HM Armed Forces Veteran Card

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Overview

An HM Armed Forces Veteran Card is a way to prove that you served in the UK armed forces. The card can make it quicker and easier to apply for support as a veteran. 

You’ll get your Veteran Card in your service leavers’ pack within 6 weeks of leaving the armed forces.

If you left the armed forces before December 2018, you need to apply for a Veteran Card.

If you’ve already got your card, you can get a digital version of your Veteran Card on your phone.

Who can get a Veteran Card

You can get a card if you were in the regulars or reserves for the:

  • Royal Navy

  • British Army

  • Royal Air Force (RAF)

  • Royal Marines

You may also be able to get a card if you served in:

  • the Royal Fleet Auxiliary 

  • the Merchant Navy - and you sailed in support of the UK armed forces

  • another group in the UK armed forces

You can check if you’re eligible when you apply for a Veteran Card online or call to request a postal form.

You cannot get a card if you served:

  • in the armed forces of another country

  • alongside the UK armed forces, for example in the Royal Canadian Navy or Royal Australian Air Force

What you can do with a Veteran Card

You can use a Veteran Card to:

  • prove your identity when you vote

  • get discounts at restaurants, shops, attractions and gyms

  • get travel discounts

  • claim National Insurance relief

  • prove your identity on domestic British Airways flights

  • get employment support

  • get housing support

  • register as a veteran with your GP

  • get support for your physical and mental health

Find out more about what your Veteran Card offers.

View a printable version of the whole guide

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