Any tribe or consortium of tribes seeking inclusion in the applicant pool must meet the following eligibility criteria:

(a) Be a federally recognized tribe or a consortium of federally recognized tribes as defined in Public Law 93-638.

(b) Document, with an official action of the tribal governing body, a formal request to enter negotiations with the Department of Interior (Department) under the Tribal Self-Governance Act authority. In the case of a consortium of tribes, the governing body of each participating tribe must authorize participation by an official action by the tribal governing body.

(c) Demonstrate financial stability and financial management capability by furnishing organization-wide single audit reports as prescribed by Public Law 96-502, the Single Audit Act of 1984, for the previous three years. These audits must not contain material audit exceptions. In the case of tribal consortiums, each signatory to the agreement must meet this requirement. Non-signatory tribes participating in the consortium do not have to meet this requirement.

(d) Successfully complete the planning phase for self-governance. A final planning report must be submitted which demonstrates that the tribe has conducted—

(1) Legal and budgetary research; and

(2) Internal tribal government and organizational planning.

(e) To be included in the applicant pool, tribes or tribal consortiums may submit their applications at any time. The application should state which year the tribe desires to enter negotiations.