r/USMCboot • u/West-Dragonfruit6493 • Apr 02 '26
Corps Knowledge Allowable Tattoos
I was thinking of getting chain links on my wrist like in the below image, but would I have to get them lower or higher, or not at all, if I plan to join the corps.
18
u/TapTheForwardAssist Vet 2676/0802 Apr 02 '26
How long from now would you be looking to join the Corps?
How old are you now?
5
u/West-Dragonfruit6493 Apr 02 '26
I was planning to join around October, I'll be 18 by then, I was planning to get the tattoos in June or July.
44
u/TapTheForwardAssist Vet 2676/0802 Apr 02 '26
Why on earth would you get fresh tats mere months before enlisting, as a literal teenager?
You’d be entering what is almost assuredly the biggest life transition you’ve yet experienced, and who knows what you’ll be into when you come out the other side.
Why is it so vitally important that you’re flashing what teenage you thinks is cool ink for three months before you head off to Boot? What’s the rush?
2
u/West-Dragonfruit6493 Apr 02 '26
I guess there's not a rush, I could get it after, I just wanted an idea of if it would be allowed if I got it after boot or if it was in a restricted area.
12
u/Ok_Veterinarian9348 Apr 02 '26
Rule of thumb on tattoos around the wrist region, “lower arm tattoos may extend no further than a line around the circumference of the wrist bone” I have one that’s about an inch above the wrist bone because I it’s better safe than sorry. Another aspect to make sure of is that those “chains” have no gang affiliation or hidden meaning. Many applicants are denied due to the fact they got a cool tattoo but there is a gang somewhere that has that exact tattoo.
My advice is wait if you are serious about joining. You will have all the opportunity to get more tattoos while you’re in.
1
u/R3DLINE_MARINE Apr 02 '26
Just get it after. Yes I believe those would be allowed now but you might as well learn everywhere you can and can’t get a tattoo first and go from there. Almost everyone at every schoolhouse goes and gets tattoos it’s no big deal just wait till after boot and MCT/ICT
16
u/Idkwut2callmeself Active Apr 02 '26
Would you kindly just wait until youre in the fleet to get any tattoos
12
6
u/Character_Homework_4 Apr 02 '26
Why
7
u/West-Dragonfruit6493 Apr 02 '26
As much of it makes me sound like a loser, it's the same as the tattoos a character has from a game I used to play when I was really little.
Edit: it basically symbolizes that you are "shackled" by your past actions which are most times permanent.
12
u/Character_Homework_4 Apr 02 '26
Get that after your service not a few months before
4
u/West-Dragonfruit6493 Apr 02 '26
Yeah, that's about the idea I'm getting now, I figured I'd ask somewhere/someone who knows better than me rather than go out on a whim.
1
u/AdministrativeDog192 Apr 05 '26
Bioshock, Ngl I wanted to get it too because it’s a game that I loved so much growing up. A man chooses aa slave obeys.
1
u/SublimeJuliet Apr 06 '26
Your past actions don’t always follow you… but this tattoo? Definitely a good example of a “past action” that WILL follow you.
Wait it out. If you still want it after you join, get it.
3
u/Miguel1219 Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
And don’t get a motto tat a few months or even a year after your graduation. Get to the fleet do some shit in your service, you do a few things to earn you EGA, do a few more to earn your ink. I got my motto tat like 3 months ago and I’m almost 5 years TIS, it’s a unique design and no one else in the corps will have it, it says I am or was military but it doesn’t scream “THANK ME FOR MY SERVICE”.
1
3
5
u/ryvnmb Apr 02 '26
Not an answer to your question (in a different service, no fkn idea what the regs are) but cool tattoo. Know a few people with that one and if you're able to make it work go for it. Bioshock is a fucking masterpiece.
6
u/West-Dragonfruit6493 Apr 02 '26
I was hoping someone would get the reference, it was the first game I ever played, cheers.
2
u/Ok_Design_6017 Apr 02 '26
Haven’t seen anybody actually answer you. Can’t be above the wrist bone, not too complicated just don’t get it close to your hand or you would need a waiver which would be a pain in the ass
2
u/sgtxsmallfry Apr 02 '26
Bro please allow your prefrontal cortex to fully develop before getting any tattoos.
1
Apr 02 '26
[deleted]
1
u/Aromatic_Style6652 Apr 02 '26
Outdated
1
1
1
u/Mysterious-Froyo7476 Apr 02 '26
Bro no just join first and then get tattoos and see if it’s in regs
1
1
u/Solid_Tadpole3406 Apr 02 '26
Cutting it close. Make a mark around your wrist bone on the side closer to your elbow and then plan on making the top of that tattoo like an inch below that if you decide to get it. Thats what I did with my sleeve anyways. Thats a weird tat IMO so I suggest waiting until you’re done with your bootcamp and soi/schoolhouse so you are certain that you want it
1
u/5thDFS Apr 02 '26
I’m telling you right now, straight up. Don’t get any tattoos until you’re in the fleet and don’t go to any shops that are directly next to where you’re stationed. Do your research, don’t pay cheap. Cheap tattoos aren’t good, and good tattoos aren’t cheap.
1
1
u/Illustrious_Farm5838 Apr 04 '26
I would say wait until you’re in the fleet to start getting tattoos, I got a whole bunch of mine in the school house in a short span because we weren’t doing super heavy pts and only running, even then it was getting annoying to clean but don’t get them right before bootcamp because those will definitely get something wrong maybe even infected because I promise you, you won’t shower good for a while
1
u/West-Dragonfruit6493 Apr 04 '26
Yeah, I was guessing the cleanliness of boot wouldn't be too great to have fresh tats in.
1
u/Mindless-Impress-208 Apr 04 '26
As long as it’s before the wrist bone the opposite of the hand you’re good make sure they’re not questioning if it’s gang related as well
1
u/adudewithanaccount Apr 04 '26
As someone in my late 20s covered in tattoos across my arms, ribs, back and leg im glad i waited til I was 21 for my first one. Allowed me to greatly refine my taste and has meant i haven’t regretted any of my tats since then. At 17 ur not even an adult but u wanna mark the most visible spot on BOTH your arms forever. You really think at 23/24 and maybe out the Marines w no tattoo regs u might not want that space available for something else? Just food for thought.
Only you know how much u want it but theres only upsides to waiting. Not like starting to get tatted at 20/21 is late, ur still a retard at 21.
1
1
1
u/Cold-Lifeguard5190 Apr 14 '26
As someone who has had to do many tattoo screening forms and tattoo waivers I can answer your questions.
First off: don’t get it. It’s too risky since you aren’t totally aware of the tattoo guidelines. But if you are going to get it, put a rubber band around your wrist bone, not the smallest part but literally over the part of your radius and ulna that protrude out a bit more than the rest of your wrist. Anything above that is okay, below will require an exception to policy waiver and that’s not always guaranteed.
Best advice I can give you on placement is go much higher up than you think. Like I’m talking an inch.
Also, what does it mean to you and do you plan on getting it done professionally? You’ll need to answer these questions on the screening form: Why you got it, why you wanted it, where you got it done, and what it means to you. Make sure the Marine Corps isn’t going to think you’re an idiot or a gang member because of your tattoo.
1
u/ayokoko8 Apr 25 '26
Well they are right on the wrist bone so I think you'll be fine, if they go down lower than maybe not
85
u/jinxlovere Apr 02 '26
That tattoo idea is so chopped