Army Directive 2022-09 loosened the policy in AR 670-1. Soldiers may now have one tattoo up to one inch on each hand including the palm, one ring tattoo per hand, unlimited tattoos between the fingers if hidden when closed, one two-inch tattoo on the back of the neck and one behind each ear. The head and face remain prohibited.
Two documents govern Army tattoo policy, and reading only the first is how most out-of-date answers happen. AR 670-1 sets the base rule. Army Directive 2022-09, issued 22 June 2022 — a year and a half after AR 670-1 — changed it, and the directive wins where they disagree.
The directive says what it is doing:
This directive announces a change in policy for the allowable placement of tattoos for currently serving Soldiers and applicants for enlistment or appointment
ARMY DIR 2022-09, para 2
Hands, which AR 670-1 prohibited outright, are now authorised three ways at once:
one visible tattoo on each hand (including the palm), not to exceed one inch in measurement in all directions; an unlimited number of tattoos between the fingers as long as they are not visible when the fingers are closed; and one ring tattoo on each hand
ARMY DIR 2022-09, para 4a(1)
The back of the neck is now allowed, and at twice the size the hand allowance permits:
one tattoo on the back of the neck, not to exceed two inches in measurement in all directions
ARMY DIR 2022-09, para 4a(2)
Behind the ear is a separate allowance again:
one tattoo behind each ear, not to exceed one inch in measurement in all directions, not to extend forward of the ear lobe
ARMY DIR 2022-09, para 4a(3)
What did not change:
Tattoos are still prohibited on the head and face
ARMY DIR 2022-09, para 4a(2)
Permanent makeup remains the exception to the face rule, under AR 670-1 paragraph 3-2b(2). Tattoos inside the eyelids, mouth and ears also remain prohibited, and Soldiers holding a tattoo validation memorandum for previously documented neck or hand tattoos keep them.
Content restrictions are untouched by the directive:
Prohibitions on type of tattoo or brand remain in effect
ARMY DIR 2022-09, para 4b
That means AR 670-1's ban on extremist, indecent, sexist and racist tattoos still applies anywhere on the body, including under a uniform. Two AR 670-1 rules also survive: the wrist bone is defined as the joint that bridges the hand to the forearm, and you may not cover a tattoo with a bandage or makeup to comply.
The wrist bone is defined as the joint that bridges the hand to the forearm
AR 670-1, para 3-3c
Exceptions to policy are submitted under AR 670-1 paragraph 3-3. Religious accommodation requests are made under AR 600-20, and Army Directive 2026-09 changed how they are processed — it puts previously approved appearance accommodations, tattoos included, through a phased reevaluation.