Are you an ex-member applying to the Directorate of Honours and Awards for medals you may be eligible for? If so, please take the time to read the following information.
Firstly, in order to qualify for a medal, a person must have been formally allotted or assigned for official duty to the prescribed operational area and have contributed to the operation. It is not enough to be merely in the operational area to qualify.
Contrary to popular belief, the Directorate does not hold service records. To verify your medal entitlement/s, the Directorate is required to obtain your service record from the appropriate Service records offices or the National Archives of Australia (depending on when you served).
In some instances, the service record itself can be incomplete which makes it difficult to complete a full assessment of your service. When submitting an application for medals under these circumstances, it would be beneficial if you can include certified true copies of any official documents you hold which may indicate your service in an operational area. This can include, but is not limited to:
We may also accept some personal documents, including diaries or letters which record your address.
In the absence of any official documentation held by either yourself or on your service record, the Directorate will advise of other options that might be available to prove your service. In these cases, and as a last resort, you may be required to provide a number of statutory declarations to support your application, as follows:
The statutory declaration form is here.
Some of these provisions may also apply if you are considering making a posthumous claim for medals for which a family member qualified.The Directorate will advise of the requirements depending on the circumstance of each case.
AE 376 Application for the Issue of the Australian Operational Service Medal - Border Protection
Use this form if you are applying for the Australian Operational Service Medal - Border Protection.
AD807 Application for the Issue of Medals and/or Clasps
Use this form if you are applying for any medals and/or clasps.
AD807-2 Application for the Issue of Medals - Current Serving Reserve Member
In an effort to resolve some recently identified medal dispatch issues, a new Form (807-2) has been introduced specifically for serving Reservists.
AD808 Application for the Issue of Replacement Medals and/or Clasps
Use this form if you are applying for the replacement of medals which have previously been issued but have been lost, stolen or damaged. Please note - family members or next of kin cannot apply for replacement medals for a deceased person.
AD809 Application for the Posthumous Issue of Medals and/or Clasps
Use this form if you are applying for any medals and/or clasps (including the Australian Defence Medal) for a deceased person.
AD111 Application for Approval to Accept and Wear Foreign Awards
Use this form to apply for approval to accept and wear foreign service awards, or to wear foreign service awards received while serving as a member of a foreign defence force.
Use this form to apply retrospectively for the United Nations Medal.
Please return the form to the Directorate of Honours and Awards for verification.
List of People Authorised to Certify Documents
Web page last updated 13 December, 2012