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NPRC's Federal Records Center Research Room

Scheduling an Appointment:

Hours of Operation:
Monday through Friday,
7:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. Central Time
(Closed weekends and Federal holidays)

Telephone: 314-801-0800

Services for Veterans, Next-of-Kin and Authorized Representatives:

Veterans, next-of-kin (the un-remarried widow or widower, son, daughter, father, mother, brother or sister of the deceased veteran) or authorized representatives (those with the written consent of the veteran or next-of-kin) who wish to visit the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) because they have a strong interest in picking-up or viewing files rather than receiving copies by mail may request an appointment. When scheduling an appointment please have the following information available when you call:

• Your full name
  
  
• Your daytime telephone number
  
  
• The date and time of the desired appointment (tentative, pending confirmation of space and record availability - see Availability of Records)
  
  
• The specifics of the record you are requesting. For example, if you are requesting an Official Military Personnel File (OMPF), you will need to include in your message: the veteran's complete name as used in service; service number; Social Security Number (if applicable); branch of service; date and place of birth; and dates of service - or as much information as possible. See Records Center Program for a listing of available records.

Appointments are necessary, whether you simply want to pick up a copy of your DD-214 (Report of Separation) or plan to view your record in full. Scheduling an appointment provides the Research Room staff with the time needed to search, verify and pull the requested materials, allowing researchers to maximize their scheduled visit time. Visitors who arrive without advance coordination may not be able to receive requested information promptly. Some records, such as Federal civilian Official Personnel Folders (OPF), are located offsite and require time to process. In addition, research space is limited and may not be available without prior notice.

Please note: Archival and Federal (non-archival) records are accessed in separate Research Rooms. If you want to view both archival and non-archival records, you must schedule an appointment with each Research Room. See Archival Research Room for policies, procedures and hours.

Hire an Independent Researcher: Patrons in locations remote to St. Louis may consider hiring an independent researcher to conduct research on their behalf.

Services for the General Public (those who are NOT the Veteran or Next-of-Kin)

General public visitors (those who are NOT authorized by the veteran or the military services) are not allowed direct access to non-archival records. Limited information (via postal mail or fax) is available to the public under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Researchers planning to conduct projects involving a large number of records must have the authorization of the respective branches of service. This is a prerequisite before the NPRC will grant access to military records. The NPRC will provide the points of contact within the military services for obtaining authorizations. Authorized researchers must contact the NPRC in writing concerning their projects.

For research involving a limited number of individual records, the researcher must obtain each veteran's signed and dated written authorization specifying what may be released from the record. After the authorizations have been obtained, you may submit your request(s) to the NPRC.

Once you have written authorization from the veteran or service departments, you may call or write to set up an appointment. Please provide your daytime telephone number, date of desired appointment and the specifics of the record(s) you are requesting.

Please note: Archival records are open to public. More information on how to access Archival records.

Availability of Records:

Several factors must be considered before an individual can view a record. These include:

1. Determination that the requested record actually exists (see 1973 Fire).
   
   
2. Records that were damaged in the 1973 Fire may not be immediately available for review. All fire-related records must be examined by our Preservation staff and, when necessary, be treated to mitigate mold contamination or other damage. In some cases, the requested record may not be available for review due to the severity of damage. In these instances, where possible, photocopies will be provided to researchers.
   
   
3. Extremely fragile or severely damaged records may require extensive and time consuming conservation treatment from our Preservation Staff before they can be handled and/or photocopied.
   
   
4. Verification of whether the record is archival or non-archival (see Archival Records).
   
   
   • The general public is not allowed direct access to non-archival records. Limited information from these records is made available (via postal mail or fax) to the public under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). See Records Center Program for additional information on Federal (non-archival) records.
     
     
   • If the record is archival, veterans, or their next-of-kin (NOK), must schedule their visit in the Archival Research Room.
     
5. It may take considerable time to identify and locate the requested record. The efficiency of available finding aids varies.

The record reviews and preservation actions cited above could take several weeks (or months) to complete based upon various factors. Scheduling Research Room appointments in advance of visits is imperative.

Please note: The NPRC has limited research space. Therefore, project coordination and appointments are required in advance of visits. Researchers should schedule appointments so that most information can be obtained during the visit. Those involved in lengthy projects must coordinate all project aspects with the NPRC, including turnaround time. Researchers who plan their visits without advance coordination may not be able to receive requested information promptly. Please plan your visit in advance so that we may accommodate your needs.

Copy Fees:

Generally there is no charge for basic military personnel and medical record information provided to veterans, next-of-kin and authorized representatives. Fees may be charged for researchers if processing and photocopying becomes excessive. If your request involves a service fee, you will be notified as soon as that determination is made. See Archival Records for information on archival holdings and associated copy fees: the NARA fee schedule authorizes the Agency to collect fees from the public for copies of archival records (44 USC 2116c and 44 USC 2307).

Hours | Address | Directions

Hours of Operation:
Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. Central Time
(Closed weekends and Federal holidays)

Address:
National Personnel Records Center
1 Archives Drive
St. Louis, MO 63138

Telephone: 314-801-0800
Fax: 314-801-9195

Directions:
The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) is located at 1 Archives Drive, Saint Louis, MO 63138 in suburban North St. Louis County, near the intersection of U.S. 367 and Interstate 270.

From Lambert St. Louis International Airport, take I-270 East, exit left onto Bellefontaine Road, and take the first left onto Dunn Road. The NPRC will be on your right, at 1 Archives Drive. The Guard at the gate will provide further information about parking and building entry. Our Research Rooms are located on the first floor.