Step 1. Sign Up

The Gyalsung journey begins from the age of 15 years old. All Bhutanese citizens fulfilling the aforementioned criteria can Sign-up for Gyalsung through our website or online portal. This includes school students or out of school youth.

Step 2. Registration

The next step is when the youth reach the age of 18 or if in school completes class 12. After receiving the Registration Notification, he/she is required to login to the NS portal, submit family details, select skilling preference etc. 

Assistance for out-of-school youth:
The youth who require additional support for sign up and registration due to literacy and technical problems may contact toll free number 2024 for assistance.

A person under 18 years and above 16 years and six months may be eligible to volunteer for early registration for Gyalsung Training.

To be eligible for early enlistment the person should have/ be the following:

• Completed Class 12 or its equivalent.
• Consent form signed by parent or legal guardian.
• Mentally and physically prepared for Gyalsung Training.
• Complete the registration process through the Gyalsung Portal.
• Undergone additional medical and mental assessments, if required.

Please note that early enlistment is subject to the availability of vacancies in the Gyalsung Academies. It is also important to note that the Gyalsung Headquarters reserves the right to reject early enlistment applications without providing any written justification.

The purpose of medical screening is to ensure that eligible youth for Gyalsung, who have underlying medical or physical conditions that might pose a danger to their own health or the well-being of their peers, are exempted from participating.

This is mandatory and will be conducted in selected 26 hospitals across Bhutan during the stipulated period and includes the following steps:

Step 1: Self-Medical Declaration

The applicant is required to complete a Medical Screening Questionnaire to declare any medical conditions. It is important to declare pre-existing medical conditions so Gyalsung HQ can provide support (if required) for uninterrupted Training.

Step 2: Appointment for medical screening

During the Gyalsung online registration, applicants are required to book a medical screening appointment at the nearest identified hospitals in their respective Dzongkhags:

Change of medical screening appointment (if required) can be done by clicking on Change Medical appointment. The applicant will be allowed to change their  medical appointment only once and if it is more than 10 days before their medical appointment.

On the day of your medical examination, applicants will be verified through presenting their physical CID at the hospital. They will need to carry their health book/documents for pre-existing medical history (if any).

Step 3: Medical Examination Conducted at Hospitals
It is the responsibility of each youth to complete the medical screening within the stipulated time window.     As a rule, the medical screening should be done in the country. Youth who are overseas can request for this to be done at a time closer to the enlistment day so that they do not have to travel to Bhutan simply for this screening.

Step 4: Medical Review if found unfit for Enlistment

The Gyalsung Medical Board will be formed to further review, verify and certify the medical fitness report. If found to be ‘unfit’, Gyalsung Medical Board  shall recommend to the Gyalsung Governing Council for deferment or exemption.

All deferments are granted on a yearly basis. However, if the circumstances for granting of deferments remain valid; or a new circumstance comes up, deferments can be renewed annually upon re-application by the eligible persons.

Deferment may be granted for the following reasons:

1. A person is in school and has not completed class 12 or its equivalent.
2. A person is facing temporary medical conditions and is certified medically unfit by the Medical Board.
3. A person facing urgent attention circumstances as approved by the Gyalsung Governing Council.

Those who wish to apply for deferment should complete the registration process, apply for deferment with all the necessary supporting documents and wait for Gyalsung HQ to review the application and respond accordingly.

The Gyalsung Act of the Kingdom of Bhutan 2022 allows for exemptions to be granted to:

1)     Those who have been assessed as permanently unfit for Gyalsung Training by the Gyalsung Medical Board may be eligible for exemption. Differently-abled individuals who are outside the education system and deemed unfit for training may also be exempted.

2)   Those enrolled in registered religious or monastic institutions, both within and outside Bhutan, may qualify for exemption.

3)   In the case of pregnant women and 18-year-old mothers, the best interest of the mother and child will be given prior consideration.     

To be considered for exemption, eligible citizens are required to register on the NS portal and provide the necessary details and documents that substantiate the need for exemption. The Gyalsung HQ will review the provided information before making a decision.

Enlistment is the completion of the process from sign up, registration and medical screening leading up to assignment of the individual to one of the four Gyalsung Academies thereby becoming a Gyalsar or NS Cadet.

Provided all the above steps have been followed, the youth will receive an enlistment notice. This document will provide details such as:

• The Assigned Academy and Skilling
• Date to Report to the assigned Academy (if traveling directly)
• Date, time and venue for travel (if traveling with Gyalsung organized transportation)
• Any other essential details determined time to time by the Gyalsung HQ.

Congratulations! Your Gyalsung journey is about to begin.

The Gyalsung Act of the Kingdom of Bhutan adopted by the Parliament of Bhutan on 11th November 2022 and subsequent rules and regulations adopted outline the following offenses and penalties.

1. A person who evades Gyalsung Training commits an offense and shall be liable upon conviction for felony of the Fourth degree as per the Penal Code of Bhutan.

2. Parents or guardians preventing an eligible person from undergoing Gyalsung Training, would be preventing this eligible person from fulfilling his Constitutional duty, and therefore, will be liable for the same offense and penalty.

3. As per the Gyalsung Act, a Bhutanese whether living in Bhutan or abroad who fails to register for Gyalsung Training within the stipulated 100 days commits an offense and shall be fined the daily minimum national wage rate up to a maximum of ninety days.

4. In the event an eligible youth who has the obligation to undergo Gyalsung Training does not register or having registered did not qualify and avail exemption, as per the Gyalsung Act, they will be charged with the offense of a fourth-degree felony.

5. In the event an eligible youth who has the obligation to undergo Gyalsung Training does not return, he or she will have been deemed to have defaulted on his or her legal obligations and committed an offense of felony for not fulfilling one of the most important Fundamental Duty of a Bhutanese citizen.

6.  All Bhutanese will be required to enroll, register and enlist for National Service regardless of current place of residence.