CERTIFICATES OF SERVICE - RESERVE PERSONNEL

The Defence Reserves Association has identified that situations exist (for example: applying for membership of a service organisation such as the RSL, or a service club), where a Certificate of Service may be required to enable a former Reservist to validate their defence service.

Accordingly the DRA have established that former members of the Defence Reserves may obtain a Certificate of Service on request. However, Certificates will not be issued to personnel where the length of service is less than 12 months.

Ex-members Service Records, including Certificates of Service, may be obtained from Defence Archives using form AE824 Request for Records, a copy of which can be accessed here. This is a smart form and additional fields will open depending on the options you choose.  Note that the DRA plays no part in the processing of this form.

An explanation of the application processes may also be found at the following link:

(https://www1.defence.gov.au/adf-members-families/service-records/former-members)

To assist in processing, it is important that the application lists all periods of service, together with all service details such as service number etc. The application should also include details of medals, (with associated clasps), awards and commendations. Proof of identity or Next-of-Kin relationship is generally required.

Applicants should bear in mind that provision of a Certificate of Service is a labour intensive process and requires searches of several data bases such as Honours and Awards. In addition, the transfer of service details from NPEMS to PMKeys has in some cases resulted in information discrepancies and there could be a need for applicants to liaise directly with the Personnel Agency. This may be time-consuming and applicants should be prepared to exercise patience during the processing of their request.