Can you get in the Indian military with tattoos?

Answer 1

It depends on the tattoos and the specific branch of the United States military. If the tattoos can be covered by the uniform, there is generally no issue about them at all. However, obvious tattoos that are not covered by the uniform are prohibited, such as on the neck or hands.

In the case of forearm tattoos, it is worth noting that each branch of the U.S. uniformed services has short-sleeve variants of their uniforms, and most will specify which variation to wear for the uniform of the day (right down to accoutrements, such as a neck-tie or neck-tab). If the service regulation requires tattoos covered, this puts the service member in an awkward position, when the uniform of the day is short sleeves. The neck and upper chest area may also create problems, since some service uniforms have open necks and proper wear specifies a more revealing V-neck undershirt, versus crew neck. It is worth noting that, in the case of the Coast Guard and Air Force, the uniform shirts are of such light-colored gauze-like material that tattoos may be visible through the uniform itself, and this may or may not create problems with a member's command; a discreet undershirt may be necessary.

Female service members in all branches will have more difficulties, since all services have skirt-variations of most uniform types, so leg or ankle tattoos would be an issue for them as well. Wearing dark hosiery may be prohibited, permitted, or even required, when wearing a skirt uniform or one consisting of a dress or jumper; the latter are common variations usually seen in military maternity wear.

Each service has it's own regulations on tattoo display while in uniform; owing to the current fashion in body art, each has had to struggle with enforcement and regulating tattoos. These policies will either require that the service member cover the tattoo, or be able to cover the tattoo while wearing a standard uniform. The U.S. Air Force, for example, recently (as of late 2009) changed its tattoo policy from 'must cover' to 'must be able to cover.' The key difference is that in the latter case, forearm tattoo display is generally permitted -- good news for tattooed airmen. So, the current popularity of tattoos, and the potential to exclude millions of excellent recruits (or presently serving soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines) by such policies is resulting in a more permissive trend across the U.S. Department of Defense.

However, the type of tattoo is also extremely important. Tattoos with offensive content, specifically to include covert or overt racist messages, drug paraphernalia, gang brands, etc, are prohibited in general; they would usually be a bar to enlistment, and serving members would be offered either a discharge or medical removal of the tattoo.