ADVOCACYVA program
Veteran ID Card (VIC)
Digital photo ID from VA showing veteran status, for the discounts many restaurants, hotels, stores, and other businesses offer veterans. It cannot be used as ID at airports, on military bases, or to check into a VA hospital, and it is not proof of any federal benefit.
Available to veterans with an honorable or general discharge; not with an other than honorable, bad conduct, or dishonorable discharge
Step-by-step guide
What you get
A digital photo ID that shows you are a Veteran, for the Veteran discounts many businesses offer.
What VA checks for a Veteran ID Card
- Active duty, Reserve, or National Guard serviceService on active duty, in the Reserves, or in the National Guard, including the Coast Guard.
- An honorable or general dischargeAn honorable or general (under honorable conditions) discharge. VA.gov says an other than honorable, bad conduct, or dishonorable discharge cannot get a card.
- A valid ID and a current photoA current government ID, your Social Security number, and a square color photo from the shoulders up, taken in the last 10 years, on a plain background.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for a Veteran ID Card (opens in new tab); VA.gov: types of Veteran ID cards (opens in new tab)
What does your discharge say?
- Honorable or general discharge
VA looks for service on active duty, in the Reserves, or in the National Guard (including the Coast Guard), and an honorable or general (under honorable conditions) discharge.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for a Veteran ID Card (opens in new tab); VA.gov: types of Veteran ID cards (opens in new tab)
- Uncharacterized or unknown discharge
If your discharge status is uncharacterized or unknown, VA has to check it before approving the card. That can mean VA requests your records from the National Personnel Records Center.
- VA confirms your character of dischargeVA verifies the discharge before it approves the application, and may request records from the National Personnel Records Center.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for a Veteran ID Card (opens in new tab)
What to gather, and what it shows VA
| Document | What it shows | How VA gets it | Have it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discharge papers A scanned copy of your DD214, DD256, DD257, PHS1867, or NGB22, as a PDF, JPEG, or PNG file. | Your service and your character of discharge | You keep a copy. If you do not have one, VA.gov explains how to request your military service records. | Yes |
| Online VIC application The online application on VA.gov. It asks for your Social Security number, a copy of a current government ID, and your photo. | Who you are, and the photo for the card | Apply online on VA.gov. Check its status by signing in to AccessVA. | |
| Records from the National Personnel Records Center Your service records held at the National Personnel Records Center. | Your character of discharge when it is uncharacterized or unknown | VA may request them for you when it checks your discharge. | |
| Your own copy of your service records A copy of your military service records that you request yourself. | Your service and discharge, if your papers are missing | VA.gov explains how to request your military service records. |
You send these to VA in the online application. BeneVets does not ask for copies of them.
Steps, in order
- Check your discharge
Look at the character of discharge on your discharge papers. VA looks for an honorable or general discharge; an uncharacterized or unknown status takes a VA check first.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for a Veteran ID Card (opens in new tab)
- Gather what you need
Have your Social Security number, a scanned copy of your discharge papers, a copy of a current government ID, and a square color photo taken in the last 10 years.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for a Veteran ID Card (opens in new tab)
- Apply online
Apply on VA.gov. VA checks your discharge, your ID, and your photo, then emails you about the application.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for a Veteran ID Card (opens in new tab)
- Watch for VA email
If VA emails asking for more information, sign in to AccessVA to update the application. If approved, VA emails the digital card.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for a Veteran ID Card (opens in new tab)
- Replace a lost card by email
To replace a lost or stolen card, or for help with the application, email VA at vetidcard@va.gov.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for a Veteran ID Card (opens in new tab)
- Get free help with your discharge records
The card is not a VA claim, and you apply for it yourself online. If you also have VA benefit claims, free help is available for those. Free help: an accredited VSO can file this with you. Find one near you in the BeneVets VSO directory at Find an accredited VSO near you.
Source: VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab)
Good to know
Since September 2022, new Veteran ID Cards are digital. VA emails the card when it approves the application. An older physical card still works for discounts.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for a Veteran ID Card (opens in new tab); VA.gov: types of Veteran ID cards (opens in new tab)
The card is not proof that you can get any federal benefit. It does not get you onto bases, commissaries, or exchanges, it is not airport ID, it does not check you into a VA hospital, it is not proof of retirement from the Armed Forces, and it is not proof of wartime service for a special license plate from the DMV.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for a Veteran ID Card (opens in new tab)
A Veteran Health Identification Card, a DoD ID card, or a state license or ID with a Veterans designation gets the same discounts. With one of those you do not need a VIC, but you can still apply. A VIC does not replace a VHIC or a DoD ID card.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for a Veteran ID Card (opens in new tab); VA.gov: types of Veteran ID cards (opens in new tab)
BeneVets is informational and is not an accredited representative. Free help: an accredited VSO can work through VA benefits with you at no cost. Find an accredited VSO near you
Sources checked October 8, 2026: VA.gov: how to apply for a Veteran ID Card (opens in new tab), VA.gov: types of Veteran ID cards (opens in new tab), VA.gov: request your military service records (opens in new tab), VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab)