How do you join SAG-AFTRA?

SAG-AFTRA is the US union for performers in film, television, commercials, broadcasting, audiobooks, video games, music recording and new media. It was formed in 2012 when the Screen Actors Guild merged with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, which is why you will still hear people say "SAG." The union negotiates minimum pay, working conditions, residuals and contributions to health and pension plans for work done under its contracts.

You cannot simply sign up. Membership comes from work, so the real question is how you become eligible, and then whether you should join the moment you can.

The three routes to SAG-AFTRA eligibility

These are the routes as they are commonly described. The union updates its rules from time to time, so confirm the current version on sagaftra.org or with your local office before you count on any of them.

1. A principal role under a SAG-AFTRA contract. Being hired as a principal performer (a speaking or featured role, as opposed to background) on a production working under a SAG-AFTRA contract makes you eligible. That includes film, television, commercials and other contracts the union covers. If you are non-union when you book it, the producer hires you under what is known as the Taft-Hartley provision; here is what being Taft-Hartleyed means.

2. Union background work. Background actors can become eligible by working a required number of days as a SAG-AFTRA covered background performer, traditionally three, each documented by a union voucher. Non-union background actors sometimes get union vouchers when a production has union slots it cannot fill. This route has changed over the years, so check exactly what currently counts.

3. Membership in a sister union. If you are a paid-up member of an affiliated performers' union (commonly listed: Actors' Equity Association, ACTRA in Canada, AGMA and AGVA) for at least a year, and you have worked as a principal performer in that union's jurisdiction, you can usually join SAG-AFTRA. This is the common route for stage actors moving to screen and for Canadian actors working in the US.

What does SAG-eligible mean?

SAG-eligible means you have qualified to join but have not joined yet. It is a status casting directors and agents recognize, and you will see it on resumes as "SAG-AFTRA Eligible."

The commonly described rule is that after your first day of principal work on a union job, you have a 30-day window in which you can work further union jobs without joining. Once that window closes, you become "must-join": you can still accept non-union work, but before you take your next union job you have to join and pay. Confirm the details with the union, because the timing matters and rules can change.

Must-join status does not expire on its own in the way people sometimes hope. If you are must-join and book a union job, plan on joining before you start.

How to apply

When you are eligible and ready, you apply through sagaftra.org or a local office. You will be asked for proof of eligibility, such as your contract, pay stubs, vouchers or a copy of the Taft-Hartley report, plus identification.

You then pay a one-time initiation fee and your first dues. Dues are commonly structured as annual base dues plus a percentage of what you earn under union contracts. The amounts change, so check sagaftra.org for the current figures. They are significant enough that many actors save for them in advance once they are eligible.

Once you are a member, put it on your resume (see how to format an acting resume), tell your agent, and update your profile on the casting sites you use.

Should you join SAG-AFTRA right away?

Not necessarily. The decision turns on one rule. Under Global Rule One, members agree not to work non-union jobs within the union's jurisdiction, anywhere in the world. Once you join, the non-union short film, the non-union commercial and the non-union indie feature are off the table, unless they are made under one of the union's special agreements (there are agreements for student films and some low-budget projects).

Reasons to join. Union minimums, overtime rules, residuals, safety standards, and eligibility for the health and pension plans once you earn enough under union contracts. Many larger roles, from co-star to series regular, are cast on union productions, and some agents and casting directors read union membership as a sign you are working at that level.

Reasons to wait. If you live in a market where most of the available work is non-union, joining can cut you off from the jobs that build your reel. Staying SAG-eligible but not joined lets you keep doing both, at least until you hit must-join. Some actors deliberately use the eligible period to gather footage and credits.

There is no single right answer. Ask your agent, if you have one, and talk to working actors in your city about what share of their bookings are union.

Common myths about joining SAG-AFTRA

"You can pay your way in." You cannot. There is no membership for sale without eligibility, and anyone offering to sell you a Taft-Hartley or a union voucher is running a scam.

"Joining gets you auditions." Membership on its own does not send anyone your headshot. It qualifies you for union work; you still need an agent, self-submissions or relationships with casting to get seen for it.

"You need an agent to get eligible." Many actors become eligible through a commercial, a small role they found themselves, or background work, with no agent at all.

"Being eligible means you are a member." Eligible means you have qualified. Membership starts when you apply and pay.

Unions outside the US

Stage actors in the US have a separate union, Actors' Equity Association, with its own membership routes. Many actors belong to both.

Canada. ACTRA represents screen performers. Non-members typically work on union productions under a permit system and build credits toward apprentice and then full membership, with rules that vary by branch (British Columbia has its own union, UBCP/ACTRA). Check actra.ca.

UK. Equity UK covers both stage and screen. Membership is open more broadly than in the US, generally to people with professional performance work, and there are student and graduate categories. Check equity.org.uk.

Australia. Performers are represented by the Equity section of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA). Check meaa.org for how to join.

Getting an agent does not depend on union status in any of these places; see how to get an acting agent.

More questions