NO ONE DOES MORE FOR VETERANS
VFW Membership Eligibility Criteria
There are three qualifiers for membership in the VFW as set out in our By-Laws. An individual must meet all three in order to become a member. They are as follows:
1. Citizenship: Must be a U.S. citizen or a U.S. National.
2. Honorable Service: must have served in the Armed Forces of the United States and either received a discharge of Honorable or general (Under Honorable Conditions), or be currently serving.
3. Service in a war, campaign, or expedition on foreign soil or in hostile waters. This can be proven by any of the following:
- An authorized campaign medal
- Receipt of Hostile Fire Pay or Imminent Danger Pay
- Service in Korea for 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days anytime since 1949
This information is usually available through a veteran's DD-214.
A complete list of campaign medals that quality an individual for VFW membership is found by consulting Secdtion 101 of the VFW Manual of Procedure.
If you have questions concerning membership eligibility, please contact: 1-888-JOIN-VFW or membership@vfw.org
VFW Member Application Form Click on the link to the left, which opens a PDF, print the PDF, and then fill in the application and mail it in to: VFW National Headquarters, 406 W. 34th Street, Kansas City, MO, 64111.
VFW General Information Click on the link to the left to open up the information page.