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Title 8 — Aliens and NationalityRelease 119-73

§1302 Registration of aliens

Title 8 › Chapter CHAPTER 12— - IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - IMMIGRATION › Part Part VII— - Registration of Aliens › § 1302

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Non‑U.S. citizens age 14 or older who have not been registered and fingerprinted under section 1201(b) or section 30 or 31 of the Alien Registration Act, 1940, and who remain in the United States 30 days or longer must apply for registration and be fingerprinted before that 30‑day period ends. For those under 14, a parent or guardian must apply for their registration within 30 days; when someone turns 14 in the U.S., they must apply in person and be fingerprinted within 30 days after their birthday. The Attorney General may choose to waive the fingerprinting rule for nonimmigrants on a reciprocity basis under rules he sets.

Full Legal Text

Title 8, §1302

Aliens and Nationality — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)It shall be the duty of every alien now or hereafter in the United States, who (1) is fourteen years of age or older, (2) has not been registered and fingerprinted under section 1201(b) of this title or section 30 or 31 of the Alien Registration Act, 1940, and (3) remains in the United States for thirty days or longer, to apply for registration and to be fingerprinted before the expiration of such thirty days.
(b)It shall be the duty of every parent or legal guardian of any alien now or hereafter in the United States, who (1) is less than fourteen years of age, (2) has not been registered under section 1201(b) of this title or section 30 or 31 of the Alien Registration Act, 1940, and (3) remains in the United States for thirty days or longer, to apply for the registration of such alien before the expiration of such thirty days. Whenever any alien attains his fourteenth birthday in the United States he shall, within thirty days thereafter, apply in person for registration and to be fingerprinted.
(c)The Attorney General may, in his discretion and on the basis of reciprocity pursuant to such regulations as he may prescribe, waive the requirement of fingerprinting specified in subsections (a) and (b) in the case of any nonimmigrant.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Alien Registration Act, 1940, referred to in subsecs. (a) and (b), is act
June 28, 1940, ch. 439, 54 Stat. 670. section 30 and 31 of that act were classified to section 451 and 452 of this title and were repealed by section 403(a)(39) of act
June 27, 1952.

Amendments

1994—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 103–416 substituted “subsections (a) and (b)” for “subsection (a) and (b)”. 1988—Pub. L. 100–525 amended Pub. L. 99–653. See 1986 Amendment note below. 1986—Pub. L. 99–653, § 9, as amended by Pub. L. 100–525, added subsec. (c). As originally enacted, Pub. L. 99–653, § 9, amended subsec. (a) of this section by striking out “section 1201(b) of this title or” after “registered and fingerprinted under”. Pub. L. 100–525 revised Pub. L. 99–653, § 9, so as to add subsec. (c) and eliminate the original amendment of subsec. (a), thereby restoring the words “section 1201(b) of this title or”. See

Effective Date

of 1988 Amendment note below.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1994 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 103–416 effective as if included in the enactment of the Immigration Act of 1990, Pub. L. 101–649, see section 219(dd) of Pub. L. 103–416, set out as a note under section 1101 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1988 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 100–525 effective as if included in the enactment of the Immigration and Nationality Act

Amendments

of 1986, Pub. L. 99–653, see section 309(b)(15) of Pub. L. 102–232, set out as an Effective and Termination Dates of 1988

Amendments

note under section 1101 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1986 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 99–653 applicable to applications for immigrant visas made, and visas issued, on or after Nov. 14, 1986, see section 23(b) of Pub. L. 99–653, set out as a note under section 1201 of this title.

Effective Date

Section effective 180 days after
June 27, 1952, see section 407 of act
June 27, 1952, set out as a note under section 1101 of this title. Abolition of Immigration and Naturalization Service and

Transfer of Functions

For abolition of Immigration and Naturalization Service,

Transfer of Functions

, and treatment of related references, see note set out under section 1551 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

8 U.S.C. § 1302

Title 8 — Aliens and Nationality

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73