Federal law requires that men who are at least 18 years old, but not yet 26 years old, must be registered with Selective Service. This includes all male non-citizens within these age limits who permanently reside in the U.S.  Men with "green cards" must register. Men living in the U.S. without BCIS documentation (undocumented aliens) must also register. Men cannot register after reaching age 26.

Non-immigrant men who are in the U.S. temporarily (diplomatic corps, trade mission personnel, men holding valid visitor or student visas, etc.) do not register.

A male non-citizen who first enters the U.S. as a permanent resident after he has already passed his 26th birthday is not required to register because he is over the age limit.

Women do not register because the law does not apply to them.

By registering with Selective Service, a man is not joining the U.S. military. He is only telling the government where he may be contacted if men must be called to serve in the military in a future national emergency. Even in an emergency, not all men would be called, and not all who are called would serve.

If a man fails to register as the law requires, he may not obtain:

• U.S. citizenship (when a non-citizen applies for citizenship)
• Government jobs
• Vocational training (under the JTPA program)
• Student loans and grants for college

It takes only a minute to register on-line. You must have a valid Social Security number to register this way.

BCIS General Counsel Bo Cooper has reconfirmed to AILA General Counsel Daryl Buffenstein that persons who last entered the U.S. under an advance parole are not subject to call-in special registration, despite assertions by some BCIS offices to the contrary.