Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications have been received for Veterans’ ID cards.

The HM Armed Forces Veteran Card has had a two-phase rollout. Phase 1 is complete; all Service leavers since December 2018 automatically receive a Veteran Card from Ministry of Defence as part of their discharge process.

Phase 2 extended access to the Veteran Card to those who left before December 2018. The new digital application and verification service launched at 00:01 on 28 January 2024 allowing pre-2018 veterans to apply for the card.

Under Phase 2, as at 17 July 2024, 132,536 applications had been received for the HM Armed Forces Veteran Card and 117,924 card applications had been processed and posted.