How to Get a Veteran ID Card

One of the questions many Veterans have is hot to get a Veteran ID Card. They want the ID card for various reasons. The most common is so they can take advantage of Veteran discounts. Many retailers offer discounts for Veterans, but admittedly carrying around a copy of your DD214 can be cumbersome.

Veteran ID Card

There are several different types of Veteran ID cards, and which you will use will depend on your personal circumstances.  The types of cards include:

• Department of Defense ID card (available to Retired Military, Active Duty, or Reserves/National Guard)
• Veteran Health ID Card (available to anyone enrolled in VA Healthcare)
• Veteran designation on state-issued driver’s license or ID card
• Veteran ID card (from VA)

If you have one of these cards, you do not necessarily need to try and get another. That one card will work at your Veteran ID card. However, if you want to you may also apply for a Veteran ID card from the VA.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for a Veteran ID card, a person must have served on Active Duty, or in the Reserves, or in the National Guard (including the Coast Guard.  AND

They must have received an honorable or general (under honorable conditions) discharge.

Applying for the Veteran ID card

Note that as of September 2022, all new Veteran ID Cards are digital.

The easiest way to apply for a Veteran ID card is through the VA website. Once you login you ca navigate to https://www.va.gov/records/get-veteran-id-cards/vic/ . You will need some information and documents in order to apply

• Social Security Number
• Digital copy of your DD214 (.pdf, .jpeg, or .png format)
• Copy of current and valid government-issued ID, such as driver’s license, passport, or state-issued ID card
• Digital color photo of yourself from the shoulders up. Requirements of the photo can be found on the web page linked above.

If all documentation is correct and you are eligible for the card, you will receive an email from the VA with your digital card attached.

Note that the Veteran ID card from the VA cannot be used to prove your eligibility for any federal benefits or to grant you access to any military base. It also will not work as a form of identification at the airport or serve as proof of retirement or war time service. These require a different type of identification.

We hope this information is helpful. If you have any comments, please leave them in the comment box below or you can email us at info@nwavet.org .

God Bless,

NWAVet