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DMV to send information about young male citizens to U.S. Selective Service

Starting Monday, the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles will begin providing information regarding all male citizens and immigrants 18 to 25 years old to the U.S. Selective Service when they apply for, renew or replace a driving credential or identification card.

Federal law requires men ages 18-25 to register with Selective Service when they reach 18 or face penalties such as being ineligible for student loans or grants, government jobs and job training.

To help ensure compliance, many states began enacting legislation linking Selective Service registration with the driver's license and identification card application process.

South Carolina enacted similar legislation in June 2003.

"Since the law was signed, DMV has been developing programs for our current system that would allow us to collect this information and send it to Selective Service," DMV Executive Director Marcia Adams said.

"DMV is not in the business of registering young men for Selective Service. We are simply providing information to that agency and the actual registration process is conducted by Selective Service."

Male applicants ages 18-25 must authorize DMV to transmit their information to Selective Service if they want to apply for, renew or replace a South Carolina DMV driving credential or ID card.

If they refuse to give their consent, DMV is not permitted to issue their driving credential or identification card.

Applicants ages 13-17 will be issued a credential, but they and their parents or guardians will be informed of the Selective Service requirement and their information will be automatically transmitted to Selective Service after their 18th birthday unless they surrender their credential before their birthday.

Even if they surrender their credential, federal law still requires registration with Selective Service once they turn 18. Their information just won't be forwarded from DMV.

"The parents of those under 18 may have questions, especially when they are asked to sign a form acknowledging the Selective Service requirement for their 15- or 16-year-old son," Adams said.

"They need to understand that DMV is not registering their child for Selective Service. We are only collecting information for that agency."

Each month, DMV will send Selective Service an electronic file containing the name, address, date of birth, gender, Social Security number and date of application for all male applicants who reached age 18 and applicants aged 18-25 who applied for a driving credential or identification card during the previous month.

If an 18- to 25-year-old applicant previously registered with Selective Service through another agency, he still must ensure that DMV records reflect that registration.

If DMV records do not indicate Selective Service registration, he will not be able to apply for, renew or replace his driving credential or identification card.

Applicants who are United States citizens and 18 or older may submit their information to DMV through the agency's Web site at www.scdmvonline.com or by mailing the proper form to DMV.

Applicants who are not United States citizens must visit a DMV branch office.

"To avoid any unnecessary problems with compliance, we have tried to make the process as simple as possible for everyone," Adams said.

"Although Selective Service registration is not a new requirement, sending the information through DMV is. Our goal is to educate the public about the process so that everyone can understand how it works."