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All people whose assigned sex at birth was male living in the United States, including citizens, and documented or undocumented immigrants, who are 18 through 25 years old, must register with Selective Service. You are first able to register with the Selective Service within 30 days of your 18th birthday. Females are not required to register unless their assigned sex at birth was male. Males whose assigned sex at birth was female do not have to register.
Simply registering with the Selective Service is not the same as volunteering to join the military. The Selective Service registry is used only if the U.S. has a military draft. The U.S. has not had a draft since 1973. In a draft, men are chosen for mandatory military service by random numbers and their year of birth. If there was a draft and you were chosen, you would be examined for fitness for service before actually joining the military. Also, if there is a draft, men who object to war and killing on moral or religious grounds can apply as a “conscientious objector.” If approved, they can serve in a different role.
You can register for Selective Service by visiting the website, at any post office, by mail, at the Department of Public Safety (DPS) when you apply for or renew your driver license or Texas ID card, and at most high schools. The form has no space for claiming any exemptions, such as conscientious objection. You can write on the bottom of the registration card: “I am a conscientious objector.” You will receive a confirmation from the Selective Service within 30 to 90 days after registering.
If you do not receive confirmation, you should contact the Selective Service System at (847) 688-6888. You can check the Selective Service System website to see if you are registered. You should keep your registration card in a safe place with your other identification documents; not only is it proof that you registered, but it can be used to help establish your identity. Any time you move before you turn 26, you are also required to update your address with the Selective Service.
THERE ARE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES IF YOU DON’T REGISTER FOR SELECTIVE SERVICE
If you don’t register, you can be fined up to $250,000 and imprisoned for up to five years, although no one has been charged since 1986. Plus, if you don’t register, then you will not be eligible for financial aid for school, federal job training, or government jobs. Male immigrants are not eligible for citizenship if they do not register. If you do not register before you turn 26, then you may never be able to get some of those benefits, even if you do not find out the registration was needed for the program many years after you are 26 years old and it is too late to register.