CAPF Eligibility 2025: Age Limit, Educational Qualification, Physical & Medical Standard

CAPF Eligibility 2025: The Union Public Service Commission conducts the Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandant) examination every year to recruit candidates for Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). Candidates wishing to appear for the UPSC CAPF exam must fulfil the eligibility criteria set by the commission. 

The CAPF eligibility conditions require candidates to fulfil the educational, age, and nationality criteria. Candidates must also meet the prescribed physical and medical standards for joining the CAPF (AC). The eligibility requirements will be mentioned in the official exam notification. 

It is to be noted that according to the UPSC CAPF official notification “If any of their claims is found to be incorrect, candidates will render themselves liable to disciplinary action by the Commission in terms of Rule 14 of the Rules for the Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandants) Examination.

CAPF Eligibility Criteria 2025

Candidates wishing to join the Central Armed Forces such as BSF, CRPF, CISF, SSB & ITBP as Assistant Commandant must fulfil the set eligibility criteria as required by the commission. The detailed CAPF eligibility criteria are outlined below:

CAPF Eligibility 2025: Nationality

For the UPSC CAPF exam, the applicant must be a citizen of India. Candidates who meet the following citizenship requirements, other than Indian citizens, may apply for the exam:

• Citizens of Nepal and Bhutan are also considered to be eligible for this exam.
• Other nationality applicants will not be appointed or hired by the Armed Police Forces unless they have received written consent from the Central Government of India.

CAPF Age Limit 2025

As of the date mentioned in the notification for that respective year, applicants for the CAPF exam must have attained the age of 20 years and must not have attained the age of 25 years. However, students belonging to certain categories will be given the upper age limit relaxation. The upper age limit relaxation is given below.

• For candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes, age relaxation up to five years are allowed.
• The maximum period of reservation applicable to candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes is three years.
• In accordance with existing instructions of the Central Government, civilian central government servants will get relaxation for a maximum of five years. This relaxation will also apply to ex-servicemen. Moreover, the total relaxation can only be claimed for five years of government service.

CAPF Educational Qualification

The education criteria for the CAPF exam must be met by candidates who are preparing for the examination. The CAPF education criteria include the following:

• Candidates must have a bachelor's degree in any discipline.
• The bachelor's degree must be from a recognized university or institution
• The University must be incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University under Section-3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956.
• Candidates who took the qualifying exam but have not yet received their results may also apply for the CAPF Exam. However, it should be noted that until the applicant can show proof of passing the test after passing the CAPF entrance exam, admission will only be provisional.
• Candidates with professional and technical qualifications that the government has deemed to be equivalent to a professional and technical degree are also eligible to apply for the CAPF AC exam.

CAPF Eligibility 2025: Physical & Medical Standards

Candidates after clearing the CAPF (AC) exam will be joining the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and thus it is imperative that aspirants must fulfil the physical and medical requirements set by the concerned authority. 

CAPF Physical Standard

The minimum physical requirement for the candidate is as follows:

Moreover, the weight should be as per the height and age as mentioned in the official notification.

CAPF Medical Standard

The detailed CAPF medical standard is given below:

Eye Sight

LASIK surgery correction is permitted subject to the prescribed criteria below:

1. Age - 18-35 years
2. Axial length - 21-26 mm.
3. Corneal-thickness 425 micron
4. Pre LASIK error - 6 D
5. Post-operative - Should be stable period refractive flap
6. Interval - 06 months (post-operative period mandatory

 (Candidate must have completed 06 months after LASIK surgery while considering for recruitment in CAPFs). 

CAPF Body Standards 

• For male applicants, the carrying angle shouldn't exceed 15 degrees, and for female applicants, it shouldn't exceed 20 degrees.
• Candidates should not have any degree of deafness or persistent ear discharge.
• Candidates should not have any other condition (congenital or acquired) like atresia of the meatus, exostosis, neoplasm which is causing obstruction of ear passage and should not have a history of recurrent earache, tinnitus and vertigo. 
• Candidates should not have DNS, atrophic rhinitis, tuberculous ulceration, or chronic sinusitis. 
• Candidates should not have enlarged lymph nodes, thyroid or other swelling of neck,
• inability to extend the neck fully or any evidence of disease of spine or cervical vertebrae.
• Candidates should not have active signs of clinical VD. 

CAPF Tattoo Guidelines

The UPSC CAPF notification includes tattoo guidelines that aspirants must follow. Below are the following tattoo guidelines for CAPF exam:

Content: Being a secular nation, we must respect the religious beliefs of our citizens. As a result, tattoos showing religious symbols or figures as well as the name used by the Indian Army are acceptable.

Location: Tattoos that are inked on conventional body parts like the dorsum of the hands or the inside of the left forearm, which is a non-salute limb, are permitted.

Size: Size must be less than one-fourth of the body part in question (such as an elbow or hand).

CAPF 2025 Eligibility: Height & Weight Standard

The official notification will include information about the required CAPF height and weight measurements from candidates. Male and female candidates must meet their respective CAPF height & weight eligibility criteria outlined in the notification.

CAPF Height & Weight Standard for Male

CAPF Height & Weight Standard for Female

CAPF Eligibility for Female Candidates

Female candidates must meet the same CAPF eligibility requirements as male candidates. Both male and female candidates must meet the same requirements in terms of education, age, and nationality. For male and female aspirants, the physical and medical standards are, however, different. 

Conclusion

Candidates must download the official notification and check the eligibility criteria before they jump on UPSC CAPF preparation. At all stages of the examination, candidates' admission will be purely provisional, subject to fulfilling the eligibility requirements.

By issuing the e-Admission Certificate to the candidate, the Commission will not imply that his/her candidature has been cleared. After a candidate qualifies for Interview & Personality Test, the eligibility conditions are verified with reference to the original documents.