The conditions for enlisting

ADMINISTRATIVE CONDITIONS:

For candidates from the Schengen area

• Reminder: The French Foreign Legion does not carry out any procedures to obtain a visa or exit authorization from the candidate’s country of origin.
• For candidates who are nationals of a Schengen Area country or of the following countries: Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, the United Kingdom, Monaco, and Andorra, you must hold a national ID card and/or a passport, whether currently valid or not.

For candidates from the Schengen Area

• For candidates who hold the nationality of one of the Schengen Area countries, or of the following countries: Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, the United Kingdom, Monaco, and Andorra, you must carry a national identity card and/or a passport, whether valid or not.
• No school diploma required.
• Must be able, at a minimum, to read and write in your mother tongue.
• Must be over 17 and under 40 years old on the day you report to the information desk.

For candidates not from the Schengen Area, you must compulsorily be in possession of a passport (only), whether valid or not.

• No school diploma required.
• Must be able, at a minimum, to read and write in your mother tongue.
• Must be over 17 and under 40 years old on the day you report to the information desk.
• REMINDER: The French Foreign Legion does not take any steps to obtain a visa or an exit permit/authorization from the country for candidates applying to enlist.

IMPORTANT: To facilitate the administrative procedures related to enlistment, you may find it useful to bring the following documents as proof of your background:

• Bring any useful administrative document (residence permit, photocopy of family record book, marriage certificate, divorce certificate, copy of birth certificate, etc.).
• Driving licence.
• Mobile phone.
• Proof of schooling or diplomas.
• Proof of military service (authorization to serve in a foreign army depending on the country).
• ESS (Service Record Statement) for candidates who have served in French or foreign armed forces.
• JAPD certificate (National Defence Preparation Day) or JDC certificate (Defence and Citizenship Day).

For candidates under 18, additionally provide:

• A handwritten “parental authorization” signed by both parents or the legal guardian(s).
• Photocopies of both parents’ identity documents.
• If one or both parents are deceased, provide the relevant “death certificate(s).”
• For underage foreign candidates, documents must be translated into French by an accredited French translator.
• If the minor is emancipated, they must provide the certified emancipation document.

PHYSICAL CONDITION:

On the day you arrive at a French Foreign Legion information office, you must be medically fit to take the physical aptitude tests.

• Be physically fit to serve anywhere, at any time, without restriction.
• Have a Body Mass Index between 18 and 30 kg/m² (BMI = Weight/Height²).*

Example: Body Mass Index of a man 1.75 m tall and weighing 72 kg BMI = 72 kg / (1.75 m*1.75 m) = 23.5 kg/m²

Attention: It is strongly recommended to be able to swim at least 25 m without any flotation aid. 

Not everyone is expected to be a world champion and the tests are not eliminatory, but a minimum level of preparation demonstrates the candidate’s motivation.

MECICAL CONDITIONS:

What is required medically for candidates seeking to enlist.

Dental: Healthy or treated teeth. Masticatory coefficient greater than or equal to 40%.

Surgical or medical:

• Be in possession of all medical documents concerning prior surgical procedures or illnesses (a consolidation certificate attesting that no after-effects remain from these procedures or illnesses).
• Have your health record/booklet (if available).
• If you have vision problems: bring your corrective lenses (glasses).

Examples of medical or physical unfitness:

A permanent physical impairment, a chronic disease that is currently active and/or under treatment.

Examples: Tuberculosis, Hepatitis, Cancer, HIV, Diabetes, Psychiatric condition under current treatment, Vision too weak, Hearing too weak.

Surgical: Any procedure with severe current sequelae affecting the body’s functioning.

Examples: Meniscal lesions, Complete loss of a finger, Knee laxity, Recurrent patellar dislocation, Operated hernia with sequelae...