The Golden Hoosier Passport — $25 a Year, and Free by Post for Former POWs
A $25 annual passport giving unlimited admission to Indiana's state-owned parks, recreation areas, reservoirs and forests, for veterans who meet the Disabled Hoosier Veteran plate criteria. Former prisoners of war receive the pass AUTOMATICALLY BY POST — they do not apply. Historic sites and museums are outside it.
Verified August 27, 2026
What this benefit is
A $25 annual passport giving unlimited admission to Indiana's state-owned parks, recreation areas, reservoirs and forests, for veterans who meet the Disabled Hoosier Veteran plate criteria. Former prisoners of war receive the pass AUTOMATICALLY BY POST — they do not apply. Historic sites and museums are outside it.
What it's worth: $25 a year for unlimited state park entry — free and automatic for former POWs
- The passport is $25 a year and gives unlimited admission to state-owned parks, recreation areas, reservoirs and forests.
- FORMER PRISONERS OF WAR RECEIVE PASSES AUTOMATICALLY BY POST. They do not apply, and the envelope is easy to mistake for junk mail.
- Eligibility for the veteran route is meeting the Disabled Hoosier Veteran plate criteria — which include vision loss, limb loss and a condition precluding walking without pain, not only a 50% rating.
- Historic sites and museums are NOT included.
- It is annual, so it has to be renewed.
Who is entitled to it
- You served in the U.S. armed forces.
- You have a VA service-connected disability.
- You are an Indiana resident.
Not sure whether that describes you?
Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.
How to claim it
- 1If you are a former prisoner of war, watch the post. The pass comes automatically and you need do nothing.
- 2Otherwise buy the $25 passport from the natural resources department, having established the Disabled Hoosier Veteran plate criteria.
- 3Check those criteria before ruling yourself out — vision loss, limb loss and a condition precluding walking without pain all qualify, not just a 50% rating.
- 4Do not expect it at historic sites or museums. It covers parks, recreation areas, reservoirs and forests.
- 5Renew annually.
- Form
- Purchased from DNR, or issued automatically
- File with
- Indiana Department of Natural Resources
- Documents you will need
- va benefit summary letter
- Annual
- Claimed once a year.
Sources
- authority · published policyIndiana Department of Veterans Affairs — Golden Hoosier Passport
- operating · published policyIndiana Department of Natural Resources
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.