How to register for my first tournament

I have been playing tournaments and games in chess.com for over an year now. I currently have a good understanding of the game and I believe it is the right time for me start playing some real tournaments. Any suggestions on how to register for a tournament.

I do not have a membership / rating with any of the organizations. Should I be a USCF / FIDE member to play in the tournaments?

Thanks in advance!

Depends on where you are located. If you are in the US, and are wanting to play a rated tourney, then you would need to be a member of the USCF. 

If you are abroad, then you will need to find out what is available in your area or in an area you are willing to travel to. You don't become a member of FIDE but a member of a national federation and then when you play in a FIDE rated event, your information is provided to FIDE and they generate a FIN (FIDE Identification Number). There is a way to be a "FIDE member" via FIDE Online Arena but you are still supposed to associate with a national federation.

Thanks martin for the information. Yes I am in the US. So I will register with the USCF 

And one more question I had is that after registering with USCF, will I be able to play in any of the rated tournaments. I checked out a few and they all have a minimum cut off on the ratings.

Most tourneys allow unrated players. If it is an Open, then you just play with everyone else. If there are sections, where you can play depends on the organizer.

In general, most events will allow you to play the Open, some may require it, and some may limit prizes in such a case. Some tourneys have a section where unrated players are expected to play. 

You'll just need to find out the specifics of any event you want to play in.