Male green card holders 18–25 register with Selective Service within 30 days F-1 does not
Male immigrants aged 18–25 living in the US must register with Selective Service within 30 days of arriving in the US; this includes green card holders, refugees, asylees, parolees and men whose visas have expired. Men in valid nonimmigrant status do not register, for example F-1 and M-1 students and H-1B workers; if they later get a green card before turning 26, they must register. Late registration is accepted, but not after the 26th birthday.
Men with an SSN can register online at sss.gov; Selective Service also accepts a printable registration form and SSS Form 1 filled out at any US post office. Not registering affects naturalization, federal jobs and federal student aid.
Who must register and who does not
| Status (men aged 18–25) | Must register? |
|---|---|
| Green card holders | Yes |
| Refugees, asylees, parolees | Yes |
| Men without lawful status or with an expired visa | Yes |
| Dual-national US citizens | Yes |
| Men on a current nonimmigrant visa (F-1, M-1, H-1B, L-1, J-1 and others) | No |
| H-2A seasonal agricultural workers | No |
Sources: Selective Service’s Who Needs to Register chart, official SSS overview. SSS says everyone born male is covered. Men who kept valid nonimmigrant status continuously until after age 26 were never required to register (chart note).
How the 30 days are counted
The official SSS overview says men aged 18–25 must register “within 30 days of arriving in the U.S.” (SSS101). For people who change from nonimmigrant to green card inside the US, the SSS documents do not give a separate start date; if you get the green card before turning 26, you must register, so do it as soon as you get it. Registration after 30 days is still accepted, but only before the 26th birthday (sss.gov FAQ).
The USCIS handbook for green card holders says “between 18 and 26,” which is worded differently from SSS’s “18 through 25”; follow SSS: register before your 26th birthday (USCIS M-617).
Three ways to register
| Method | What you need |
|---|---|
| Online at sss.gov | A valid SSN |
| Print the form and mail it | The printable form on the SSS website |
| Fill out SSS Form 1 at any US post office | Fill it out in person at the post office |
SSS also says you can register when getting a driver license in 41 states (SSS101, 2023 edition). Whether your state’s driver license application has this option depends on the state DMV form. The SSS documents state only that online registration requires an SSN; if your SSN has not arrived, ask the post office or SSS how to fill out the paper form.
Consequences of not registering
- Naturalization: USCIS makes Selective Service registration a condition for citizenship for men who first arrived in the US before their 26th birthday; SSS says not registering can delay citizenship proceedings by 5 years (SSS101).
- Jobs and aid: once you turn 26 you can no longer register, and you may lose access to federal jobs, many state and local government jobs, many student loans and grants, and federally funded job training (same source).
- Criminal penalty: failing to register is a felony punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or up to 5 years in prison; SSS also says there have been no prosecutions since 1986 and that enforcement now relies mainly on federal and state eligibility rules (same source).
The SSS FAQ says that as of 2026-06-30, Selective Service no longer issues status information letters (sss.gov FAQ). If you discover after age 26 that you never registered and you want to naturalize, talk to a lawyer or a DOJ-accredited representative, or see VISA.
What to do by status
- Immigrant visa entrants (green card): register within 30 days of entry. If your SSN has not arrived, use the paper form or fill out SSS Form 1 at a post office. For the full order of steps after arriving with a green card, see What to do within 90 days of arriving with a green card.
- Adjustment of status inside the US: if you get the green card before turning 26, you must register.
- F-1, J-1, H-1B, L-1: no registration while in valid nonimmigrant status.
- H-4, L-2 and F-2 dependents: also nonimmigrants, so no registration.
- Refugees and asylees: register, within 30 days of entry.
Frequently asked questions
Do H-1B holders register with Selective Service?
No. People on a current nonimmigrant visa are not covered. If you later get a green card before turning 26, you must register.
How do I register without an SSN?
SSS also lists a printable registration form and SSS Form 1 at a US post office; the SSS documents state only that online registration requires an SSN.
What if more than 30 days have passed?
If you are not yet 26, register right away. SSS accepts late registration until the 26th birthday.
Does registering mean I will be drafted?
No. SSS says there is no draft today, and the last man inducted entered the Army in 1973 (SSS101).
What if I find out after age 26 that I never registered?
You can no longer register. If you plan to naturalize or apply for federal jobs or aid, talk to a lawyer or a DOJ-accredited representative first.
Put the 30 days on your deadline list
Selective Service 30 days, AR-11 10 days and health insurance 60 days are all in the free newcomer deadline table. Selective Service is not one of the 91 items in My USA Plan yet, so this article covers it in full for free; to put your SSN, bank, driver license and taxes in order and check them off, use the My USA Plan checklist: the first 30 items are free, and the full 91 items cost US$9.90, a one-time purchase, not a subscription. For how to order your first 30 days, see First 30 days in the US: what to do by status.
Sources and date checked
All checked on 2026-10-26. This article is not legal or immigration advice.
- Selective Service official overview SSS101 (2023 edition):SSS101_12.23-1.pdf
- Selective Service Who Needs to Register: WhoNeedstoRegister.Final.pdf
- Selective Service FAQ: https://www.sss.gov/faq/
- USCIS M-617 guide for green card holders:M-617.pdf