Career FAQ · Updated June 2026

Can pilots have tattoos?

A question that comes up constantly, and one that doesn't have a single answer — because the answer isn't medical, it's commercial.

In short

There is no aviation authority rule on tattoos — neither EASA nor the FAA mentions them anywhere in their medical or licensing requirements. Whether a tattoo affects your career depends entirely on the individual airline: some have no issue at all, some require tattoos to be covered while in uniform, and a smaller number still prohibit them for flight crew outright. There is no industry-wide standard, and it varies airline by airline — the only reliable answer comes from asking that specific airline.

Why there's no single answer

It's worth being precise about why this question doesn't have a clean yes-or-no, because the reason matters: medical certification and appearance policy are two completely separate things, governed by completely different people.

Your EASA Class 1 or FAA medical certificate assesses your physical and mental fitness to fly safely — cardiovascular health, vision, hearing, mental health, and so on (see our pilot medical certificate guide for the full breakdown). A tattoo has no bearing on any of that, and accordingly, it doesn't appear anywhere in EASA's Part-MED or the FAA's 14 CFR Part 67. It is simply not a subject either regulator addresses.

What you're actually asking about is an employer grooming and appearance standard — the same category as uniform fit, hair length, or facial hair policy. Each airline sets its own, independently, as part of its corporate image. That's exactly why the answer is "it depends which airline," not "yes" or "no."

What actually varies between airlines

A handful of patterns show up repeatedly across the industry, even though no two airlines word their policy identically:

Visibility while in uniform is the single biggest factor. Tattoos fully covered by the standard uniform (torso, upper arms, back, legs) are far less likely to be restricted than tattoos on the face, neck, or hands — those three locations are the most commonly singled out where an airline does have a policy.
Content matters everywhere. Offensive, violent, or discriminatory imagery is essentially universally prohibited, regardless of placement or whether it's covered.
The range is genuinely wide. At one end, some airlines have no tattoo policy at all and simply don't raise it. At the other, a smaller number of airlines still maintain an outright ban on tattoos for flight crew, visible or not. Most sit somewhere in between, with a "must be coverable by the uniform" standard.
Pilots and cabin crew aren't automatically the same policy. Most of what gets publicly reported about airlines "relaxing" tattoo rules is specifically about cabin crew appearance standards, since cabin crew are customer-facing and changes there attract more press coverage. That doesn't tell you what the flight deck policy is at the same airline — it's worth confirming separately.
Policies change. Appearance standards get revised periodically, sometimes significantly, so something true about an airline two or three years ago may no longer be accurate.

How to actually find out

Ask the airline directly — its careers or recruitment team is the only source that can give you a current, accurate answer for that specific employer. We'd specifically caution against relying on the many "airline tattoo policy" comparison lists circulating online: in researching this topic, we found these aggregator articles routinely contradict each other about the same airline, and most are written about cabin crew rather than flight deck crew, which is a meaningfully different question.

If you already have an offer or are deep into a recruitment process, ask your contact at the airline directly and get the specifics for flight crew, not the general public-facing grooming page if one even exists. If you're weighing whether to get a new tattoo while building a pilot career, the safer order of operations is to ask first, ink second — a policy is far easier to plan around before the tattoo exists than after.

FAQ

Can pilots have tattoos?

There is no single answer, because no aviation authority regulates this. Whether a tattoo is a problem depends entirely on which airline you fly for — some have no issue with tattoos at all, others restrict visible ones, and a small number still prohibit them outright. The only way to get a reliable answer is to ask the specific airline.

Do EASA or the FAA have any rule about pilot tattoos?

No. Neither EASA Part-MED nor the FAA's 14 CFR Part 67 medical standards mention tattoos at all. Medical certification is about physical and mental fitness to fly — cardiovascular health, vision, hearing, mental health, and so on. A tattoo has no bearing on any of that, and it is not a topic either regulator addresses, positively or negatively.

So why do some airlines restrict tattoos if it isn't a safety issue?

Because it isn't treated as a safety issue — it's treated as an appearance and grooming standard, the same category as uniform fit, hair length, or facial hair policy. Airlines set these independently as part of their corporate image, and policies vary enormously: from no restriction at all, to "must be covered while in uniform," to a small number of airlines that still prohibit tattoos for flight crew outright.

Where can I find an airline's actual tattoo policy?

Directly from the airline — ideally its careers or recruitment team — rather than from forums or aggregator blog posts. Lists of "airline tattoo policies" circulating online are frequently outdated, contradict each other on the same airline, and are usually written about cabin crew appearance standards rather than flight deck crew specifically, which is a separate question even within the same airline. If you already have an offer or are deep into an application, ask your recruiter directly; if you're considering a new tattoo, ask before booking the appointment, not after.

Does it matter if the tattoo is visible or covered by the uniform?

Generally, yes, and this is the one pattern that holds fairly consistently across airlines that do have restrictions: tattoos that stay fully covered by the standard uniform (torso, upper arms, back, legs) are far less likely to be an issue than tattoos on the face, neck, or hands, which are the locations most commonly restricted when an airline does have a policy. Offensive, extremist, or discriminatory imagery is essentially universally prohibited, regardless of placement.

Are the rules the same for pilots and cabin crew at the same airline?

Not necessarily. Most public reporting on airline tattoo policy changes in recent years has actually been about cabin crew appearance standards, since cabin crew are more customer-facing and policy changes there get more press coverage. That doesn't mean the same policy automatically applies to flight deck crew at the same airline — it's a separate question worth asking about specifically if you're a pilot or pilot applicant.

Methodology & disclaimer: The regulatory claim on this page — that EASA and the FAA do not address tattoos — is verifiable directly against EASA Part-MED and 14 CFR Part 67, neither of which mentions the subject. Beyond that, this page deliberately does not provide a specific airline-by-airline tattoo policy comparison. Such lists are widely published online but are frequently outdated, inconsistent between sources even for the same airline, and usually describe cabin crew appearance standards rather than flight deck crew. Rather than present unverifiable specifics as fact, we point you to the one source that's actually reliable: the airline itself. This is general guidance, not a substitute for confirming directly with any specific employer. Last reviewed June 2026.