In order to become a registered USA Hockey official, three steps must be completed.

1. Officials must apply on-line with USAH and pay the annual registration fee.
2. Officials must attend an appropriate level USAH officiating seminar, and if required, pass the closed book test for that level.
3. All officials must pass an on-line open book test.

Once all three of these requirements are satisfied, the official will be mailed a card and crest, and will be considered completely registered.

Questions about an official's registration status are among the most common questions answered by the USA Hockey Officiating Program. Below are the answers to frequently asked questions.

How do I get an application?
USA Hockey now offers online registration and open book testing for our officials. Simply log onto www.usahockey.com and look for the Register Online icon. Renewal officials (those registered the prior season) will be sent a reminder postcard for the current season in early August. New officials can register online or obtain an application at the seminar they attend or by contacting their Local Supervisor of Officials.

What if I want to use a paper application?
The easiest way is to submit an online application, but, if you do not have internet access, you can obtain a blank application at the seminar you attend or by contacting your Local Supervisor of Officials. When completing a blank application, be sure to include your USA Hockey member number so the application can easily be matched up to your previous registration record.

How do I find out who is my Local Supervisor of Officials?
The Officiating Program Personnel directoryis listed on the USA Hockey website at the Directory button appearing on the Officials page. Simply find the local supervisor, that is listed, who is closest to your home area.

Is there a fee involved with the officials application?
The officials registration fee is collected with the application and must be paid whether application is submitted in order for the application to be processed. The revenue generated from the registration fees is used to operate the officiating program. Volunteer expenses, seminar expenses, educational materials, printing, postage and all other expenses incurred to operate the program are covered by the registration fee. In addition, some districts or affiliates also charge a nominal registration fee in order to fund special programs and local operating expenses. These fees are collected at the district or affiliate level.

How do I get my open book exam?
Your open book exam, and current playing rules book, will be sent to you from the national office upon receipt of your application and fee. For those who register online, an email will be sent with information on how to complete the open book exam online.

How long do I have to take the open book exam?
The open book exam is designed to be completed at your leisure. However, you should be reminded that new officials will not be eligible to work games until they have completed the exam and attended a seminar. Returning officials registration expires on November 30th, so they will also need to complete the exam in a timely manner in order to continue to work games. Generally, USA Hockey will accept open book exams up until the end of May.

Where do I find out about the seminars in my area?
Since seminar attendance is one of the registration requirements, USA Hockey conducts several hundred seminars throughout the country each season. You can obtain seminar information by clicking the seminar button on the officials page of www.usahockey.com or on a district or affiliate website.
Often times, a local area may add a late scheduled seminar in order to accommodate officials who did not attend a pre-scheduled seminar. These seminars may not appear on the schedule or be posted on the website. In this instance, you may wish to contact your Local Supervisor of Officials to inquire about a late scheduled seminar in your area.

How do I get credit for attending the seminar?
Each official who attends a USA Hockey seminar must check-in and register at the seminar they attend. Seminar attendance information is then sent to the national office where your attendance is matched up with your registration record. It is imperative that each official check-in at the seminar and they may be required to sign an attendance form. Officials who do not go through the required seminar check-in process may not be given credit for seminar attendance.

Where do I take the closed book exam?
The closed book exams required for level 2, 3 and 4 applicants will only be administered at the seminar you attend. The exams will be collected at the seminar and forwarded to the national office for grading with the seminar attendance information.

What if I choose not to take a closed book exam?
Provided you have completed and passed the open book exam and have attended a seminar, you will be issued a card and crest for level 1 as you have met the requirements to be a level 1 official.

When will I receive my card and crest?
Once the national office has received your open book exam, closed book exam (for level 2, 3 and 4 officials) and verification of your seminar attendance and you have passed all of the exams, your card and crest will be issued to you and you will be eligible to work games.

There is a lot of stuff going to and from the national office. How long does it take to receive materials?
Generally, we are simply at the mercy of the US Postal Service. Once the material is received here in the office, it will be processed and the appropriate materials will be sent out within 2 business days. The other thing that the national office has little control over is the timeliness of receiving seminar information from our volunteer seminar instructors. They are encouraged to submit the seminar materials within a day of the seminar, but sometimes it takes a little longer to reach the national office. You should also be aware that your exam results, provided you passed, will not be forwarded until we have received verification of your seminar attendance and are issuing your card and crest. So, if you dont receive your exam results within a week or two of submitting your exam, it is because you have passed the exam and we are waiting on your seminar information to complete your record. Of course, submitting your application and open book exam online should speed up this process as we are not counting on the Post Office for obtaining some of the necessary information.

Is there a way I can check my registration status?
Yes! You can check your registration status, including exam results, 24 hours a day and seven days a week by calling USA Hockey and following the menu prompts. Call 719-576-8724 and go into the registration status menu. Follow the voice activated prompts and all aspects of your registration status will be available through this service and will allow you to track your registration status throughout the process.

Now that I have my card and crest and am eligible to officiate, how do I get games?
First off, you should be aware that simply registering with USA Hockey is not a guarantee of game assignments. Although we highly encourage all of our local supervisors and local assignors to involve every eligible official in the assignment process, it is still up to the individual official to solicit game assignments. Contact your local supervisor of officials or assignor and let them know you are now eligible to work games and when you are available. If possible, identify a more experienced official in your local area to serve as a mentor and who can also help you get games. Once you get that first assignment, go out and give 100% to do your best and the rest will take care of itself.