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Tattoo policy: the controlling regulation in every branch

Tattoo rules live inside each branch's uniform-and-appearance regulation — size, placement, and content limits differ by service.

BranchControlling publication
ArmyAR 670-1 — WEAR AND APPEARANCE OF ARMY UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA
Current dated 2021-01-26
NavyNAVPERS 15665J — United States Navy Uniform Regulations
Current dated n/a
Marine CorpsMCO 1020.34H — MARINE CORPS UNIFORM REGULATIONS
Current dated 2018-05-01
Plus the standalone tattoo bulletin series (MCBul 1020)
Coast GuardCOMDTINST M1020.6K — UNIFORM REGULATIONS
Current dated 2020-07-07
Air ForceDAFI 36-2903 — Dress and Personal Appearance of Department of the Air Force Personnel
Current dated 2024-02-29
Space ForceDAFI 36-2903 — on AF e-Publishing (not in our index)
Publication numbers, dates, and statuses in this table resolve live against each branch's official catalog index — when a service revises its reg, this page follows automatically. Verify the controlling copy on the official portal before citing it.

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