Selective Service System

REGISTRATION IS EASY AND IT'S THE LAW.
Register with the Selective Service! Save a stamp. Save time. Register on-line at www.sss.gov, or pick up a registration card at your local post office.

WHY REGISTER
Keep your future free of roadblocks. Registration is required for young men to stay eligible for:

• Most Federal jobs and jobs with the United States Postal Service;
• Federal student loans and grants;
• State student aid (in most States), and even admission to some state schools;
• Job training benefits;
• United States citizenship for male immigrants seeking citizenship.

WHO MUST REGISTER
Almost all males living in the United States, between the ages of 18 through 25, are required to register with Selective Service. It's important to know that even though he is registered, a man will not automatically be inducted into the military. In a crisis requiring a draft, men would be called in sequence determined by random lottery number and year of birth. Then, they would be examined for mental, physical, and moral fitness by the military before being inducted into the Armed Forces, or deferred or exempted from military service.

WHEN TO REGISTER
The law requires virtually all male United States citizens (regardless of where they live), and male immigrants residing in the United States (permanent resident aliens), to register within 30 days of their 18th birthday. Therefore, to be in full compliance with the law, a man turning 18 should register during the period of time beginning 30 days before, until 30 days after his 18th birthday...a 60-day window.

Late registrations are accepted, but not once a man reaches age 26. Men who do not register within the 60-day window are technically in violation of the law and should register as soon as possible.

Early Submission: It is now possible for a man to submit registration information early, as long he is at least 17 years old. Selective Service will keep his information on file and process it automatically later in the year, when the man is within 30 days of reaching his 18th birthday. An acknowledgment card will be mailed to the man when his registration is processed. To submit early registration information, follow the same procedures as men who are 18 through 25 years old.

HOW TO REGISTER
The easiest and fastest way for a man to register is to register on-line. Or a man can fill out a registration card and send it to the Selective Service System. The form asks for the young man's full name, address, date of birth, telephone number, and Social Security number (if he has one). His signature is also required on the registration card.

Here are some ways to register:

• REGISTER ON-LINE
  Young men may now register on-line with Selective Service at www.sss.gov.
• AT THE POST OFFICE
  Selective Service registration forms are available at any post office. After filling it out, the registrant signs the form in the presence of a postal clerk and shows some identification, such as a birth certificate or driver's license. The postal clerk then sends the form to the Selective Service System. More recently, post offices are stocking "mailback" registration forms. A man can fill it out, sign it, affix postage, and mail it to Selective Service without the involvement of the postal clerk. Men living overseas may register at any United States Embassy or consular office.
• BY MAIL
  A young man may also register by filling out a Reminder Mailback Card. Selective Service sends this card to many young men around the time they turn 18. Mailback cards are also available at some post offices. A man can fill out the card at home and mail it directly to Selective Service. Forms will be sent to: Selective Service System, Registration Information Office, P.O.Box 94638, Palatine, IL 60094-4638.
• CHECK BOX
  Another way a young man can register is to check a box on the application form for Federal Student Financial Aid (FAFSA form). A man can check "Yes" on Box #29 of that form, and the Department of Education will furnish Selective Service with the information to register the man.
• AT THEIR HIGH SCHOOL
  More than half the high schools in the Nation have a staff member or teacher appointed as a Selective Service Registrar. These individuals help register male high school students.

REGISTRATION EXCEPTIONS AND EXEMPTIONS

NONCITIZENS
Some noncitizens are required to register; others are not. Noncitizens who are not required to register with Selective Service include men who are in the United States on student or visitor visas, and men who are part of a diplomatic or trade mission and their families. Almost all male noncitizens are required to register, including illegal aliens, legal permanent residents, and refugees. The general rule is that a male noncitizen who first takes up permanent residence in the United States when he is at least 18 years old, but not yet 26 years old, must register within 30 days of becoming a resident. If he first enters the United States as a resident when he is 26 years old or older, he does not register with Selective Service because he is too old to register.

DUAL NATIONALS
Dual nationals of the United States and another country are required to register, regardless of where they live, because they are also United States nationals.

HOSPITALIZED OR INCARCERATED MEN
Young men in hospitals, mental institutions, or prisons do not have to register while they are committed. However, they must register within 30 days after being released if they have not yet reached their 26th birthday.

DISABLED MEN
Disabled men who live at home must register with Selective Service if they can reasonably leave their homes and move about independently.

Men with disabilities that would disqualify them from military service still must register with Selective Service. Selective Service does not presently have authority to classify men.

FULL-TIME MILITARY EXEMPTED FROM REQUIREMENT
Young men serving in the military on full-time active duty do not have to register. Those attending the service academies do not have to register. If a young man leaves the military before turning 26, he must register.

NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVES
Members of the National Guard and Reserve not on full-time active duty must register.

CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS
Men who would be classified as Conscientious Objectors if they were drafted must also register with Selective Service. If a draft begins and they are called, they would have the opportunity to file a claim for exemption from military service based upon their religious or moral objection to war.

For more information, contact Selective Service at 1-888-655-1825 or visit their website at www.sss.gov AS OF: 03-16-2001

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