social Security Number (SSN) of the veteran.
3 asks for the date of birth of the veteran.
4 asks for the place of birth of the veteran.
5 asks for the veteran’s service in the military such as the branch of service, the dates of admission to and release from service, if he or she was an officer or enlisted, and service number. It is necessary to provide all service-related information to help locate records accurately and properly.
6 asks if the veteran is living or deceased. If deceased, provide the date of death.
7 asks if the veteran has retired from military service.
Section II — Information and/or Documents Requested
1 asks for the items that the applicant is requesting and other request-related information.
2 asks for the purpose and explanation of the request.
Section III — Return Address and Signature
1 asks for the name of the applicant.
2 asks for the applicant’s relationship with the veteran.
3 asks for the address the information or documents will be mailed to.
4 asks for the authorization signature, date, and contact information of the applicant.
The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), under the National Archives, is the central repository of personnel-related records for the military and civil services of the United States Government. Request military records by submitting SF-180 to:
314-801-9195
National Personnel Records Center
Military Personnel Records
1 Archives Drive
St. Louis, MO 63138
314-801-0800
According to the National Archives, there are no fees for basic military personnel and medical record information provided to veterans, next-of-kin, and authorized representatives from Federal records. However, records that are considered “Archival” have appropriate fees. Archival records, or the records of service members who were separated from the military 62 years ago, are open to the public and subject to the public fee schedule. Archival requests require the purchase of the complete photocopy of the Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). The fees are as follows:
The applicant will be notified as soon as a determination is made for requests that have fees.