Selective Service System - It’s Your Country. Protect it. (2024)

FAQs

Is a Selective Service System letter legit? ›

It is important to know that the Selective Service System is legitimate. You may receive a letter from the Selective Service System which appears to say you have been signed up to join the US Military. You have not, but this is a legitimate letter and should not be ignored.

If required to register with Selective Service, failure to register is a felony punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or 5 years imprisonment.

What is Selective Service registration? Registration is a way our government keeps a list of names of men from which to draw in case of a national emergency requiring rapid expansion of our Armed Forces. By registering all young men, Selective Service ensures that a future draft will be fair and equitable.

The Agency holds their registration information and automatically enters their data into the system when they turn 18. Registering with Selective Service is your civic responsibility and keeps you eligible for student loans, job training, government jobs, and driver's licenses in most states.

What is a Status Information Letter (SIL)? A status information letter from the Selective Service System states the facts: Whether or not a man is registered; whether or not the man should have registered; or if he is exempt from registering.

Every man who is registered with the Selective Service System will receive a registration acknowledgement letter with a registration card in the mail from Selective Service within 90 days of registering. This is proof of your registration and can be used when applying for: state-based aid in 31 states. federal jobs.

There were at least 20 indictments in Federal court for violating the draft registration laws. The last one was in 1986. The stiffest sentence was for 2.5 years imprisonment; nobody served more than 6 months in jail, total, counting pre-trial jail time.

Failure to register is a felony and non-registrants may be denied the following benefits for life: State-based student loans and grant programs in 31 states. Federal job training under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (formerly Workforce Investment Act) Federal (and many state and local) jobs.

Federal Law requires nearly all male US citizens and male immigrants, 18 through 25, register with Selective Service.

Request a Status Information Letter: If you confirm that you were not registered, you can request a Status Information Letter from the Selective Service System. This letter will explain your registration status and provide details on whether you were required to register.

What disqualifies you from Selective Service? ›

The criteria for exemption from registration are: A man is placed in a hospital, nursing home, long-term care facility, or mental institution on or before his 18th birthday, had no breaks of institutionalization of 30 days or longer, and remained institutionalized until his 26th birthday.

Registration Compliance (CY 2023)

The National Registration Rate is 84 percent.

If you are age 26 or older, failed to register with the Selective Service, and don't fall into any of the legal exceptions to the registration requirement — then, by law, you could face a fine of up to $250,000 and/or a prison term of up to 5 years.

States with optional DLL allow men 18-25 to opt in or out of having their information transferred to Selective Service for registration by checking a box when applying for a state learner's permit, driver's license or renewal, or I.D. card.

Men turning 21 in the year of the draft would be second priority, men turning 22 would be third, and so on until a man turns 26, at which time he is over the age of liability.

Almost all male US citizens and male immigrants, who are 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.

USCIS assists with the registration process by transmitting the appropriate data to the Selective Service System (SSS) for male applicants between the ages of 18 and 26 who apply for adjustment of status.

In the U.S., it's not specific states that automatically register you for selective service. Rather, all males nationwide are required by federal law to register when they turn 18 years old. This system is maintained by the Selective Service Act and is for potential military conscription.