Eligibility, Dues and How to Join
Being a Member
The cornerstone of AMVETS membership is the local Post. Varying in size from 10 members to more than 2,000 in some cases, each AMVETS Post conducts programs and activities related to the state and national organization’s goals and objectives.
Membership, though, is not limited to joining the AMVETS Post in your hometown. In fact, there may not be a Post there or you may not live close to one. In such cases, an individual may elect to become a member-at-large.
Being a Member-at-Large
If you didn’t join a Post, you have the member status of a “member-at-large”. A member-at-large does not belong to a Post, yet the member is counted as a member to the state they have chosen upon application.
A member-at-large has all of the benefits of a Post member except a member-at-large has NO voting authority at the Post, Department, or National level. As a member-at-large, you can request a transfer. Download transfer form here.
We also offer two membership categories- Annual and Life -each with its own dues structure.
Eligibility & Dues
To be eligible for membership in AMVETS, you must have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, including the National Guard and Reserves, anytime after Sept. 15, 1940. Additionally, unless still serving, your discharge must have been under honorable conditions. If you served as an American citizen in the armed forces of an allied nation, under honorable conditions, between Sept. 15, 1940 and May 8, 1975, you are also eligible, as are wartime members of the Merchant Marine. Proof of eligibility can take the form of a DD-214, an honorable discharge certificate or other appropriate document.
You can request a copy of your Form DD-214 from the National Archives.
As a rule of thumb, annual dues are $30, but this amount may vary from state to state or Post to Post. Life Member dues are $500 as of 1/1/2011. These dues fund, in part, the programs, services and representation AMVETS provides.
You can download a Membership Application here.
In addition, our Department Headquarters will be happy to answer any membership questions you may have; simply give us a call at 1.989.821.1552
