You can’t join the Army with these tattoo types. Plus chance for people with criminal records
The army in most countries allow several forms of tattoos. However, you can not join army with these tattoo types below in various countries that even allow tattoos. In many countries too, tattoos are not allowed at entry level. The guidelines below is specifically for the British Army, though it applies it to countries that allow tattoos on entry.
Will my tattoos stop me joining?
If your tattoo is offensive, obscene or racist it will stop you joining. Small tattoos that aren’t offensive in any way are not normally a problem, depending where they are on your body and how visible they are.
Here is our quick guide to the basic rules of joining army with these tattoo
- The general rule is if your tattoo is visible on a passport photo it will be deemed unacceptable.
- Tattoos that are offensive or obscene, ie those that depict sex acts, violence or illegal drugs for example are a no-no.
- Tattoos on the hand and the back of the neck are now OK. Most soldiers, however, keep their saluting hand clean out of respect.
- Tattoos on the head and face are unacceptable. If you’re not sure, pop along to your nearest Army Careers Centre and show them.
I have piercings, can I still join?
Some body piercings will stop you joining, or re-joining:
Piercings that change the way you look, like a 4mm flesh tunnel or larger ones
For health and safety reasons, you will need to take off all jewellery before any physical activity in the application process. Once you have joined the Army, you will be told the rules for wearing body jewellery when on and off duty.
If you’re not sure whether your tattoos or piercings will be a problem, you can always pop into your local career centre and get it checked out by our team.
Joining with a criminal conviction
Everyone makes mistakes and a criminal conviction doesn’t have to stop you from joining the Army. Be honest about your past history when you come in for a chat, and we might be able to offer you that all-important second chance.
Some convictions are forgotten – or ‘spent’ – after a rehabilitation period. The length of this period depends on the offence. You must tell us about any unspent convictions you have. For some jobs you’ll need to tell us about any convictions when you apply, whether spent or not. You need to be honest – if you hide a conviction before joining up, you could be prosecuted later.
My situation has changed since I applied, can I still join?
At all times during the application process, you need to make sure that you tell us about any changes to your circumstances when it comes to offences. This includes waiting for a court appearance for a criminal offence, for any reason (including jury service) other than as a witness, until the outcome of the hearing is known. This may cause a delay to your application.