The first six weeks
Although you don’t have a legal right to leave the army in the first six weeks, the army has told Ofsted that any recruit at the Army Foundation College will be allowed to leave if they want to.
This is what the army has told Ofsted about the first six weeks:
And again here:
(To see the original sources for these snapshots, just click on them.)
If this is you, you should write a note to the Commanding Officer asking to leave, or see him directly, or get your parent or guardian to send him an email.
Be sure to mention that the army has promised Ofsted to allow any recruit to leave who expresses the desire to do so.
Don’t rely on corporals to do this for you – you or your parent/guardian need to contact the CO yourselves.
If you meet with any difficulties, get in touch.
The first six months
After the first six weeks, the formal discharge window opens up. You then have a legal right to leave at any point until six months have passed from the day you enlisted – but only if you joined up under age 18 and this is your first time in the army.
You still need to give two weeks’ notice in writing – it’s not enough just to say you’d like to leave. Again, don’t rely on corporals – you need to give this notice to the Commanding Officer yourself, or ask a parent/guardian to do it for you.
If you can get your mum or dad to email and call the army as well, it will speed things up for you.
(If you’re a junior soldier, you can also find these rules on p. 40 of the Red Book, which you were given on the day you arrived at Harrogate – here’s a copy)
After the first six months
If you haven’t left in the first six months, but are not yet 18, then you still have a right to leave but you might have to wait up to three months before the army lets you go. Usually, though, it’ll be two weeks.
If you’ve already been in the army for six months, then the VERY LATEST you can hand in your notice is the day before your 18th birthday. Not a day later. There are no exceptions.
What to write when applying to leave
If you have a right to leave under the rules described here, then the army has a short form to fill in (Form AFB 132). You can download and print it here. Fill in as much as you can, but you don’t need to explain why you want to leave – you can put a line through that box if you want. Don’t worry if you have to leave other parts blank either – but it does need your name, number, signature, and date.
If you want to avoid using the form, you can just download this letter, fill in the details, sign it, and hand it in at your CO’s office (or your parents can do that for you as long as you sign it). That’s it.
You won’t be the only recruit doing this – a third of recruits who join up under the age of 18 decide the army’s not for them.
Remember that you must hand in your notice in writing. It’s not enough to say you want to leave. When you hand in your notice, the army has a legal duty to let you leave. If you don’t hand in your notice, the army might delay.
Is the army blocking your right to leave?
If you have a right to leave (as described above) and the army is telling you that you don’t, get in touch and we can suggest what to do.
Whatever the army may say, the rules on this site are correct. If you’re not sure, get in touch and we’ll point you to the regulations to prove it.
Missed your discharge window?
If the first six months pass AND and you turn 18, then you lose your right to leave until you are 22 – but keep reading, because you might still have options.
Before You Sign Up 