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REGISTRATION PROCESS

1. Registration

Registration is via our website, open for defined periods only. This portal time-stamps registrations of individuals and teams. This creates our registration roster. The data routes to Eventbrite, our event tracking platform, for personnel and payment management.

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2. Selection

Following registration close, USDNM members collectively assess all requests to select our initial award roster. Selection follows the guidelines below. Every year is unique. We carefully balance the varied composition and disposition of that season’s registrations.

 

3. Billet Offer

After selection, USDNM registrars email awardees payment details. The emails explicitly state the time window awardees have to purchase their offer. Specifics for individuals and teams vary, so clear and timely communication with designated team leads and individual marchers with our registrars is essential.

 

4. Confirmation

Awardees confirm their registration by paying all fees within the offer window. Successful payment triggers a confirmation email. However, communication between marchers and USDNM registrars remains important. Late payments are not possible, and awards not purchased – for what reason soever – void offer, award, and registration. In effect, awardees have one opportunity to secure their ticket. To make clear:

PAYMENT CONFIRMS REGISTRATION

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5. Roster refinement

Following close of the initial payment window, USDNM assesses the number of confirmations against the award roster. Registrars then offer tickets to the next names on the award roster. Those awardees receive offers with payment details, etc. USDNM repeats this process until all tickets are purchased.

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SELECTION GUIDELINES

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USDNM would like to award every registration a pole position, but this is clearly impossible. Selection means exclusion, something all Americans hate doing, but we must. The best we can do is have criteria for constraints. Below you will find ours.

 

6. Dutch Regulations

The event organizers, Stichting 4Daagse, set participation criteria that apply to all marchers.

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6.1. Returning marchers have priority claim over new marchers.

6.1.1. Because interest exceeds capacity, Stichting has begun modifying this regulation. For 2026 civilian and small military contingents, Stichting added a 10-year completion expiration to qualify for early, “preferred” registration that cuts the general admission line. If demand continues to increase, measures such as multiple completion ranking may be implemented.

6.1.2. For U.S. ‘26, returning marcher registrations exceeded our entire 500 billet allotment. We will honor the returnee policy to the detriment of new marchers, but we will revisit our performance in the post-season for possible changes, see below. We will post our criteria to the website in advance of 2027 registration.

6.2. No first-time marchers younger than 26 may register as individuals. This is non-negotiable. First-timers younger than 26 must march with a team. We have found that this does increase completion probability.

6.3. Teams have an 11 PAX minimum size. To mitigate risk of disqualification, USDNM adds a twelfth to ensure the minimum step-off number.

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7.  USDNM Priorities

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7.1.  Teams and Individuals

We encourage team marching. Though many returnees (USDNM staff included) enjoy the flexibility of individual participation, Nijmegen is – at core – a unit function. We earmark 400 of our 500 billets for teams. We prioritize:

7.1.1.  returning teams with a majority of returning marchers;

7.1.2.  returning teams with a majority new marchers;

7.1.3.  new teams with a majority of returning marchers;

7.1.4.  new teams with a majority of new marchers.

7.1.5.  Of the 100 earmarked individual billets, returnees claim most. First-time individuals compete for remaining billets by registration timestamp.

 

7.2.  Proven Success… or Failure

We want 500/500 to succeed AND success means more than mere completion. We also consider YOUR ability to represent the Nation’s military heritage, bearing, and professionalism. We are the United States of America: there are expectations. Past performance weighs heavily in our allocation decision.

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Nijmegen billets are scarce. We could fill our 5% no-shows dozens of times over. Communicate your mission requirements and life constraints with us so we can consider these should you register for a re-try. Marchers who cannot participate and proactively facilitate substitution receive supportive consideration.

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7.3.  Heritage

82nd Airborne Division will always claim place-of-honor at Nijmegen.

 

7.4.  Joint Service Representation

We want at least one team from every uniformed service (Navy, Space Force – looking at you…).

 

7.5.  Geography

We attempt global representation.

 

7.6.  Component

We balance Active-Duty, Reserve, and National Guard.

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7.7.  Command

We will attempt to include mission variety, Special Forces, Service Academies, etc.

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7.8.  Sweat Equity

We may consider for registration volunteers who support the effort. To date, these have usually been Servicemembers officially detailed to the march who want to return as marchers. Their inclusion builds institutional knowledge and goodwill with supporting commands.

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7.9.  Communication Availability

Our ability to communicate with marchers can affect our ability to support registrations. [USDNM staff are volunteers with competing work and life priorities – respect goes a long way.]

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LOOKING FORWARD...

8.  Each season is different. Trends, however, indicate steady demand, more returning marchers, and increasing registrations from priority groups we want to include for service representation, geography, and command. To that end, we may assess 2026 performance for following changes to 2027. All are provisional considerations. We may:

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8.1.  Add completion results to registration status.

8.1.1.  If a team drops members, we may reduce the team size to the number passed.

8.1.2.  Only if a team completes all marchers might we consider an increase.

8.1.3.  If an individual drops out, we might rank future registration as “waiting list”.

8.1.4.  If an individual no-shows without explanation or substitution attempt, we may rank future registration as “waiting list”.

 

8.2.  Add expiration date to completions for returnee status. Currently this is unlimited. However, given that returnee registrations exceeded our entire allotment for the first time, that criterium is losing its selection effect.

 

8.3.  Rank returnees by number of events completed, possibly with expiration date, too.

 

8.4.  Earmark billets for new marchers. This would have the consequence that returnees would no longer have an automatic right-of-first refusal. Stichting has begun doing this to limited extent for civilians, too.

 

8.5.  Consider other “qualifying” marches that demonstrate marching proficiency.

 

Bottom line for our 2026 marchers: communicate; succeed; represent U.S.

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