Every time a new National Military Service call for registration begins, the same question reappears among thousands of Mexicans: what happens if I never applied for my Military Service Card? The question becomes even more relevant for those who are already over 30 years old and believe the obligation disappears with age.
The answer is no. If you are a man and never completed this process when it was your turn, you may still need to regularize your status as a remiso (late registrant), since the law provides this option through the registration periods that open each year.
Although social media often spreads the idea that adults over 30 “will have to join the Army,” the reality is broader and depends on the procedure established by the National Military Service Law.
If I am 30 years old, do I have to perform military service in Mexico?
The National Military Service Identification Card is a mandatory document for Mexican men of military age. Registration mainly applies to those who turn 18 during the year of the call for registration, but it also includes those known as remisos.
This term refers to men who, for any reason, did not complete the registration process when they were supposed to and therefore still do not have their Military Service Card.
For this reason, it is not unusual for people over the age of 30 to be called upon to regularize their status. This does not mean that a new obligation has been created specifically for them; rather, the law continues to allow those who never completed the process to bring their status up to date.
In other words, if you skipped registration several years ago, the call for registration may also apply to you.
Applying for the Military Service Card does not mean everyone will perform military service
One of the most common misconceptions is that obtaining the Military Service Card automatically means being required to participate in military training.
In reality, the first mandatory step is to register and obtain the National Military Service Identification Card. What happens afterward depends on the traditional lottery conducted by the military authorities.
It is this process that determines how each citizen will fulfill their obligations.
The lottery determines who must complete military training for National Military Service 2026
Once the registration process is complete, participants enter the National Military Service lottery.
Those who draw the white ball must complete active military service, meaning they are required to attend the training activities established by the military authorities.
Those who draw the black ball remain under the administrative authority of the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) and are not required to attend regular training activities, except under the extraordinary circumstances established by law.
This means that not everyone who registers will end up attending military training, as the outcome depends entirely on the lottery.
Source: tvazteca
