Department of the Air Force Guidance Memorandum: DAFI 36-2903

General Information

• Issued by: Secretary of the Air Force.
• Date: 1 February 2025.
• Effective for: Regular Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard.
• Purpose: Update dress and personal appearance standards.
• Validity: Void after one year or upon new publication.

Key Changes Implemented

1. Removal of duty identifier patches.
2. Nail polish restricted to clear, French, or American Manicure.
3. Males must be clean-shaven unless medically or religiously exempt.
4. Male hair guidelines clarified—hair must not touch ears.
5. Added definition of "gig line" for uniform appearance.

Record Compliance

• Adherence to AFI 33-322 for Records Management.

Basic Philosophy

• Emphasis on neatness, cleanliness, safety, uniformity, and military image.
• Military Image: Subjective aspect crucial for public confidence.

Grooming and Appearance Standards

• Hair (Male): Tapered appearance, not touching ears or collar. Clean-shaven heads and military cuts allowed. Specific guidelines for sideburns and mustaches.
• Facial Hair: Beards only permitted for medical or religious reasons, must be trimmed to 1/4 inch.
• Nail Standards: Fingernails must be clean, not exceed 1/4 inch beyond fingertip. Nail polish for females only.
• Cosmetics: Permitted for females, must be conservative, compliant with safety gear.

Uniforms

Service Dress Uniform

• Class A: With service dress coat.
• Class B: Without service dress coat.
• Patches: Must not extend beyond Velcro; sister service patches maintain original colors.

Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP)

• Wear: Off-base for convenience stops, not suitable for formal restaurants or alcohol-serving venues.
• Patches: Placement detailed with specific configurations for right and left sleeves.

Duty and Qualification Tabs

• Examples: Air Advisor, Artic, Base Honor Guard, etc.
• Wear Guidance: Specific configurations and authorized combinations detailed.

Maternity and Physical Training Uniforms

• Maternity: Guidance on various maternity uniform configurations.
• Physical Training Gear: Requirements and optional wear guidelines.

Outer Garments and Accessories

• Headgear: Service caps, flight caps, and authorized headgear detailed.
• Jewelry and Accessories: Conservative styles required.

Religious Accommodation

• Requests: Procedures for requesting accommodations in grooming and appearance.

Badge and Insignia

• Placement: Guidelines for placement of badges on various uniform types.
• Authorized Badges: Specific badges detailed for wear, including service and qualification badges.

Awards and Decorations

• Foreign and Non-Air Force: Guidelines for wear of foreign decorations and awards from other services.

Roles and Responsibilities

• AF Leadership: Various roles in approving uniform changes and exceptions to policy.

Future Revisions

• Uniform Board: Outlines process for future uniform changes.

Summary of Changes

• Clarifies tattoo policies, updates to grooming, and uniform configurations.

Note: For full compliance and detailed visual diagrams, refer to the full Department of the Air Force Guidance Memorandum to DAFI 36-2903 document.