You must meet certain nationality and residency criteria to join the RAF. To see if you qualify, please read the information below.

Nationality

To be eligible to apply for any RAF job, you must fall into one of the following categories:

• British Citizen
• British National
• British/Dual National
• Commonwealth Citizen
• Irish Republic National

If you do not fall into one these categories, you are ineligible to join the RAF.

For security reasons, there are stricter nationality requirements for some jobs. For a few, you must have been a UK citizen and UK resident since birth. Please check the individual job files on this website for more information.

You can also find more information about nationality and citizenship on the UK Border Agency website

Residency

As well as meeting nationality requirements, you must also meet certain residency criteria to be eligible to apply for a job in the RAF.

UK Resident for a Minimum of 5-years

If you have been resident in the United Kingdom for a minimum period of 5 years immediately prior to your application, and have not spent more than 28 days per year outside of the UK during this time, then you meet our residency criteria. You should register your interest as normal.

If you have spent more than 28 days per year outside the UK in the last 5 years, then we will need to complete further checks on your eligibility. During the application process you will be asked to explain why you have spent over 28 days outside the UK. In the meantime, provided that you meet our other eligibility criteria, you should register your interest as normal.

UK Resident Between 3 and 5-years

If you have been resident in the UK for more than 3 years but less than 5 years immediately prior to making your application, and have not spent more than 28 days per year outside the UK during this period then we will need to complete further checks on your eligibility during the application process. In the meantime, provided that you meet our other eligibility criteria, you should register your interest as normal.

UK Resident less than 3 years
If you have been resident in the United Kingdom for less than 3 years, but fall into one of the following categories then we will need to complete further checks on your eligibility during the application process. In the meantime, you should register you interest as normal.

• You spent time abroad for travel/ study gap year reasons.
• You lived abroad because your parents were employed by the UK government (including HM Forces) in a foreign country.
• You are a British citizen with at least one parent who is a British citizen and you lived with your parents abroad and you attended secondary school within the European Economic Area or a Commonwealth Country.

If you do not fall into one of the above categories, then you are ineligible to apply to the RAF at this time.

Further eligibility checks

If you meet our nationality requirements but further checks need to be made on your residency, you will need to provide the following documents at a later stage in the application process:

a. Birth certificate
b. Passport
c. Educational qualifications
d. Overseas Police Certificate (only required if you have spent over 6 months in a foreign country)
e. Supporting documentation when relevant (eg, References from travelling companion if on Gap Year)

Please do not send any documents until specifically requested.

Making your application from overseas

It is possible to complete the initial stages of the application process whilst still abroad. However, applicants for Officer branches or Airmen Aircrew categories would have to travel to the UK to complete the final stages of the selection process at the Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre (OASC) if invited to do so. Applicants for Ground Trades (Airmen) would have to travel to the UK to undergo the selection process at an Armed Forces Careers Office if invited to do so.

All travel is at the candidate’s own expense, and you should maintain yourself in the UK during the selection process, in which you may or may not be successful.