RAF scraps its strict no hand tattoo policy for potential recruits and serving personnel

Royal Air Force recruits and serving personnel are no longer prohibited from having full hand tattoos after senior officials decided to amend the service's decades-old policy on body art.

The removal of the RAF's previous zero tolerance stance on hand tattoos brings the service in line with British Army and Royal Navy guidance.

The RAF's former policy prohibited anyone with body ink outside of a single finger tattoo which could not be concealed with a wedding band or ring.

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In an internal briefing note, seen by Forces News, senior RAF commanders and recruiters have been told "with immediate effect the RAF tattoo policy has been amended to permit hand tattoos".

The note went on to say its former policy "meant that a number of potential recruits were ineligible to join the RAF due to having tattoos contrary to the policy".

The memo did not go as far to say how many recruits had been turned away or sacked from the RAF because of breaching the previous policy.

The news comes after recruitment firm Capita told the Defence Select Committee that many young people were having to wait 150 days to join the military because of the medical assessments recruits have to undertake due to the MOD's own rules on tattoos and medical conditions.

Capita managing director Richard Holroyd told the committee that some personnel were not allowed tattoos above the collar or on their hands, and recruiters had to waste time sending photographic evidence to a military judgment panel prior to signing them up.

An RAF spokesperson said of the policy change: "The RAF has eased the restrictions on hand tattoos for both potential recruits and serving personnel.

"This change in policy is consistent with the RAF's inclusion policies, helps to ensure that we continue to be representative of the modern-day society we serve and aligns us with Royal Navy and Army policies."

Meanwhile, applications to join the Armed Forces have increased, the Defence Secretary has said.

Grant Shapps said applications to join the Royal Navy were at an eight-year high in applications, while the British Army had seen a six-year high.

He said the Royal Air Force was also experiencing an increase in potential recruits.