Nigerian Air Force Recruitment 2026: BMTC Closed 14 Oct

Update (26 October 2026): NAF 2026 BMTC recruitment is closed. The application window ran 3 September – 14 October 2026, and nafrecruitment.airforce.mil.ng now shows "No exercise is currently ongoing." On 22 October the portal’s updates page posted the invitation lists for the BMTC 47/2026 Zonal General Aptitude Test, which held on Saturday 24 October 2026 at 15 centres: Bauchi, Benin, Enugu, Ikeja, Ilorin, Ipetu-Ijesha, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Maiduguri, Makurdi, Minna, Port Harcourt, Sokoto and Yola. If you sat the test, watch the same page for the next stage; you can still log in and print your acknowledgement card. The Direct Short Service Commission (DSSC) window is also closed. Age limits for the next BMTC window: Non-Tradesmen/Women 18–22; Tradesmen/Women 18–25.

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) recruits through two main routes: the Basic Military Training Course (BMTC) for school leavers who want to enlist as Airmen and Airwomen, and the Direct Short Service Commission (DSSC) for graduates who want to be commissioned officers. Applications are free and run through nafrecruitment.airforce.mil.ng. The 2026 BMTC window (3 September – 14 October 2026) has closed and DSSC is closed; the Zonal General Aptitude Test held on 24 October 2026, and the next stage will be posted on the portal. Here is how each route works and what you need ready for the next window.

Which NAF recruitment route is right for you?

Pick the route that matches your highest qualification. Applying to the wrong route is the most common reason candidates are screened out.

• BMTC (Airmen/Airwomen): For SSCE, OND, NCE or trade-certificate holders. Six months of basic military training before posting.
• DSSC (Direct Short Service Commission): For first-degree holders and professionals. Six months of officer training, then commission as Flying Officer.

What is the current NAF recruitment status?

BMTC is closed as of 26 October 2026 — the portal shows "No exercise is currently ongoing" after the Recruitment Exercise 2026 window of 3 September – 14 October 2026, and applicants can still print their acknowledgement cards. Invited applicants sat the BMTC 47/2026 Zonal General Aptitude Test on 24 October 2026 (invitation lists posted 22 October). DSSC shows "Exercise is closed." Apply only at nafrecruitment.airforce.mil.ng or airforce.mil.ng — ignore any other site quoting different dates or a different exercise number.

BMTC 46/2025 final list: what selected candidates do next

This is the previous BMTC cycle, now closed — for the 2026 window (closed 14 October 2026), see above. NAF published the list of successful BMTC 46/2025 candidates on 15 July 2026. Check your name on the updates page of the recruitment portal — the list and the joining instructions are posted there.

1. Report date and place: Sunday 19 July 2026, at the Nigerian Air Force Military Training Centre (MTC), NAF Base, Kaduna.
2. Bring originals and photocopies of your credentials: educational certificates, birth certificate, certificate of origin, and a valid means of identification.
3. Bring a valid WAEC or NECO scratch card matching the school certificate you submitted when you applied. NAF uses it to verify your result online during documentation, and it is the item candidates most often forget.
4. Read the joining instructions on the portal in full before you travel. They list the kit and personal items you must arrive with.

Training runs for six months at MTC Kaduna before enlistment and posting to a NAF base.

Candidates who were not selected wait for the next BMTC window. Nothing you pay anyone will change a final list.

What are the general NAF recruitment requirements?

1. Nigerian by birth.
2. Minimum height: 1.66 m for males, 1.63 m for females.
3. Medically and physically fit, in line with NAF medical standards.
4. No previous criminal conviction by a court of law.
5. Valid National Identification Number (NIN).

What are the BMTC age and education requirements?

Non-Tradesmen/Women (school leavers):

1. Age 18–22 at the closing date of the application window.
2. At least seven credits including English and Mathematics in SSCE/NECO/GCE/NABTEB. That is the minimum the recruitment portal’s FAQ gives (read 26 October 2026); the requirements posted with each recruitment exercise carry the full detail, so check them before you apply.

Tradesmen/Women (OND, NCE, trade certificate holders):

1. Age 18–25. Applicants for assistant chaplain/imam and driver roles: 18–28.
2. The same minimum of seven credits including English and Mathematics, plus a Trade Test Certificate or an ND/NCE certificate, per the portal FAQ. The exercise’s own requirements give the grade and trade detail.
3. Drivers: a valid trade test certificate on top of the school-certificate credits above.
4. Sportsmen/women: certificates and medals as evidence of professional experience.

What are the DSSC age and education requirements?

1. Age 20–32 at the closing date. Recent DSSC adverts have allowed medical consultants up to age 40; confirm the limit in the advert for the exercise you apply to.
2. First degree with at least Second Class Upper, or HND with at least Upper Credit, from a recognised institution. That is the minimum in the portal’s DSSC FAQ (read 26 October 2026); confirm it in the advert for the exercise you apply to.
3. Valid NYSC discharge or exemption certificate.
4. Professional registration where the field requires it (e.g. MDCN for doctors, COREN for engineers).

How do you apply for Nigerian Air Force recruitment?

Apply through the official site only:

APPLY HERE

1. Open nafrecruitment.airforce.mil.ng in a browser.
2. Create an account with the email and phone number you check daily.
3. Pick BMTC or DSSC and the trade/branch you want.
4. Fill in personal, academic and next-of-kin details. Match every date to your certificates.
5. Upload scanned credentials, recent passport photo and NIN slip.
6. Submit and print your acknowledgement form and the other forms listed below.

Apply once. NAF disqualifies anyone who submits more than one application.

Documents to print after applying

• Local Government Indigeneship Form.
• Attestation Form, signed by a military officer or LGA chairman.
• Parent/Guardian Consent Form.
• Acknowledgement Form.

The Attestation Form must include a passport photo of you, plus a photocopy of the signee’s driver’s licence, international passport or national ID. The signee also signs the back of your passport photo.

What are the NAF recruitment stages?

1. Online application through the NAF portal.
2. Shortlist publication on the same portal.
3. Zonal General Aptitude Test for shortlisted candidates.
4. Selection interview, medical and physical assessment.
5. Final list and reporting to training depots.

NAF recruitment fraud warning

NAF recruitment is free at every stage. No payment, no “facilitator”, no shortcut. Anyone asking for money for forms, exam venues, shortlisting or postings is a fraudster.

For test centres by state, see our NAF Recruitment Test Locations guide.