Enlisting before 18 years old

You may choose to enlist for National Service (NS) before you are 18 years old. You may apply for the Voluntary Early Enlistment Scheme (VEES) with your parent or guardian’s consent.

To be eligible for VEES, you must meet these requirements:

1. Be at least 16.5 years old.
2. Assessed as medically and physically fit for NS.
3. Submit the VEES application form, which includes a short write-up on why you want to apply for VEES, and your parent or guardian’s consent.

To apply for VEES, you should:

1. Download the VEES application form.
2. Email the signed and completed form to contact@ns.gov.sg.
3. Receive a notice in the mail to either begin registration, pre-enlistment documentation, or schedule his medical screening, or all 3.
4. Attend a medical screening and be assigned a Physical Employment Standard (PES).

Each VEES application is decided and approved on a case-by-case basis. Successful applicants for VEES will be scheduled for enlistment in the next available intake, subject to training capacity.

If you enlist through the Voluntary Early Enlistment Scheme (VEES), you will not be able to disrupt from full-time National Service (NS) to pursue studies of up to GCE ‘A’ Level, polytechnic diploma, or an equivalent pre-university qualification. This means that once you enlist, you must complete your full-time NS. You will not be able to pause your full-time NS to pursue your studies. You can only pursue your pre-university studies after you complete your full-time NS.

Have a chat with your parent or guardian to discuss your future plans if you’re considering VEES. Take time to think through your application carefully and seriously, to make sure you know what you want for yourself.

Visit the Central Manpower Base (CMPB) website for more information on VEES.