(UNITED STATES) — USCIS and the Department of Homeland Security finalized the Alien Registration Rule 2026, putting the rule into effect on June 29, 2026 and keeping comments open on possible future changes until August 28, 2026.

The rule adopts the online registration system that began under the interim final rule in 2025. It makes Form G-325R, Biographic Information (Registration), the general form for foreign nationals who must register but have not already done so through another immigration process. It also updates the list of immigration forms and documents that count as registration forms or evidence of registration.

USCIS framed the change as a compliance process, not a new blanket filing requirement for every foreign national in the United States. People who already registered through a visa, Form I-94, a green card, or another qualifying immigration process generally do not need to register again.

The registration duty itself is not new. It has existed under the Immigration and Nationality Act for decades. The final rule mainly confirms an online path for people who do not already have a qualifying immigration registration record.

Who Must Use Form G-325R

Under the rule, the main group that must use Form G-325R includes foreign nationals age 14 or older who remain in the United States for 30 days or more and are not already registered. It also reaches foreign nationals who entered the United States without inspection, certain people who were not issued Form I-94 or another qualifying registration document, and parents or legal guardians who must register children under 14.

Children who turn 14 while in the United States face a separate deadline. The Federal Register explanation says they must re-register and be fingerprinted within 30 days after their 14th birthday, even if they were already considered registered when they entered before age 14.

That point carries practical weight for families living in the country on employment and student visas. Households with children on H-4, L-2, F-2, J-2, and other dependent visas may have proper records already. But the child’s 14th birthday can trigger a fresh filing and fingerprinting requirement.

Who Already Meets the Registration Requirement

DHS says many people already meet the registration requirement through existing records. Nonimmigrants admitted with Form I-94 or I-94W, lawful permanent residents with a green card, foreign nationals who completed a visa process that included registration and fingerprinting, and people with certain pending or approved immigration forms that count as registration forms generally fall into that category.

People admitted or paroled with Form I-94 or I-94W are already registered, USCIS says. The agency advises applicants to consider carefully whether they have already registered before filing Form G-325R. This affects many workers, students, dependents, and green-card holders who entered with proper documents and already have a qualifying record.

Special Rule for Children Turning 14

The special rule for children turning 14 splits into two tracks. A child who entered with an immigrant or nonimmigrant visa before turning 14 is considered registered. But DHS says that child still must re-register and be fingerprinted within 30 days after reaching age 14.

Lawful permanent resident children use a different process. DHS says an LPR child who turns 14 must apply for registration and fingerprinting unless waived. The Federal Register explains that those children comply through Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, not through Form G-325R.

Filing System and Process

The filing system is online only. USCIS says Form G-325R must be submitted through an individual USCIS online account and cannot be filed by mail or in person.

Each foreign national who needs to register must submit the form through that person’s own online account. For a child under 14, a parent or legal guardian may create a myUSCIS account for the child. They must submit the form on the child’s behalf through the child’s individual account.

After submission, USCIS reviews the information against available DHS records. If the agency determines the person is already registered, it may notify that person that no further registration is required. If biometrics are required, USCIS schedules an appointment at an Application Support Center.

Fees and Evidence of Registration

Filing the form currently costs no fee. The Federal Register says there is also no fee to submit biometrics under this rule. The formal filing charge may be zero, but the process can still bring travel time, appointment time, and document gathering for people called to an Application Support Center.

Successful registrants receive electronic proof in their myUSCIS account. DHS says that proof can be downloaded and printed as a PDF and includes the person’s name, alien registration number, and G-325R receipt number.

DHS also says electronically issued evidence of registration, including Form I-94 and USCIS Proof of Alien G-325R Registration, may be laminated after printing. Laminating does not void the copy. Foreign nationals age 18 and above remain subject to the separate legal duty to carry proof of registration.

What This Rule Does and Does Not Do

The final rule does not create immigration status, work permission, or a defense against removal. DHS says the USCIS Proof of Alien G-325R Registration is only evidence of registration. It does not prove immigration status, create employment authorization, or provide any other right or benefit under U.S. immigration law.

That distinction separates registration from nearly every benefit-based filing in the immigration system. A person who lacks lawful status does not become lawfully present by filing Form G-325R. The form records compliance with the registration requirement and nothing more.

Practical Considerations for Families

The immediate compliance question for many families is not whether every household member should file. It is whether existing records already satisfy the rule and whether a child’s age will trigger another step. Families with H-1B, L-1, F-1, J-1, H-4, L-2, F-2, and J-2 histories often already have admissions records or other documents that count as registration evidence.

Parents still need to watch birthdays closely. A child who entered young with proper documents may seem fully documented. Yet the rule requires that child to re-register and provide fingerprints within 30 days after turning 14, unless a specific process applies. LPR children must use Form I-90 for that purpose.

The rule also leaves intact other ongoing duties that can matter after a person is already registered. USCIS notes that already registered people may still need to report address changes. Adults subject to the carry requirement still need proof of registration with them.

Nothing in the final rule changes the basic divide between people who already possess a recognized registration record and those who do not. The online system gives unregistered foreign nationals a formal route to comply. People with qualifying visa, admission, residence, or other DHS records generally remain outside the group that must newly file Form G-325R.

Deadlines and Next Steps

Comments on possible future changes remain open until August 28, 2026. But the final rule already took effect on June 29, 2026. The practical deadlines now sit with individuals who lack a qualifying registration record and with families whose children will hit age 14 while living in the United States.

For those households, the document that matters most may be the one they already have. An I-94, a green card, a qualifying approval notice, or another recognized DHS record can mean no new filing is needed. A missed 14th-birthday deadline can turn a routine family calendar date into the most important date in the USCIS registration system.