mONTANA rEFEREE rECERTIFICATION

REFEREE RECERTIFICATION

Each year, U.S. Soccer Federation referees must recertify to be eligible to officiate any U.S. Soccer sanctioned league/club matches, friendlies, or tournaments. The registration period runs from July 1 to June 30th of the following year and registrations are valid until December 31st of the year certified. (For example: if one certifies for 2026 on August 26th, 2025 their certification is valid until December 31, 2026.)

Certifications may lapse for no more than 3 years before you are required to take a beginner referee course again. If you have 5 or more years of past refereeing experience and your license lapses for 3 years, please contact us before signing up for a beginner course.

The recertification course is all online. There is no requirement for any in-person field sessions. Once the SRC is notified of your recertification completion, a current year badge will be mailed directly to you, please allow 2-3 weeks to receive your badge. Make sure the addresses entered into OMS and the U.S. Soccer Learning Center are current and can receive USPS mail. Returned badges will be subject to a re-ordering fee.

If you are over 18-years-old, you must consent to a U.S. Soccer Learning Center background check. This background check is completely separate from any MYSA or coaching background check you may already have completed and they are non-transferable.

Please follow the steps below to ensure a smooth recertification process.

log into OMS and update info

OMS Member Login

Visit OMS MT Member Login page to begin. We recommend using Google Chrome on a desktop computer. Once on your dashboard, "Click Here" to update your personal information before getting started. If your screen looks different you may have already clicked this and can skip this step. You may also click on the "Registration" menu to register for a clinic.

When you update your information, do not check this box! It will limit you from receiving assignments in Assignr.

Step 1: find recertification clinic

Select the appropriate categories for the clinic you are looking for. For most, Referee > Recertification will be the clinic you are looking for. When ready, press Submit.

Step 2: Select Recertification Clinic

Be sure to select the clinic you would like to take before continuing to the next step or you will need to start over. There are 2 clinic options to pick from.

1 to 3 Years of Experience Recertification (Standard Referee Test)
4+ Years of Experience Recertification (Advanced/Regional Referee Test)

Step 3a: checkout and pay fees

You should see 2 fees in green. If you remove one or both, you won't be able to continue. If a fee is showing in red, there is not a clinic available yet for that fee and it may be removed. Click the checkout button when ready.

Step 3b: checkout and pay fees

A confirmation of the fees about to be paid will now be displayed. The system will only accept credit or debit cards for payment. Click the blue button and wait for the payment window to load. If you don't see it, check your browser for a pop-up that may have been blocked.

Step 3c: eNTER cARD iNFORMATION

The payment window will load to enter card details. A receipt will be displayed once payment is successful and a copy will be sent to the email provided.

Step 4: Begin Online Lessons

You may now begin the online lessons required to recertify. Once you start a lesson, please give yourself enough time to complete the lesson in one sitting. If you close your browser you will need to start from the beginning of that lesson.

The lesson list may be left open in the background. Click the update button after each lesson to update the list. ALL LESSONS MUST BE COMPLETED!

We recommend using a desktop computer and an updated version of Google Chrome. You may encounter issues on a phone and there are some issues reported with Safari. Leave the lesson window open while working on a lesson.

Step 5: Background Check & Safesport

U.S. Soccer Learning Center Safe-Soccer Portal

All referees that are over 18 must have a current background check and SafeSport certificate current in the U.S. Soccer Learning Center in order to referee. If either expire your license will be suspended.

Visit U.S. Soccer Learning Center Safe-Soccer to complete SafeSport and submit your background check. The background check is $23 and is good for 2 years.

Phase 2 shown on this page is not required.

You may also see your SafeSport and background check status in your Learning Center Profile.

Step 6: Approval & BAdge Mailing

Once the SRC received clearance from U.S. Soccer of your background check and SafeSport, if required, we will approve your license and mail your referee badge to the address entered into OMS. (Feel free to double check this address, we see a lot of returned badges.)