DVA Card Number: How to Read It and Where to Find It

What Your DVA Card Number Actually Is

DVA has its own name for this number. Knowing the official term helps when a form or a call centre asks for it.

It Is Your Veteran File Number

That printed number is your Veteran File Number, or VFN for short. DVA's page on discounts and concessions confirms that the VFN is the number shown on your DVA card.

The same page explains how other government agencies check your status. Some look at your card, either the plastic one or the version on your phone.

Others ask for a letter from DVA or run an online check through Services Australia and that check needs your VFN or your UIN.

Your VFN and Your UIN Are Different Numbers

You may also have a second DVA reference called a Unique Identification Number, or UIN. It is seven digits long, so it looks nothing like your file number.

Your UIN appears on a Pensioner Concession Card and on any letter from DVA. An agency checking you online may accept either number, so it is worth knowing where to find both.

What This Page Covers

This page is about the number itself, not what the card does. We cover the card types in a separate Veteran Card guide. If the department as a whole is new to you, start with my plain-English overview of DVA.

How to Read Your DVA File Number

DVA gives each client a file number made up of three parts plus an optional letter at the end. DVA's claims policy manual describes the pattern. The exact length comes from the Australian Digital Health Agency's DVA number format:

• Character 1: A state code: A, N, Q, S, T, V or W
• Characters 2 to 8: A war code of one to three characters, then digits to fill the space
• Character 9: An optional segment link, which is always a letter

Eight or Nine Characters in Total

The file number runs to eight or nine characters. The first eight are the core of the number and the ninth is an optional extra letter. Copy it exactly as printed, letters included, because the letters carry meaning of their own.

It helps to read the number in chunks rather than as one long string. Start with the single state letter, then the war code, then the run of digits, then any letter at the end.

The First Letter Shows a State

The opening letter is a state code tied to where you lived when that number was issued. The policy manual uses N for New South Wales as its example and DVA's concessions pages add Q for Queensland and V for Victoria.

The Digital Health Agency lists seven letters that can appear in this spot: A, N, Q, S, T, V and W.

The War Code Comes Next

After the state letter comes what DVA calls a war code. It runs from one to three characters and relates to when the person served.

For people claiming under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004, the policy manual says the war code is SM. It also points out that SM is not unique to that Act. The code was first used for veterans whose eligibility dates are after 1972.

People who served in earlier periods can carry other war codes. That is why two veterans' numbers can look quite different at first glance.

Digits Fill the Remaining Spaces

Digits follow the war code until the number reaches eight characters. A one-character war code leaves room for six digits, while a three-character code leaves four.

Put together, a New South Wales number with the SM war code reads N, then SM, then five digits, sometimes followed by a letter. The policy manual calls the digits a sequential number.

The Optional Letter at the End

Some file numbers finish with a ninth character, and it is always a letter. The Digital Health Agency calls it a segment link and marks it as optional.

Not every number has one. If your card shows a letter at the end, it belongs to the number. Include it whenever you write the number down.

Why Your File Number Can Change

A move across a state border can leave the first letter of your number out of step with your new home. What DVA does about it depends on whether you receive income support.

If You Receive Income Support

If you receive income support (Service Pension, Age Pension or ISS) and move interstate, you must let DVA know.

According to a DVA news update on veteran concessions, the department then updates both your card and your file number. The new card carries a Veteran File Number with the prefix for the state you moved to.

When You Do Not Receive Income Support

Without income support, getting a new number is up to you, but it can still be worth doing. DVA notes that a number from your old state may not match the prefix the new state expects.

When that happens, you have two options. You can ask DVA for a new number or ask the concession provider to use your UIN instead. Whatever you decide, keep your postal address current in MyService so replacement cards reach you.

Some state agencies want the prefix to match your current state before a concession applies. My guide to DVA discounts and concessions sets out which government runs each scheme.

Places to Look for Your File Number

Your file number appears on the card, but that is not the only place to look. Here is where to find it when the plastic is lost, worn out or sitting at home.

On the Plastic Card

The first place to look is the card itself. DVA's main Veteran Card page says DVA is reissuing All Conditions and Specific Conditions cards with a new look from July 2026. Some holders may wait until October for theirs.

In the meantime, your current card stays valid even once the printed expiry date has gone by. If your new card has not arrived by 31 October 2026, DVA asks you to check your postal details in MyService.

Outside the refresh, cards carry an expiry date on the front. A replacement should reach you about a month before that date, so there is nothing to apply for.

A missing or damaged card can be replaced. Order one in MyService or ring 1800 VETERAN.

In MyService

MyService is DVA's online account and DVA's MyService page confirms your card is available there in digital form. Your home page there may also show your card details.

The one exception is the Pharmaceuticals Only Veteran Card, which has no digital equivalent. If you hold that card, keep the plastic one somewhere safe.

You can also order a replacement from the Cards page in MyService. DVA's guidance on card replacements says the new card should reach you within four weeks.

MyService keeps official letters as well. Under Correspondence, you can download or request letters for concessions. One of them proves you are a cardholder.

On Your Phone Through myGov

Once MyService and myGov are connected, the card can go into the wallet on myGov's phone app. DVA's myGov wallet FAQs confirm this digital copy shows the same details as the plastic card. Those are the name, card type, expiry date and file number.

To add it, open Wallet from the app's opening screen and tap the plus sign. Tap Veteran Card when it appears in the list, then accept the consent step. You can pin the card to that opening screen as well.

Health providers decide for themselves whether to take a digital card, so carry the plastic one when in doubt. The wallet exists only inside the app, not on the myGov site. Once added, the card opens even with no mobile signal, which helps at a country chemist with patchy coverage.

After an interstate move, two cards can sit side by side in the app for about five weeks. The older one still shows your old file number. It works in the state you left until DVA recalls it.

If two cards turn up without a move, or the details on the digital copy look wrong, DVA asks you to ring 1800 VETERAN.

Open the live card, not a screenshot of it. DVA's questions and answers on the card refresh say providers will not accept a screenshot.

By Phone or in Person

You have three ways to contact DVA. Use MyService, ring 1800 VETERAN or visit one of its Veterans' Access Network offices. DVA invites anyone who needs help with their VFN or UIN to call that number.

If DVA already holds a record for you, its MyService page lists three ways to obtain the code used to connect your account. You can call, visit a Veterans' Access Network office or go to a Services Australia location.

To find an office, open DVA's location finder. Choose State offices and Veterans' Access Network (VAN) as the location type for DVA's own offices. Choose Veterans Information Service to see Services Australia centres with extra face-to-face help for veterans.

Numbers That Are Easy to Confuse

Veterans collect a lot of reference numbers and a few of them look like they could be the one a provider wants. Here is how to tell them apart.

PMKeyS, Service and Client Numbers

PMKeyS numbers and file numbers are two separate things. DVA's MyService set-up guide asks people who are still serving for their PMKeyS number when they register. The registration screen lists PMKeyS, service and DVA client numbers as three different entries.

DVA's own policy manual uses client number and file number for the same code. If a form's wording leaves you unsure which one it wants, ring DVA before you submit it.

Your MyService Activation Code

This code is what you enter to connect your DVA service to myGov. DVA also uses it as part of the linking process. It has nothing to do with the number a provider asks for, so there is no reason to share it.

Expect some identity questions when you call for a code. The set-up guide says staff may ask for details such as your date of birth and file number. Have both ready before you ring.

If You Do Not Have a File Number Yet

A file number comes with being registered as a DVA client. If you have never had any dealings with DVA, you may not have one yet. A Veteran Card depends on eligibility, so a file number on its own does not mean a card is on the way.

In my work, the claim comes before the card. When DVA accepts a service-related condition, it can send a Veteran Card without a separate application. That is why, for the veterans I help, the claim is where I start.

Getting Started With DVA

For first-time DVA clients, the set-up guide says the first job is registering your details through MyService. DVA then emails your activation code within 24 hours.

From there, DVA's guide to lodging Initial Liability treats Initial Liability as the starting point for compensation. Both serving and ex-serving ADF members can lodge it in MyService.

If you think DVA may already hold a record for you, call before you register online. DVA's help page on MyService errors warns that people with an existing record who try the online registration are likely to hit errors. Our walkthrough of the DVA claims process covers what comes next.

Help With Your First Claim

Our team helps veterans prepare Initial Liability claims with DVA. That includes people who have never dealt with the department before.

Know Your Number Before the Counter Asks

Your file number is short, but its letters carry real meaning, so keep it where you can reach it.

With over 10,000 veterans supported, Veterans First Consulting works as an independent, paid DVA claims service.

If you are starting a claim or checking on one, contact Veterans First Consulting for a straight answer.