tattoo policy

danusna

5-Year Member
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Jan 29, 2011
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I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this question but I dont know where this would go.

I am gonna be turning 18 in a couple weeks and I want to get a tattoo to commemorate this occasion. However, I would like to know the naps as well as the academy's policy on tattoos. If anyone could please enlighten me, I would be greatly appreciative.
 
Wait until you become a Sailor. It's a far greater moment to commemorate by getting inked. :wink:
 
Wait until you become a Sailor. It's a far greater moment to commemorate by getting inked. :wink:

ok thanks. but any idea on the Naval Academy and NAPS policy on tattoos? i think Ive read somewhere that they cant be visible when wearing a t-shirt. Also they cant be gang related or contain obscene images. However Ive heard from other people that they aren't accepted at all
 
ok thanks. but any idea on the Naval Academy and NAPS policy on tattoos? i think Ive read somewhere that they cant be visible when wearing a t-shirt. Also they cant be gang related or contain obscene images. However Ive heard from other people that they aren't accepted at all

Check your NAPS acceptance paperwork, attached to the accept/decline form should be a NAVADMIN on their tattoo policy.
 
Officially, big Navy (the whole service spectrum) claims that your tattoos cannot be visible in any uniform, to include PT gear. (Tee shirt and shorts).

Officially, if you get a tattoo and you're part of the government ... to include being accepted to a service academy or prep school, you must route a "chit" through your Chain of Command for approval. If the chit is approved, then you're good to go. If not, then oh well.

As with many things in the Navy, there is the official way and the unofficial way to do things.

That being said: My best suggestion is to hold off until Navy policy is fully explained to you BY THE NAVY and not on a forum.

Should you choose to depart on this career path, there will be far more rewarding things to commemorate through ink besides the passing of 18 years.
 
what/who is the "chit"?

A chit is used to route information up and down the chain of command. This will be explained to you in great detail come your arrival to USNA/NAPS and even more so when you hit the fleet.

Basically, it's a piece of correspondence (in writing) that lets everyone in your direct leadership know of your intentions (whether they be special liberty, leave, request for tuition, etc).

EVERYTHING (maybe i'm exagerating a bit) requires a chit. A good joke: if you want to use the head during a GQ drill, route a chit.
 
so i found this online:
http://www.usna.edu/AdminSupport/Instructions/6000-6999/6240.10B.pdf

and i have some questions on the implications of the document.
Is it saying that from the time of my acceptance to the time of my graduation i cannot get a tattoo? or is it say from the time i set foot on NAPS to the time i graduate USNA i cannot get a tattoo? if the latter is what is being said, and i do get a tattoo before i get to NAPS, do i have to resubmit the form with a description and a photo?
 
According to the instruction you linked you are not allowed to get a tattoo from the date you report to NAPS to the day you graduate from USNA.

If you get a new tattoo from the time you return that sheet originally to the time you get to NAPS "may cause their disqualification for induction, revocation of any offer of appointment, and their agreement to remove/repair the alteration is required."

So, yes, you would likely have to send in a new tattoo form with photo's, etc and it would be reviewed; however, according to the literal wording of that paragraph simply getting the tattoo could cause serious problems. (I doubt they really enforce it that way though, but I sure as heck wouldn't take the chance if it were me)
 
If you have already had your DoDMERB physical, I would hold of on getting a tattoo until at least you get started. You don't want anything to get in the way of potentially impacting you shot at the career. I start at the USAFA Prep this year and I already have a tattoo; however, I am also already active duty Air Force, and USAFA knows about my tattoo before I got the acceptance. If the academies are anything like enlisted basic, they do a tattoo check when you first get there. If anything is different from the initial paperwork, you might have someone to answer to.
 
thank you again for the information. i think what im gonna do is call and see what my options are, as i would still like to get the tattoo for its significance to my journey
 
thank you again for the information. i think what im gonna do is call and see what my options are, as i would still like to get the tattoo for its significance to my journey

So what are you going to do when you actually do something in life?:biggrin::shake: I joke, I joke

You could always get the tattoo after you graduate, it would just be a delayed "gratification". Heck, by then you may have more money to pay for a better artist :)
 
So what are you going to do when you actually do something in life?:biggrin::shake: I joke, I joke

You could always get the tattoo after you graduate, it would just be a delayed "gratification". Heck, by then you may have more money to pay for a better artist :)

I consider getting into NAPS a significant accomplishment. Ill be the first in my school's history to go to NAPS. Everyone has either been accepted or denied from NA
 
If you have already had your DoDMERB physical, I would hold of on getting a tattoo until at least you get started. You don't want anything to get in the way of potentially impacting you shot at the career. I start at the USAFA Prep this year and I already have a tattoo; however, I am also already active duty Air Force, and USAFA knows about my tattoo before I got the acceptance. If the academies are anything like enlisted basic, they do a tattoo check when you first get there. If anything is different from the initial paperwork, you might have someone to answer to.

Exactly. The service is starting to be a LOT more selective with packages, both enlisted and officer, so getting a tattoo would definitely adversely affect your process. You have to get waivers most of the time. In the Marines, they can grandfather you, but now, getting a tattoo pretty much disqualifies you, and if your 1st Sergeant catches you with one without paperwork, you're in for a long line of disciplinary action. I've wanted a tattoo for about 5 years now, but don't mind waiting if it give me an advantage over other candidates.
 
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