Conscription in Singapore - Enlistment

Enlistment

According to the Enlistment Act, conscription is mandatory for all "persons subject to act", defined as those who are not less than 16 years and 6 months of age and not more than 40 years of age, with some exemptions and with no specific bias to gender (not limited to males).

In practice however, male Singaporean citizens and second-generation permanent residents who registered NRIC at 15 years are required to register for National Service upon reaching the age of 16 years and six months, during which they would also be required to undergo a mandatory medical examination (PULHHEEMS) to determine their medical status, known as Physical Employment Status (PES), which is used as a guideline as to which vocation the person is placed in.

Male children who take up permanent residency status through their permanent resident parent's sponsorship will be required to serve National Service like other Singaporean males. However, most male citizens enlist in Basic Military Training (BMT) at the age of 19 for junior college graduates or 20 for polytechnic graduates.

Exemptions are rare and are usually due to disability or serious medical conditions certified by the SAF Medical Board. One instance of rare cases of exemption would be if the enlistment would cause hardship to the enlistee's family, financially or otherwise, although this exemption is rarely granted.

They are then called up for enlistment at the age of 18, but most Singaporean males would usually choose to complete their tertiary education in the respective polytechnics, high schools, junior colleges, pre-university courses or other institutions before starting the mandatory duration which they are required to serve. Those who voluntarily opt for early enlistment with the consent of their parents are allowed to begin full-time national service at the age of 16 years and six months.

In the past, the duration of the conscription for a typical Singaporean male spanned over a period of either 2 or 2 years and six months depending on his educational qualifications. In 2004, the duration was reduced to 2 years, driven by the transformation into the 3rd Generation SAF and enabled by the surge in NS intake for the next 10 years. As a further incentive, the NS duration may be cut by a further two months, if potential enlistees are able to obtain a silver or gold for their physical fitness test (NAPFA) prior to enlistment.