What is Selective Service Registration?
Registration is the process by which the
US government collects names and addresses of men age
18 through 25 to use in case a national emergency requires
rapid expansion of the Armed Forces.
Will
I Be Drafted?
Registering with Selective Service does not mean you are joining
the military. And registering with Selective Service does
not mean you are signing up for the all voluntary Armed Services.
The fact that a man is required to register does not mean
that he will be drafted. No one has been drafted since 1973.
No one can be drafted into the military unless ordered by
Congress and the President. A draft would most likely occur
only in the event of war or national emergency.
What Happens If I Don’t Register?
Young men convicted of failure to register may be fined up
to $250,000, imprisoned for up to five years, or both. In
addition to being subject to prosecution, failure to register
may cause you to permanently forfeit eligibility for certain
benefits. Not registering is a felony.
What Are The Benefits?
Registering with Selective Service can open doors for you.
For example, Selective Service registration is often required
for Federal Job Training that can train you for jobs as an
auto mechanic, electrician, carpenter, and many other types
of jobs. A man must be registered before he can get Federal
(and some state) loans, grants, and scholarships. Also, Selective
Service registration is required for eligibility for US citizenship
and government jobs, such as a postal worker, computer technician,
policeman, budget specialist, and others.
HOW TO REGISTER
Click here
to fill out the registration form online.
WHO MUST REGISTER
With few exceptions, all male US citizens and male immigrant
aliens residing in the US and its territories must register
within 30 days of their 18th birthday. Refer to the chart
below for specifics:
Category
Yes
No
All male US Citizens born after December 31,
1959, who are 18 but not yet 26 years old, except as noted
below;
•
Military-Related
Members of the Armed Forces on active duty (active
duty for training does not constitute "active duty" for registration
purposes)
• *
Cadets and Midshipmen at Service
Academies or Coast Guard Academy
• *
Cadets at the Merchant Marine Academy
•
Students in Officer Procurement Programs
at the Citadel, North Georgia College, Norwich University, and Virginia
Military Institute
• *
National Guardsmen and Reservists
not on active duty
•
Delayed Entry Program enlistees
•
ROTC students
•
Separatees from Active Military Service,
separated for any reason before age 26
• *
Men rejected for enlistment for any
reason before age 26
•
Civil Air Patrol members
•
Aliens **
Lawful non-immigrant on visas (e.g.,
diplomatic and consular personnel and families, foreign
students, tourists with unexpired Forms I-94, I-95A, or
Border Crossing Documents I-185, I-186, or I-444)
•
Permanent resident aliens
•
Special (seasonal) agricultural workers
(I-688)
•
Special agricultural workers (I-688A)
•
Refugee, parolee, and asylee aliens
•
Undocumented (illegal) aliens
•
Dual national U.S. citizens
•
Confined
Incarcerated, or hospitalized or
institutionalized for medical reasons
•
Handicapped physically or mentally
Able to function in public with or
without assistance
•
Continually confined to a residence,
hospital, or institution
•
* Must register within 30 days of release unless already age 26, or already
registered when released, or unless exempt during entire period age 18 through
25.
** Residents of Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands
when they are habitual residents in the United States. Habitual residence is
presumed whenever a national or a citizen of the Republic of the Marshall Islands
or the Federated States of Micronesia resides in the United States for more
than one year in any status, except as a student of employee of the government
of his homeland.
AFTER YOU REGISTER
Watch Your Mail!
Within 90 days after registering, you should receive in the
mail a Registration Acknowledgment from Selective Service
which will provide you with a copy of your registration record.
Safeguard that document since it will serve as official proof
of your registration. If you do not receive a Registration
Acknowledgment within 90 days after registering, it is very
important that you write to the address below, or call (847)
688-6888 to verify that your registration has been received.
Selective Service System
Registration Information Office
P.O. Box 94638
Palatine, IL 60094-4638
Update Your Record
Once you register, the law also requires you to keep Selective
Service informed of your address changes so you can be reached
without delay. You can inform Selective Service of an address
change by writing to the address above, or you may go to any
post office for a Change-Of-Information Form (SSS Form 2),
fill it out and mail to Selective Service.
