Pre-enlistment

• From the age of 13, you will receive National Service (NS) notices through letters sent to your mailing address registered with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA). These will tell you what you need to do.
• If you fail to comply with your NS notices, you will be committing under the Enlistment Act. You may be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to 3 years, or both.

When you turn 13 years old, you will receive the Notice on Exit Permit (EP) requirements at your mailing address registered with ICA. If you are 13 years old and above, and will be overseas for 3 months or longer, you will need to apply for an EP. You might also be required to provide a bond. You do not need an EP if you are overseas for less than 3 months. For more details, read the guide on Exit Permit and bond.

Upon turning 16.5 years old, you will need to register for NS on the OneNS web portal. You will receive the NS Registration Notice with instructions to register. You may apply for deferment for full-time pre-university studies during NS registration. After registering for NS, you will continue to receive NS-related notifications through mail.

You may be deferred from NS to pursue full-time pre-university studies at a government-funded institution (such as GCE ‘O’, ‘N’ or ‘A’ Level, polytechnic diploma, Higher NITEC, or NITEC) or selected courses at a privately-funded institution, as long as you’re advancing your academic qualifications. Deferment will not be granted for university degree courses even if you have already begun the course. For more details, read the guide on managing NS and your studies.

The pre-enlistment medical screening will determine your medical fitness and Physical Employment Standard (PES) grade. This will be used to determine your deployment during full-time NS, so that you will receive training that is suitable and safe for you. For more details, read the guide on medical screening for pre-enlistees.

If you’re medically graded PES A or B1, you will enjoy an 8-week reduction in your full-time NS duration if you attain 61 points or more for your pre-enlistee Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT). For more details, read the guide on pre-enlistee IPPT and NS duration.

This is the start of your journey as a full-time National Serviceman (NSF). To learn more about how to prepare for this important milestone in your life, read the guide on enlistment day.

Visit the Central Manpower Base (CMPB) website for more information such as pre-enlistee IPPT and posting to uniformed services.