DA Form 3540 Certificate and Acknowledgment of U.S. Army Reserve Service Requirements and Methods of Fulfillment

How to Fill Out DA Form 3540?

An overview of the form and filing guidelines can be found in the Army Regulation 135-91, Service Obligations, Methods of Fulfillment, Participation Requirements, and Enforcement Provisions. The form consists of 12 sections in total and is structured as a checklist. All pages of the form except for the first one must feature the last name of the applicant and the last four digits of their SSN. DA Form 3540 instructions are as follows:

1. Section I defines the applicability of the form and provides information on the categories of personnel required to file.
2. Section II contains the specific procedural instructions for three different types of eligible Soldiers. Soldiers enlisting or reenlisting in the USAR, for instance, must have their completed and signed DA 3540 stapled to each copy of their DD Form 4, Enlistment/Reenlistment Document - Armed Forces of the United States.
3. Section III provides an explanation of service and participation requirements by the witnessing official.
4. Section IV is for the Soldier to confirm their service obligations. The applicant must pick out the applicable transaction and initial the box next to the option they've chosen.
5. Section V is for selecting the applicable set of guidelines of service based on the specific reasons for enlistment, transfer, or reassignment.
6. Section VI ("Satisfactory Participation") provides a set of rules and guidelines that the applicant must swear to fulfill in order for their service to be considered satisfactory.
7. Section VII lists all possible outcomes of unsatisfactory participation.
8. Section VIII describes the obligations of active duty orders and possible mobilization.
9. Section IX provides the option to make additions or changes to the already completed certificate.
10. Section X is for the applicant to verify that all the above-mentioned guidelines were read out and explained. The applicant must certify that their service obligations have been made clear to them and they are willing to fulfill them satisfactorily.
11. Section XI is for verification from the witnessing official.
12. Section XII contains annual orientation checkboxes for the soldier to sign after annual orientation sessions.