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Veteran Designation on Your Driver Licence or Photo ID

An honorably discharged veteran can have their licence or photo identification card marked to recognise military service. It is added at any driver services centre against a certified or original DD-214 — and if you are not due for renewal, a duplicate costs $8.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

An honorably discharged veteran can have their licence or photo identification card marked to recognise military service. It is added at any driver services centre against a certified or original DD-214 — and if you are not due for renewal, a duplicate costs $8.

What it's worth: A veteran marking on your licence or ID — $8 for a first duplicate if you are not due to renew

  • This is a designation, not a fee waiver. Standard state issuance or renewal fees apply.
  • If it is not time for renewal, a duplicate non-commercial licence or identification card costs $8 for a first duplicate and $12 for a second.
  • The value is practical rather than monetary: a service-proving document you carry, which saves producing a DD-214 for everyday veteran discounts and identification.

Who is entitled to it

  • The designation records your own service.
  • You were honorably discharged.
  • Your home is in Tennessee.

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

  1. 1Take a certified or original copy of the DD-214. The department is specific that a certified or original copy is what is required.
  2. 2Time it with your renewal if you can. Adding the designation at renewal means paying only the ordinary renewal fee.
  3. 3If you cannot wait, ask for a duplicate: $8 for a first duplicate of a non-commercial licence or identification card, $12 for a second.
  4. 4Any driver services centre statewide can do this; a county clerk partner can issue duplicates of non-commercial licences.
  5. 5If your DD-214 is not certified, register it with your county register first — that is free, and it produces the certified copy this needs.
  6. 6Ask what the designation looks like on the card before you leave, so you know what to point at when a business asks for proof of service.
Form
Application at a driver services centre
File with
Tennessee driver services centre, or a county clerk partner for a duplicate
Documents you will need
dd214
At each renewal
Claimed again whenever the underlying licence or registration renews.
CorrectionThe designation is not free-standing of the licence fee. It is a marking on a licence you pay the ordinary price for, and taking it early means paying a duplicate fee on top.
Worth knowingRegistering the discharge with your county register is free and produces the certified copy this application needs. Doing that first turns two errands into one solved problem.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.