What is DD Form 2062? It is a Department of Defense form titled DD Form 2062, Record of Preparation and Disposition of Remains (Outside Continental U.S.), April 1984, and its job is straightforward: Record of Preparation and Disposition of Remains (Outside CONUS). That single line covers most of what people want to know before they download it.
Does it apply to your branch? Yes. The DD prefix means Department of Defense, not one service, so the same blank serves the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force and the Coast Guard under Defense jurisdiction. There is no Army version and no Navy version to search for.
Who decides this form exists? not stated owns it; not stated directs its use. If someone told you to file this, the authority traces back to those.
Is this the right edition? The current one is dated not stated, and the publisher carries it as not stated. Check that against whatever copy you already have before going further.
What the form asks for
- Report number.
- Report control symbol.
- 1. Thru: (Recipients and Address Authorized Distribution).
- 2. To (Recipients and address authorized distribution).
- 3. From.
- Decedent data. 4. Remains of (last name, first, middle initial).
- 5. Grade/rank.
- 6. Social security number.
- 7. Branch of service. Press space bar to mark X in first box if Army, second box if Navy, third box if Air Force, fourth box if Marine Corps, or fifth box if other.
- 8. Cause of death.
- 9. Place of death.
- 7. Specify other branch of service.
- 10. Date of death (4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day).
- 11. Means of identification (complete and attach appropriate documentation).
- Mortuary data. 12. Remains received at mortuary. Date (4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day).
- Hour.
- 13. Embalming started. Date (4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day).
- Hour.
- 14. Embalming completed. Date (4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day).
- Hour.
- 15. Explain any delay in recovery, autopsy, preparation, inspection or shipment of remains.
- 16. Type of case. X first box if not autopsied, second box if autopsied.
- X if mutilated.
- X first box if viewable, second box if non-viewable, third box if viewing questionable.
Download the form
What can you download? The available set is PDF. How big is the job? The form runs 2 pages with roughly 138 fields to complete.
Why do two kinds of pdf exist? Because two kinds of user exist. One completes the form on screen and forwards a file; the other prints a blank and fills it by hand. The fillable release has interactive boxes, the printable release is a static image of the same page.
Should you type or write? Type, whenever the choice is yours. The reason is what happens after submission: the record gets copied and scanned, and every pass costs handwriting legibility that typed entries never lose.
What opens an xfdl file? IBM Lotus Forms Viewer, or a compatible client. Will your pdf reader do it? No, and it will likely report the file as damaged. Xfdl was the Defense standard for electronic forms for years, which is why it still appears in the set.
Is there a charge? No — free, all formats. Where should you open the file? In a full pdf application on your own machine. Browser-embedded viewers handle field properties unpredictably.
Can you skip around the form? Better not to. The layout runs identification, then content, then certification, and entries near the bottom frequently take their meaning from what sits above them.
What is the first thing to check? The edition date on the face of the form. Does it read not stated? If not, the copy is superseded, and a superseded DD form is a real problem: Department-level revisions replace the blank for every service at once, so an old file on a shared drive is stale everywhere, not just in your office.
Where do you look up an unclear entry? The form face first, not stated second. And when the two disagree? not stated controls.
Where does the completed form go? To the office named in not stated or in your organization's local procedure. Should you keep a copy? Always — a scan or a saved file costs nothing and spares you the whole exercise if the original disappears.
What if DD Form 2062 points to another form? Search the series and number. Because the DD sequence is common to every military department, no branch qualifier is needed to land on the right file.
Do DA and DD numbers ever correspond? Never. DA numbering is Army-specific, administered by an Army proponent, while DD numbering is Department-wide under not stated or an equivalent Department office. Identical digits in the two systems mean two unrelated documents, which is why the prefix matters more than the number.
Should you archive this file and reuse it next year? Better not. Forms are revised as directives are reissued, as data requirements shift and as statutory notice text is updated, and none of that reaches you directly. Download fresh, check the edition date.
What does this page actually provide? The blank form and a description of it. What does it not provide? Legal guidance, procedural rulings, or any assurance about a particular filing. Who answers those? not stated, the administrative office that serves you, or the authority identified in not stated.
Questions and answers
- What is DD Form 2062?
- DD Form 2062, Record of Preparation and Disposition of Remains (Outside Continental U.S.), April 1984
- Which edition is current?
- Not stated by the publisher
- Who is responsible for this form?
- Not stated
- In which formats can it be downloaded?