Obtain Your Military Service Completion Certificate: A How-To Guide

Table of Contents

Description

What is it?

The Military Service Completion Certificate is an official document that records an individual’s discharge from active military duty. It’s a historical document often required for genealogical research or citizenship by descent applications.

Who needs it?

Primarily, those researching their family’s history and individuals applying for citizenship by descent in Italy or Germany will need to access these documents.

Procedure

  1. Determine the relevant military district in Italy or Germany where the individual served or would have served.
  2. For Italy, write a letter in Italian to the “Ufficio Leva” or “Conscription Office” of the State Archive in the province where your ancestor was born or resided. Sample letter can be found here . Address details can be found here .
  3. For Germany, military records are generally held at the Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt) in Berlin. You can submit an application online here or by mail.

Required Documents

  • Your ID or passport
  • Proof of relationship to the person in question, like a birth or marriage certificate
  • Consent form if applying on behalf of someone else
  • Payment proof, if applicable

Providers that can do it for you

(We are currently curating the best providers. If you are or know a provider, please contact us or edit the page directly)

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Additional details

For Italy, if you’re unsure which military district is relevant, you can request information from all of the districts by addressing your request to the “Ufficio Leva” at the Ministry of Defense in Rome.

For Germany, please note that due to the destruction of certain documents during World War II, the Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt) may not have a complete record of everyone who served.

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