Can I cover a visible tattoo?

Emirates, Etihad Airways, Riyadh Air, flydubai and Air Arabia all list “no visible tattoos in uniform” (Air Arabia says tattoos or marks) in the criteria we verified. Etihad adds that cosmetic or bandage coverings are not permitted. Check the airline’s own wording before you apply; read more in our article on tattoos and cabin crew.

Etihad Airways

Abu Dhabi

Etihad Airways cabin crew requirements and application guide

Etihad Airways takes cabin-crew applications through its worldwide online application on Etihad Careers. This independent guide sets out the criteria Etihad publishes, how an application runs and what to prepare. Skywing is not affiliated with Etihad Airways.

Independent guide — not affiliated with Etihad Airways.

Requirements last verified Sep 12, 2026
Guide last reviewed Sep 12, 2026

Requirements

Etihad Airways requirements in plain language

Required rules can end an application. Rules marked as checked by a person need a human to confirm them, so they are never decided automatically.

Requirements, what is needed and why
Requirement	What is needed	Type	In plain language
Age	At least 21 years	Required	Etihad requires candidates to be at least 21 at the time of application.
Height	At least 163 cm	Required	Etihad requires a minimum height of 163 cm.
English	Required	Required	Etihad requires fluent written and spoken English.
Education	High school or higher	Required	Etihad requires Grade 12/high-school education or equivalent.
Visible tattoos	Not permitted	Required	Etihad requires no visible tattoos in uniform; cosmetic or bandage coverings are not permitted.

Age
Required
At least 21 years
Etihad requires candidates to be at least 21 at the time of application.
Height
Required
At least 163 cm
Etihad requires a minimum height of 163 cm.
English
Required
Required
Etihad requires fluent written and spoken English.
Education
Required
High school or higher
Etihad requires Grade 12/high-school education or equivalent.
Visible tattoos
Required
Not permitted
Etihad requires no visible tattoos in uniform; cosmetic or bandage coverings are not permitted.

Only published essentials that can be objectively screened are treated as hard rules.

Sources we checked

Etihad Careers — Cabin CrewLast verified Sep 12, 2026

Requirements change; confirm them on the airline's own careers page before you apply.

Not sure whether you meet them?

Check yours

Recruitment process

How recruitment runs at Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways publishes its cabin-crew criteria and takes applications through the Etihad Airways careers website. As far as we can verify, the sequence is:

Application. Submit the worldwide online application on Etihad Careers.
Review. The airline reviews applications. Skywing can follow this stage but cannot influence it, and silence is not proof of rejection.
Invitation. Invited candidates move to an assessment invitation. An invitation is a change of stage, not an offer.
Selection stages. These can include group exercises, individual tasks and interviews. Schedules and formats differ by airline and by event.

Stage names, order and formats can change. Live vacancies are not tracked here: Skywing does not list open roles, open days or recruitment events, so check Etihad Airways’s careers page for what is open today.

Live vacancies are not tracked here. Check the airline's careers page for what is open now.

Application tips

Prepare what the airline asks for, keep every answer consistent and re-check the live application form before you submit.

Preparing your Etihad Airways application

The profile we hold for Etihad Airways is a preparation profile. The live portal is the final authority and its fields can change, so use this as a checklist, not a guarantee.

Know what the form collects: personal details, nationality and passport, and education and employment.
Documents: have these ready: CV / resume; these may be requested, so check the portal: identity & employment documents.
Photo: Whether a photo is needed, and how it must look, is decided by the live form. Check it there instead of relying on a generic rule.
Background evidence and a passport photo may be requested later in the process or on the portal. Do not assume a fixed photo rule; check what the live form asks for.
Identity and employment documents can be requested at a later point, so have them ready and consistent with your CV.
Keep every detail consistent across the portal, your CV and your documents: identity, employers and dates, education and languages. Never claim experience, education, languages or documents you do not have.
Check your files. Every upload should open, be legible and use a format the portal currently accepts.
Re-check the live portal just before you submit. Fields, uploads, file limits and declarations change, and role-specific screening questions are visible only inside the live application.

Documents to prepare

CV / resume
Identity & employment documentsCheck the live portal

What the application asks for

Personal details
Nationality & passport
Education & employment
Background evidenceCheck the live portal

Screening questions you may meet

Live Etihad screening questionsCheck the live portal

Keep these consistent

Identity consistencyName/DOB/nationality/identity data consistent across portal, CV and documents.
Employment consistencyEmployer names, titles and dates consistent with approved CV/evidence.
Education consistencyEducation data consistent with CV/certificates.
Eligibility consistencyPortal answers truthful and consistent with canonical eligibility assessment.
Language consistencyLanguage claims consistent and not exaggerated.
Document readabilityRequired files must open, be legible and use currently supported portal formats.
TruthfulnessNever fabricate experience, education, languages, documents or answers.

Before you submit

Live portal re-checkVerify the airline's live portal fields, uploads, file limits and declarations immediately before submission.
Dynamic screening questionsCapture and review current role-specific screening questions from the live portal.
Final cross-checkMentor verifies application data against approved CV, documents and eligibility before submission.

Common reasons applications stall

Airlines rarely explain individual decisions. What follows are common preparation patterns, not a record of Etihad Airways’s decisions or of any candidate’s outcome.

Check the published criteria first

The simplest way to be turned away is to apply without meeting a published criterion. For Etihad Airways, check:

A minimum age of 21 at the time of application and a minimum height of 163 cm are published as requirements.
Fluent written and spoken English, and Grade 12 or high-school education or equivalent.
No visible tattoos in uniform. Etihad states that cosmetic or bandage coverings are not permitted.

Criteria are as we last verified them on 12 September 2026. Confirm the current wording on Etihad Airways’s careers page.

Patterns that cost candidates ground

CV Screened Out Before Human Review. Airlines can receive very large numbers of applications and may rely on Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to screen or sort them. If your CV has a photo, complex columns or unreadable fonts, or lacks the keywords from the job description, it may be parsed badly and may never reach a recruiter.
Generic Interview Answers. Answering "Why cabin crew?" with "I love traveling and meeting people" is a common answer that recruiters hear often. It does not show that you understand the job: a highly structured, safety-critical, physically demanding service role.
Group Task Behavior. Candidates can lose ground by either trying to assert dominance (speaking over others) or disappearing into silence (feeling intimidated). Airlines look for collaborative team members who can ease tension, not dominators or bystanders.
Presentation & Grooming Below Standard. You are applying to be the physical face of a premium brand. If you cannot keep your grooming perfect through a long assessment day, recruiters may doubt you can maintain it on a long-haul duty day. Scuffed shoes, chipped polish or messy hair can count against you.
Misalignment With the Specific Airline. Applying to one airline with answers prepared for a different one is a common mistake. Premium carriers have strict, distinct cultures. If you do not know the airline's values, its base location challenges or its recent fleet news, you may come across as sending the same application everywhere.
Applying Before You Are Ready. It is tempting to apply the moment an open day is announced, whether or not your English is fluent or your CV is ready. Some airlines may keep records of earlier applications, and re-application rules differ, so check the airline's own rules before you apply.

Assessment Day patterns

Dominating the group task. Trying to show “leadership” by speaking over others or aggressively taking control.
Going completely silent. Not contributing any ideas because of nerves or intimidation.
Breaking character during downtime. Slumping, complaining or constantly checking your phone when you think you are “off stage”.
Inconsistent grooming stamina. Makeup wearing off, hair falling apart or looking disheveled by the afternoon.
Failing the reach or height test. Applying without knowing your exact measurements and being sent home straight away.

Preparation options

What exists for this airline today, no more and no less.

Verified full guide

Etihad Cabin Crew Preparation

A real protected Skywing guide with airline-specific role, Assessment Day and final-interview material.

3 chapters

See the guide

Mentored support

Work with a mentor

If you want a mentor on your CV, application or assessment day, the services page shows each package, what it includes and what it costs.

See services and pricing

FAQ

Etihad Airways questions

Check where you stand for Etihad Airways

Answer a few questions about your situation and see what matters now, what can wait and what your next move is.

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