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U.S. immigrants are required by law to register with the Selective Service System.
NOTE: Registering with Selective Service is not signing up for the Armed Services. The Selective Service System is not part of the Department of Defense.
With very few exceptions, all immigrant males between ages 18 and 25 are required by law to register with the Selective Service System (SSS) within 30 days of arriving in the United States. This includes naturalized citizens, parolees, undocumented immigrants, legal permanent residents, asylum seekers, refugees, and all males with visas more than 30 days expired.
Non-immigrant men living in the United States on a valid visa are not required to register for as long as they remain on a valid visa up until they turn 26. If you have received a letter from us requesting that you register, please send us copies of supporting documentation to show you are exempt.
Once a man turns 26, he is no longer able to register with the Selective Service System. If you entered the U.S. prior to turning 26, but are now 26 or older, and have not registered, learn more here.
Immigrant men who are 31 or older who are seeking naturalization and who did not register are no longer required to provide a “status information letter” or documentation of their status from Selective Service. If asked for a status information letter, you may print a form letter concerning their request for a letter for use with USCIS.
If you do not have a social security number, you can visit your local post office to pick up a form or download it here. Please mail your form to:
Selective Service System
P.O. Box 94739
Palatine, IL 60094-4739
To correct or provide your social security number or update other personal information, please call us at 847-688-6888 for assistance.
You are required to notify us of an address change within 10 days of moving, up until January 1st of the year you turn 26 years old. Men are no longer required to notify Selective Service of address changes once they are 26 years old or older.
We do not now, or in the past, collect or share any information which would indicate a man’s immigration status, either documented or undocumented. Selective Service has no authority to collect such information, has no use for it, and it is irrelevant to the registration requirement. Consequently, there is no immigration data to share with anyone.
U.S. dual nationals are required by law to register with the Selective Service System within 30 days of their 18th birthday, regardless of whether they live inside or outside of the United States.
NOTE: Registering with Selective Service is not signing up for the Armed Services. The Selective Service System is not part of the Department of Defense.
Most are liable for induction into the U.S. Armed Forces if there is a draft. They would also be eligible for any deferments, postponements, and exemptions available to all other registrants.
However, some non-citizens and dual nationals would be exempt from induction into the military if there is a draft, depending on their country of origin and other factors. Some of these exemptions include:
Some countries have agreements with the U.S. which exempt a non-citizen national who is a citizen of both that country and the U.S. from military service in the U.S. Armed Forces. A non-citizen who requests and is exempt under an agreement or bilateral treaty can never become a U.S. citizen, and may have trouble reentering the U.S. if he leaves.
A non-citizen who served at least a year in the military of a country with which the U.S. is involved in mutual defense activities will be exempt from military service if he is a national of a country that grants reciprocal privileges to citizens of the U.S.
During a draft, any claims for exemptions based on any of the above categories would be granted or denied by a man’s Local Board.
