Domiciled Collective Leave and Domiciled Collective Leave Substitute

Am I eligible?

To qualify for DOMCOL, you must fulfil the following conditions:

a) be registered by the appropriate Single Service Authority for DOMCOL, in accordance with paragraph 10.5.8 and Annex A of JSP 760.

b) have come to the UK from your home in a country abroad specifically to join the British Armed Forces in the UK, or, alternatively, joined the British Armed Forces abroad direct from your home in a country overseas. A period of absence from your home abroad which was spent in pursuing a course of full-time education at school or university immediately before joining the Services, is not to be regarded as breaking this condition. Any period spent in paid employment after arrival in the UK, and before an application to enlist is made, will, however, break this condition.

c) at the time of applying for registration, still maintain a home in the country abroad from which you joined the British Armed Forces.

d) at the time of application for leave, the Commanding Officer must be satisfied that the Service person’s home is still in the country from which they joined the Services (see para 10.5.7 of JSP 760).

e) irrespective of the type of Commission or Engagement, you must have at least 9 months to serve on return from the authorised leave.

f) have the following relationship status:

• single

• married / in a civil partnership, but serving unaccompanied - with the spouse remaining resident in the country from which you joined the Armed Forces - and having been unaccompanied from your family for the whole of the five years’ qualifying period

If you have not met the eligibility conditions for DOMCOL you may be eligible for DOMCOL Substitute if you:

• were already married when you came to the UK and otherwise would be eligible for DOMCOL

• are of British origin and your next of kin has emigrated from the UK to an overseas country since you joined the Armed Forces

• came to the UK from your home abroad, not specifically to join the British Armed Forces, but subsequently did

• are a Gurkha or Nepalese citizen serving in the Army

What do I get?

DOMCOL

After 5 years’ qualifying service you can take 45 working days’ leave in your home country instead of 30 days of your annual leave allowance. This is exclusive of travelling time.  You can then take DOMCOL every five years.  You will also be paid for your travel costs home.

If you were under 18 when you joined the Armed Forces, you may be granted DOMCOL after a qualifying period of 3 years’ service. DOMCOL will not be granted a second time until you have completed 10 years’ service.

DOMCOL Substitute

You can accumulate up to 25% of your Annual Leave Allowance over a 5-year period. This accumulation can then be added to your Annual Leave for the year in which DOMCOL Substitute is taken. The total amount of DOMCOL Substitute combined with Annual Leave you can take is 45 working days.When can’t I use this?

When can’t I use this?

You may not take DOMCOL in the same 12-month period when you are receiving either Get You Home (Overseas) or Get You Home (Seagoers).

How do I apply/claim

To be considered for DOMCOL/DOMCOL Substitute you need to register with your Service Authority using Annex A to Chapter 9 of JSP 760 (defnet access only).

After 5 years’ qualifying service, providing the leave entitlement has been added on JPA by your Unit HR, and you have the agreement of your Chain of Command, you can book DOMCOL/DOMCOL Substitute on:

• My Leave App (part of the My Series) – accessed using a Defence Gateway account on your work or own personal device. Watch a short video showing you how to use the App.

• JPA – Follow the instructions in the ‘Request for absence (leave)’ self-service user guide, which can be found within the JPA User Guides and Forms (on defnet).

• JPA Form R001- If you don’t have access to JPA or the App, complete and send this form (which can be found at JPA forms on defnet) to your line manager.