Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.912(a), Memorandum for Certificate of Military Service

Start with the free official Form 12.912(a)

Florida Courts currently lists Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.912(a), Memorandum for Certificate of Military Service, revised September 2016. The official PDF is five pages: three instruction pages followed by the two-page memorandum.

Source checked October 1, 2026. Confirm the revision on the current Florida Courts forms index ↗ before starting.

What the official instructions say this form is for

The instructions say Form 12.912(a) should be used whether the person completing it knows or does not know if the other party is on active duty. They state that proof of nonmilitary status may still be needed even when the person believes the other party never joined or would never join the military.

That is the packet's general description, not a determination that the form is required in a particular case or that a particular search proves military status. Form selection, evidence sufficiency, and the effect of a response can require legal judgment.

Form 12.912(a) and Form 12.912(b) do different jobs

Completing the memorandum does not create a verification response, complete the affidavit, make a sworn statement, or file anything with the court.

What information appears on Form 12.912(a)?

1. Match the existing case caption

Organize the judicial circuit, county, case number, division, petitioner, and respondent exactly as shown in the existing case. The request later identifies the respondent again in the “RE” section.

The memorandum does not create a new case or decide how a party should be labeled. Compare the information with the filed case record.

2. Verify every recipient before sending

The printed memorandum has six checkboxes: Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Navy, Marine Corps, and Public Health Service. The instructions say to complete the form for each listed branch. They also warn that the contact information was correct only as of the form's effective date and may change.

3. Protect the respondent's Social Security number

The official memorandum prints a field for the respondent's Social Security number. That is a sensitive identifier, and this public guide does not request or collect it.

Before sending any Social Security number, verify that the recipient and transmission method are authentic and current, determine what information the recipient requires, and follow applicable privacy and court-filing requirements. Do not place the number into an ordinary email, web form, or mailing address merely because that method appears in the 2016 packet.

4. Read the fixed request and fee statement before using it

The memorandum's fixed paragraph requests a determination of present military-service status and dates of induction and discharge, if any. It also says that a check for the entered search fee and a self-addressed, stamped envelope are enclosed.

Enter a fee amount only when it matches the current recipient's requirements, and use the printed enclosure statement only when the described items are actually included. The packet says a branch may charge a service fee and directs readers to verify the current fee and mailing address.

5. Keep the current DMDC option separate from the 2016 branch list

The packet points to the Defense Manpower Data Center for SCRA certificates, but its printed URL is dated. The current official DMDC SCRA website ↗ offers Single Record Requests for a report concerning Title 10 active-duty status and explains the information its search uses.

A DMDC report does not by itself select a Florida form, decide whether separate branch requests are necessary, establish that evidence is sufficient, or complete Form 12.912(b). Review the current official system and obtain legal help when the scope or meaning of a result is unclear.

6. Keep each response and connect it to the affidavit workflow

The instructions say to keep a copy of each memorandum. After receiving verification from each branch, they direct the reader to attach those verifications to Form 12.912(b), Affidavit of Military Service, for filing with the clerk.

Preserve what was sent, how and when it was sent, the response received, and any supporting certificate. Do not convert a response into a sworn conclusion without reading the affidavit's four statements and understanding what can truthfully be signed.

7. Complete date, signature, and contact fields from actual facts

The memorandum's last page provides a date line, the petitioner's signature and printed name, mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and designated email addresses. Unlike Form 12.912(b), this memorandum does not display a notary block.

Completing a PDF does not sign it, send it to a military service, create a certificate, or file a document. Review the destination's current instructions before deciding how the memorandum should be executed or transmitted.

Read the e-filing and e-service sections in context

The September 2016 packet includes sections about e-filing, e-service, Form 12.915, Form 12.914, and rules numbered 2.525 and 2.516. Those court-process instructions are separate from verifying the current submission method accepted by a military-status recipient.

Florida Courts' current self-help guidance ↗ emphasizes that self-represented parties must follow current statewide rules and local procedures. Check present official requirements rather than relying solely on the older packet.

Nonlawyer assistance has separate disclosure fields

The instructions say that a nonlawyer who helps complete the form must provide Form 12.900(a), Disclosure from Nonlawyer, before helping and must place identifying information at the bottom of the last page. Form 12.912(a) provides those blanks after the petitioner's contact block.

Complete that section only from the facts of assistance actually provided and review the current official disclosure requirements.

Common factual questions

Official information and independent help

Prepared by Sun State Legal Forms. Published and substantively reviewed October 1, 2026 using the complete official Florida Courts packet and current official form listing. Read our content and source-review standards.