Almost all male U.S. citizens and male immigrants who are 18 through 25 must register with Selective Service. Selective Service
This checker asks up to four questions and links each rule it uses to the law or Selective Service page it comes from.
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Selective Service Registration Checker
Answer up to four questions to see whether registration with Selective Service is required, by when, and how a draft would work. It covers the common rules, and each result names the exceptions that could change it.
How to answer this
Selective Service applies the requirement to people born male. Selective Service
Selective Service says the law covers only “male persons,” and Congress would have to change it before women could be required to register. Selective Service
How this checker works:
- Almost all male U.S. citizens and male immigrants who are 18 through 25 must register with Selective Service. Selective Service
- Selective Service applies the requirement to people born male. Selective Service
- Men in the U.S. in lawful nonimmigrant status, such as on a student, work or tourist visa, don’t have to register as long as they keep that status. U.S. Code
- Members of the armed forces on active duty don’t register while on active duty; active duty for training doesn’t count as active duty. Selective Service
- Neither do men who are incarcerated, or hospitalized or institutionalized for medical reasons. Selective Service
- They must register within 30 days of release unless they’re already 26; only those on active duty or confined the whole time from 18 to 26 are fully exempt. Selective Service
How This Checker Decides
- Almost all male U.S. citizens and male immigrants who are 18 through 25 must register with Selective Service. Selective Service
- Selective Service applies the requirement to people born male. Selective Service
- Men in the U.S. in lawful nonimmigrant status, such as on a student, work or tourist visa, don’t have to register as long as they keep that status. U.S. Code
- Members of the armed forces on active duty don’t register while on active duty; active duty for training doesn’t count as active duty. Selective Service
- Neither do men who are incarcerated, or hospitalized or institutionalized for medical reasons. Selective Service
- They must register within 30 days of release unless they’re already 26; only those on active duty or confined the whole time from 18 to 26 are fully exempt. Selective Service
When and How to Register
- Men register on their 18th birthday or in the 30 days before or after it. U.S. Code
- Register now if that window has passed: Selective Service accepts late registrations until a man turns 26. Selective Service
- Men who come to live in the U.S. when they’re 18 through 25, in any status other than lawful nonimmigrant, must register within 30 days after arriving. U.S. Code
- Once a man turns 26, it’s too late to register. Selective Service
- Register online at sss.gov with a name, address, date of birth and Social Security number. Selective Service
- Check registration status at sss.gov/verify. Selective Service
- A new law has Selective Service register men automatically starting Dec. 18, 2026; until then, men must register themselves. U.S. Code
Without Registration
- Failing to register when required is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both. Selective Service
- Men who don’t register can lose eligibility for state-funded student aid and jobs in many states, most federal jobs, job training under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and U.S. citizenship for immigrant men. Selective Service
- Whether someone gets a job or benefit that requires registration is decided by the agency or organization reviewing the application, not by Selective Service. Selective Service
If There Were a Draft
- Selective Service keeps the list for a national emergency; it’s used only if Congress and the President tell Selective Service to supply people for the military. Selective Service
- In a draft, men could be called from age 18 and a half until 26. Men who are deferred stay liable for service until age 35. U.S. CodeU.S. Code
- After volunteers, men whose postponements ended, and men already ordered to report whose deferments or exemptions ended, men in the calendar year they turn 20 would be called first, then those turning 21 through 25 in turn, then the age groups 26 through 34, then 19-year-olds, then men 18 and a half. Men 26 and older would generally be called only if they had already been ordered to report and had a deferment or similar classification. 32 CFR 1624.432 CFR 1624.3(c)
- A lottery of birthdays would set the order within each age group. 32 CFR 1624.1(a)
- Men 18 and a half would be called oldest first, by date of birth. 32 CFR 1624.3(e)