How To Get A SAG Card (easy To Understand)

How to Get a SAG Card in 2024 (simplified)

1/11/2024

1. Decide whether it's the right time to join SAG.
2. Become eligible to join SAG by meeting their requirements.
3. Gather your materials and submit an application.
4. Pay their dues and join.

Step 1: Decide Whether You Should Get a SAG Card

• Do you have at least 3-4 Lead or Supporting screen credits on your resume?
• Do you have at least 1 co-star credit or union franchised film credit on your resume (meaning you're SAG-Eligible)?
• Do you have a professional reel with at least 3 high-budget scenes in it?
• Do you feel very confident in your auditioning ability?
• Do you have a relationship with at least 2-3 casting directors?
• Do you have a SAG-Franchised agent?
  • Related: Contact info of over 140 legit agencies across the world.

​Step 2: Become Eligible to Join SAG-AFTRA

• Taft-Hartley: Non-union actors can be hired in union projects for speaking roles. The moment you are hired for a principal or speaking role on your first SAG-AFTRA production, you become eligible to join (provided the production submitted the necessary paperwork with your information on it). This is called being "Taft-Hartleyed," and is one of the most common ways of getting into SAG-AFTRA.
  • Note 1: There are ways to improve your chances of being Taft-Hartley'd. If you're willing to put in a bit of work, you can start getting directly invited to audition for SAG-AFTRA productions, even if you don't have an extensive resume or reel. You'll cold-email casting directors (or if you prefer, meet them through classes/social media) and keep in touch for a few weeks by providing added value. Because you've given so much to them (before you expect to gain), these casting directors will feel compelled to invite you to audition for their next major SAG-AFTRA project – and you'll have a leg up on all the other actors auditioning (because the casting director already knows you)!
    • ​Free Step-by-Step Guide: 3 Strategies to Get Casting Directors to Invite You to SAG-AFTRA Auditions (includes word-for-word email templates and a tutorial on how to become friends with any major casting director – even if you've never met)​
  • Note 2: Once you've performed in a principal role on a union film, you are considered "SAG-Eligible," and have 30 days to perform in as many union productions as you want. After that 30 day period is up however, you MUST join the union on the next SAG-AFTRA production you work on (unless it's as a background actor).
• Background Vouchers: If you perform three days of work as a background actor in a SAG-AFTRA production, you will become eligible to join – but only if they give you a "voucher." If the production has any vouchers left (they give them out to union actors first) you'll receive one. Your goal is to collect three vouchers, one for each day of work. Unlike with the Taft-Hartley rule, there is no time frame or limit to the number of background roles you can do in SAG-AFTRA productions before being required to join. This is typically the easiest and most straightforward way to become eligible to join the union.
  • Note 1: To improve your chances of landing a background union role, you can try working in productions that are more difficult to get to – those outside a major production city like NYC or LA. You can also perform in roles that require more harsh working conditions, such as outdoor scenes in bad weather. These techniques will decrease the number of union actors looking for background work in those productions, thereby increasing your chances as a non-union actor of getting booked.
  • Note 2: Background vouchers are not guaranteed. Some productions might not issue one, so be aware that this method isn't always as easy as it sounds.
• Put Together Your Own SAG-AFTRA Production: SAG-AFTRA offers plenty of agreement options for low budget productions, including the New Media, Special New Media, and Ultra Low Budget options. If you create your own project and submit the necessary paperwork and pay the necessary fees, you can make your own production a union project and then hire yourself on it! Basically you'd be Taft-Hartleying yourself with this option.
• Reciprocity: AEA (Actors' Equity Association), ACTRA (The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television, and Radio Artists), AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists), and AGVA (American Guild of Variety Artists) are all affiliated with SAG-AFTRA, and as long as you've been a member of one of those unions for at least a year and have performed as a principal at least once under one of their contracts, you'll generally be allowed to join SAG-AFTRA (provided of course that you pay the initiation fee).
• Be Upgraded to a Speaking Role: Similarly to being Taft-Hartleyed, you can start by joining a union production as a background actor, and if they decide to give you a line for whatever reason, you'll instantly become eligible to join the union because you're now considered a "principal" actor.
• Special Cases: If the national board for SAG-AFTRA determines that you're "engaged in work that advances the [union’s] active organizing efforts or general goals," it might decide to admit you. Note that this is extremely rare and generally outside of your control.

Step 3: Gather Paperwork & Submit Your Application

• ​Gather the required documentation. If you use the link to check your eligibility status and you're deemed ineligible but you know you ARE eligible per their requirements as outlined above, you'll need to gather the following items as proof of work:
  • Original Paycheck stubs: make sure your pay stubs indicate the date(s) of employment, your name and social security number, the production title, the signatory company, and the wages you were paid. Do not submit copies – only originals are accepted!
  • Performer contract: You'll also need your original contract with the production company (again, not a copy). It should include your name and social security number, date(s) of employment, production title, signatory company, and wages paid.
  • Payroll Printout: Finally, you'll be required to submit a payroll printout that includes your name, social security number, date(s) of employment, production title, signatory company and wages paid.
  • Note: They don't accept background work vouchers as sole proof of work. You'll need the three above items in addition to your vouchers when applying!
• Submit all of the required documents. Along with the documents above, you'll also be required to include your professional name, primary address, telephone number, date & place of birth, and social security number with your submission. You can simply write these down on a separate page in the envelope you mail, or as the text in the email you send.
  • If sending by email: [email protected].
  • If sending by mail: Screen Actors Guild, Membership Services Department – Proof of Eligibility, 5757 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036
    • Note 1: When sending by mail, be sure to make copies of your documents for your own records before sending them in! You should also include a return-addressed, pre-stamped envelope so they can send your documents back to you after verification.
  • ​If delivering in-person: Drop them off with the first floor receptionist at 5757 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036.
  • ​​Note: No two actors can have the same name in the SAG-AFTRA database, meaning your application might be denied if you have a common name. For that reason, you might be required to submit a Stage Name instead.
• Schedule an appointment to join. Once they send a letter or email back to you confirming your eligibility, you'll need to schedule an appointment to speak with them. Call their office at (323) 549-6769 to schedule this appointment, where you'll initiate your membership and pay the initiation fee.
• If you run into trouble, just call their nearest office. You can visit www.sagaftra.org/locals to find the nearest office to you – they're usually very friendly and and can walk you through the process, send you step-by-step instructions, and help you get together the necessary paperwork!

​Step 4: Join and Pay the Initiation Fee

How to Get a SAG Card: Think Strategically

• ​​Step 1: Start saving to have $3,500 in the bank. Your money should be there so you can join as soon as you have to. Why? Because there have been cases of actors who booked an amazing SAG-AFTRA role who were required to join the union but couldn't afford the initiation fee. They lost out on the role of a lifetime because of it. Don't let this be you!
• Step 2: Build up non-union credits (while saving). Spend a year or two building up your credits so your acting resume is strong. Make it your goal to get at least 3-4 Supporting or Lead credits in student or indie non-union films (you can find these roles through casting websites). Also, make sure to ask for your footage so you can begin the process of putting together a professional demo reel.
• Step 3: Find a Union Franchised agent and begin applying for union gigs. Start looking for a union-franchised agent (you don't need to have a SAG card to get representation from one of these acting agencies). While searching for an agent, start building relationships with a few big casting directors by attending workshops and keeping in touch with them via social media or email.
• Step 4: Wait until you become SAG-AFTRA Eligible and then add that to your resume (or work in 3 SAG background roles and request vouchers). Once you have an agent and you've completed all the items above, you can safely join the union whenever you're ready. The simplest way to join would be by either getting booked as a co-star in a television show (or any speaking role in a union film), or by working as a background actor for three days on a union production.
• Step 5: Join SAG-AFTRA. Congratulations! You're ready to join SAG and you're NOT going to lock yourself into a world of hurt by joining too early.​

3 Numbers All Actors Should Know

• 40-60 Submissions – This is how often full-time, working actors submit themselves (whether they have an agent or not) each month.
• 10-20 Auditions – This is how many times full-time working actors audition (or at least record and submit self-tapes) each month.
• 3-5 Bookings – This is how often full-time working actors book real, paid acting jobs each and every month.

• "Should I take another acting class?"
• "Do I need better professional headshots or should I pay to shoot a reel?"
• "What's the fastest way to get an agent?"

• Book Broadway roles
• Land network television and Netflix shows
• Sign with agents and managers
• And much more – faster than you'd expect (you can see some success stories here).

​The Actor's Toolkit

​​The Top 6 Casting Websites to Find Auditions, plus 3 specific submissions strategies to get higher-quality auditions from them 3 Pro Actor Resume Templates, professionally formatted (they work on any device – just add your info) Contact info of over 140 Top Talent Agencies & Submissions Techniques to save you the hassle of trying to find legitimate (non-scam) agents

​Martin Bentsen (author of this guide) is an actor marketing coach who uses strategic thinking to help actors book more work. He’s helped over 14,000 actors with their careers and actor headshots since 2009 and his photography studio City Headshots is ranked #1 on Yelp. He’s spoken at NYU, The New England Theater Conference, The Actor’s Green Room, and other venues. ​ Want to book more acting work by thinking strategically? Start with his free Actor’s Toolkit to create new opportunities right away, or visit his website at www.martinbentsen.com.

​Some Additional Q&A

Can I Do Non-Union Work When I'm a Member of SAG-AFTRA?

​What does a SAG card cost?

​Do you have to have a SAG card to be an actor?

How to get a SAG card as an extra?

​Additional Helpful Links:

• SAG-AFTRA Health Login
• SAG-AFTRA Phone Number
• SAG-AFTRA
• SAG-Eligibility Checker

​Further Reading:

• Demo Reel: The Ultimate Guide for Actors
• ​How to Become an Actor: The Ultimate Guide
• How to Find Auditions: The Ultimate Guide
• What is a SAG Card?
• Acting CV Template (free)