Joining the Royal Navy or Royal Marines as a Commonwealth or overseas candidate is a structured recruitment process designed to ensure that only the most prepared and committed applicants succeed. To guide you, the Royal Navy has outlined each step you’ll need to complete, beginning with aptitude tests and interviews in your home country, followed by medical checks and fitness assessments, and finally, in-person preparation courses in the UK. This process not only evaluates your skills, fitness, and determination but also ensures you’re fully ready for the challenges of military training and service. If you wish to join the UK army, read this article.
Recruitment Process For Royal Navy And Royal Marines
- In order to progress your application, you will be required to supply the ORT with essential information which will be requested via your online recruitment Portal.
- Defense Aptitude Assessment (DAA). DAA is an online aptitude test which can be taken in your home country or if you prefer once you are in the UK. The DAA measures the aptitude of all candidates (ratings and officers) across the following areas, numerical reasoning, mechanical comprehension, work rate, verbal reasoning, electrical comprehension, spatial reasoning.
- Guidance will be given on how to conduct the DAA, along with a link to the practice assessment on the RN website. If you successfully pass the DAA in your home country, you will then move on to the next stage of the recruitment. If you choose to sit the test in the UK, you will be required to conduct the test within an Armed Forces Careers Office (AFCO).
Process prior to arrival in the UK
The following parts of the recruitment selection process will be undertaken under the direction of your CA and must be completed prior to your arrival in the UK:
- The Video Selection Interview. A one-to-one online video interview conducted by your allocated RN Career Adviser, will be undertaken via the SHINE video platform prior to your arrival in UK. Information will be sent to you on how the interview is carried out. You will be informed of the result the same day.R&A Overseas Candidate Guide (Revised 20250116)
- Security Clearance (SC). If successful at your selection interview, we will be required to conduct security clearance checks. A link along with detailed instructions on how to access your account on the United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) portal. Apple devices are unable to be used accessing the UKSV portal. The information you return will be looked at by the Defence
- Vetting Agency who will arrange police, financial and Security Checks. You will be required to bring this documentation with you to the UK to complete the remainder of the recruitment process.
- You will not be invited to the UK until Security Clearance has been issued
- Medical. You will be provided with a Medical Questionnaire and Opticians Report together with information about the medical triage process. These documents are to be completed on the PML website as instructed in the medical forms. A PML nurse will contact you with details of your appointment to conduct the Medical Triage telephone call. The Medical Triage telephone call does not authorise you to make plans to travel to the UK for the face-to-face medical.
- Royal Marine Candidates. Will be required to conduct an online virtual Pre-Joining Fitness Test (vPJFT). This is a basic assessment designed to test your basic cardiovascular ability and your upper body and core strength & endurance. The vPJFT is the first stage in testing your physical ability and evaluating your suitability for RM training. Royal Marine recruit training is one of the most arduous military basic training courses in the world, where your physical preparation is vital for selection.
- Candidates will not be able to attempt this until they have passed the Medical Triage and only when they are sufficiently prepared, able to complete all exercises to a good standard and are confident of success. Once successful at Medical Triage, candidates can declare their readiness to undertake the test by emailing their Careers Adviser. Failure to reach the required standard for each exercise will result in a fail. This test must be successfully completed prior to arrival in UK. When all elements of the recruitment process that can be conducted in your own country has been completed (DAA (if opted for Unsupervised test), Medical Triage, Video
- Selection Interview (VSI), vPJFT/Strava evidence and SC) you will be invited by the ORT to travel to the UK.
- Before booking your flight. It is essential that you discuss your planned arrival time to the UK with your CA, as you must arrive in the UK with enough time to settle and prepare for the CPC. When in the UK your CA will advise you on the RN CPC or RM CPC and any other remaining elements of the process towards joining the Royal Navy. RN officers will be required to conduct an Admiralty Interview Board (AIB), RM officers will conduct an Officer Selection Course (OSC).
How To Apply
NB: Until professions are filled, applications for Commonwealth applicants will be accepted starting on the first Friday of each month at 15.00 GMT. After the monthly capacity is achieved, no more applications will be accepted. Royal Navy priorities will guide the processing of applications.
