The UK Armed Forces Veteran ID Card

The Ministry of Defence today launched a new Veterans ID Card, which will enable public and charitable sector services to instantly recognise the service of a Veteran. This card will provide proof that a Veteran has served in HM Armed Forces in line with the Government definition of a Veteran, which is one day’s service.

Currently, there is no way for existing Veterans to easily prove the fact that they have served, and the administrative burden on providers when verifying that a person is a Veteran can be considerable, both in time and cost. This card will allow organisations to confidentially verify that someone has served in the Armed Forces.

The card will be rolled out in two stages:

Phase 1: The Veterans ID Card will be provided to all Service Leavers only, as part of the discharge process with effect from today, and retrospectively to those who left on or after 17 December 2018.

Phase 2: Applications from the wider Veteran Community will be encouraged once the process has been agreed. Information on how to apply will be made available closer to the time, before the end of 2019.

This card will not be held by all Veterans as it is being rolled out in tranches and some genuine Veterans in need may not have the capacity to apply for one.

Therefore, the absence of a Veterans ID card will not be considered proof that a person is not a Veteran. Instead organisations will continue to use existing processes to verify an individual’s Veteran status.

If you have any questions about the ID card, please contact the Veterans UK helpline by calling 0808 1914218 – they will be able to provide more information.