The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA98) provides access for living individuals (including foreign nationals) to personal data held about them by any organisation. The MOD does not currently charge for requests made under DPA98 although in certain circumstances, requests for unstructured manual data may attract a fee. DPA98 does not give private individuals access to personal data about other people or non-personal data.
To make a Subject Access Request (SAR) please download and complete DPA SAR Form 1694:
Application form: DPA SAR form 1694 (PDF) PDF or DOC formats
Please state clearly the information you require and send it, with the necessary proof of identification requested, to :
RN Disclosure Cell, Room 48, West
Battery, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO2 8DX
All questions or requests for
more information write to the above address or see
Obtaining information about yourself (Subject
Access Requests) on the MoD web site.
|
5: Royal Navy & Royal Marine Commissioned Officers currently serving, or who are retired and aged 60. or under: |
All enquiries should be addressed to:
The Naval Secretary,
Ministry of Defence,
Victory Building,
HM Naval Base,
Portsmouth,
Hampshire PO1 3LS.
NOTE: Prior to 1972 all RN personnel were given their service record when they discharged. After 1972 the RN retained pay details for pension purposes. Therefore the only information held on RN personnel who served prior to 1972 are their Service details (number, rank, name etc) and a list of dates and ships/shore bases. |
Some frequently asked questions answered |
Q Who can request information held on service records?
A
Anyone. Provided they have a valid reason - there are many reasons
for requesting someone’s service record. Some of the more common
reasons for requests are:
Proof
of service for joining military associations or ex-services
organisations.
Proof
of service to enable welfare assistance from ex-service
organisations.
Proof
of occupancy of Married Quarters to qualify for local council
housing.
Researching
family trees or history.
Information
held on service medical records.
Q.
Will I have to pay?
A
Only if your request is for genealogical/family tree reasons.
Q
As a former member of the Armed Forces can I obtain my own service
record?
A
Yes. Requests from former Service personnel for his/her personal
data held by the Ministry of Defence are processed in accordance
with the Data Protection Act 1998; such requests are called Subject
Access Requests (SAR).
Click here for a downloadable copy of a Subject Access Request form.
After completion it should be submitted to the address on the form.
You will need to provide some form of ID, (e.g. a copy of a passport
or recent utilities bill) which should accompany your completed SAR
form.
Q
Can I request a complete copy of my service record?
A
Yes, write to the relevant record office listed above.
Q
As the widow/widower or legal next of kin of an ex-serviceman can I
obtain information held on my spouses/parents/relatives service
record?
A
Yes, but you will need to provide proof of death and of kinship.
Write to the relevant record office listed above.
Q
If I am not the widow/widower or legal next of kin of an ex-service
person can I still obtain information about the service record of an
ex-service person?
A
Only if you can obtain a letter of consent from either the person
the record belongs to or, if that person is deceased from the
widow/widower or legal next of kin. Write to the relevant record
office listed above.
Information contained on this page is drawn from
the
Ministry of Defence
www.gov.uk/
the Veteran's Agency www.veterans-uk.info/
and The National Archives www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Information last verified January 2017
© The Royal Navy Research Archive 2005 -2017