Men 26 and Older | Selective Service System (2024)

FAQs

Can I register for Selective Service after 26? ›

If you are 26 or older, it's too late to register.

Once a man turns 26, he is no longer able to register with the Selective Service System.

According to law, a man must register with Selective Service within 30 days of his 18th birthday. Selective Service accepts late registrations up until a man reaches his 26^th birthday.

The Selective Service Act was reauthorized in 1951 as the Universal Military Training and Service Act, and all males age 18 to 26 were required to register for the draft.

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. Also, a person who knowingly counsels, aids, or abets another to fail to comply with the registration requirement is subject to the same penalties.

For example, if a draft were held in 2020, those men born in 2000 would be considered first. 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.

Each succeeding year, a draft eligible man drops into the next lower priority group until he has reached his 26th birthday, at which time he is over the age of liability for the draft.

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.

Therefore, students can either wait until 30 days before their 18th birthday and mail in the Selective Service Registration Card or they can choose the “Register Me” option on the California Dream Application to be registered automatically.

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.

Do boys still have to register for the draft? ›

Almost all men who are 18-25 years old and live in the United States must register for Selective Service. This includes: U.S. citizens (U.S. born, dual citizens, and naturalized)

Men born before 1960 are not required to be registered with Selective Service to be eligible for federal job training (WIA), and federal jobs, including the U.S. Postal Service.

The maximum age to join the Army as an enlisted Soldier is 35, while Officers must accept their commission before age 31. However, the Army can lift some restrictions based on the need for certain roles to be filled. It's possible to receive an age waiver if you retire with 20 years of military service by age 55.

Each branch of the military has age limits to enlist in active duty: Air Force: 17 - 39. Army: 17 - 35. Coast Guard: 17 - 31.

Federal law establishes the maximum military recruitment age to be 42, although each service branch ultimately decides what the minimum and maximum age limits for service in that branch are. Federal law also states that the minimum recruitment age is 17 years old, with parental consent.

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.

By law, all those born male who are U.S. citizens or live in the U.S. between the ages 18 through 25 years must register, including transgender women and non-binary people who were born male.

Any violation of the law carries a potential penalty if one is convicted. As mentioned earlier, the government has prosecuted no one for violating Selective Service law since 1986, yet hundreds of thousands of US citizens have been penalized since that time.