Question: I have been a permanent resident for almost five years. I am currently preparing to apply for U.S. citizenship. One of the questions on the citizenship application form asks if I registered for the Selective Service before the age of 26. I am 28 years old, but I never registered for the Selective Service. Can I still become a U.S. citizen if I did not register for the Selective Service?

Answer: Depending on your age, your application to become a U.S. citizen may be affected by your failure to register for the Selective Service. If you are a male over the age of 31 years old, failure to register for the Selective Service will not affect your application. However, if you have failed to register for the Selective Service, and you are a male between the ages of 26 and 31 years old, your application to become a U.S. citizen will be difficult. If you are under 26 years old, you still have time to register for the Selective Service and avoid the negative consequences of failing to register. 

What is the Selective Service?

Registering for the Selective Service does not mean you must join the U.S. military. Rather, it means that if the U.S. ever institutes a military draft, then you may be called to service. However, the last time the U.S. instituted a draft was during the Vietnam War. Therefore, it is extremely unlikely that the U.S. would institute a draft in the near future. Males between the ages of 18 and 26 years old who live in the U.S. are required to register for the Selective Service. Females do not need to register for the Selective Service. If you are in the U.S. in a lawful, nonimmigrant status, you do not need to register for the Selective Service. If you are in the U.S. without a lawful immigrant status, or if you are a permanent resident (green card holder), you must register for the Selective Service. 

How do I know if I have already registered for the Selective Service?

It is very possible you have already registered for the Selective Service. Many people unknowingly register when they receive their immigrant visa or register for a driver’s license. To verify whether you are registered for the Selective Service, you can input your info into this linke: https://www.sss.gov/verify/.

Applicants between the ages of 18 and 26 who have not registered for the Selective Service

If you are an adult male who is under 26 years old, you still have time to register for the Selective Service. As long as you register for the Selective Service before you are 26, your naturalization application will not be affected. 

Applicants over 31 years of age who have not registered for the Selective Service

If you are 31 years of age or older, failure to register for the Selective Service will not affect your U.S. citizenship application. This is true even if you knowingly and willfully failed to register for the Selective Service. The reason for this is because your failure to register with the Selective Service falls outside of the statutory five-year period during which you must show that you are of good moral character.

Applicants between the ages of 26 and 31 who have not registered for the Selective Service

If you are a male who is between the ages of 26 and 31 and you have not registered for the Selective Service, you might be ineligible for U.S. citizenship. If USCIS concludes that your failure to register for the Selective Service means you do not have good moral character, USCIS can deny your immigration application. When you apply for U.S. citizenship, you must obtain a Status Information Letter using this form: https://www.sss.gov/verify/sil/. You must also explain to USCIS the reasons for your failure to register for the Selective Service. You should provide any additional documents that explain why your failure to register for the Selective Service was not knowing or willful.