British Armed Services

(the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force)

The following regulations cover all the armed services:

• People with a diagnosis of epilepsy or who have had more than one seizure after the age of five are unable to enter the armed forces.

(Only in very exceptional cases will an appeal be considered and these must be accompanied by well-documented evidence from the attending consultant. All appeals should be directed to the Defence Consultant Advisor (DCA) in neurology. For more information about this, contact the Army Careers office, tel. 0845 730 0111).

• People who have had febrile convulsions before the age of five years, and with no subsequent seizures, may be accepted for full duty.
• People who have had a single seizure in the four years before applying will not be accepted.
• People who have had a single seizure more than four years before applying, and who have not been on treatment during this interval, can be accepted for trades other than: aircrew, air traffic control, military driver (MT) or any trade requiring Group 2 driving licences (LGV/PSV). This regulation applies providing there is no evidence that the person may still be likely to have seizures.
• People who have more than one seizure in the armed service are usually considered medically unfit for all trades. Those who have one seizure only, after entry, are usually downgraded for 18 months and restricted in driving and handling weapons. They may then be upgraded after an assessment by a service consultant.