For a British Skydiving tandem jump, Form 115A is the medical self-declaration. If you cannot self-declare because of your health, ask your chosen skydiving centre about Form 115B and arrange medical advice before jump day. A doctor's assessment does not make skydiving risk-free or guarantee that you can jump.
Key points
- British Skydiving identifies Form 115A as the tandem medical self-declaration. [1]
- British Skydiving identifies Form 115B as the tandem medical advice form. [1]
- British Skydiving uses separate Forms 115C and 115D for solo students. [1]
- British Skydiving forms require the correct medical route for the activity, not an unspecified fitness letter. [1]
Bring the centre's current forms and your relevant medical records to the appointment. The useful question is which risks need assessing for your planned tandem jump, rather than whether a doctor can sign a general fitness letter.
Ask The Online GP whether a medical-form appointment is suitable.
Ask about an assessment for your tandem medical form
Which medical form do you need for a tandem skydive?
Tandem jumping and training to jump independently do not use the same medical paperwork. British Skydiving's guidance distinguishes the tandem self-declaration and doctor's form, 115A and 115B, from the solo student forms, 115C and 115D. Do not book a medical appointment using a form downloaded for a different training method.
Ask your centre to send the current documents for the activity you have booked. Read the instructions, not just the signature box. If the centre uses a booking portal, check whether it needs an uploaded copy, an original on the day or both. The instructions on the actual form and the centre's requirements should guide the preparation.
This article concerns British Skydiving tandem paperwork. Overseas operators and other governing bodies may use different forms and rules. A UK letter does not automatically meet another country's requirements.
What is Form 115A?
Form 115A is the tandem medical self-declaration. It asks the participant to consider their health against the form's questions and instructions. Read the version supplied for your jump and answer honestly. Do not decide that an old diagnosis is irrelevant simply because you feel well now, or change an answer to avoid arranging advice.
If a question is unclear, ask the centre which medical advice route it requires. The purpose is to identify whether a health issue needs assessment before you take part. It is not a test of how keen you are to complete the jump.
Not everybody booking a tandem jump needs a separate doctor's certificate. Equally, a participant who needs medical advice should not replace that advice with a generic declaration of good health. The right route depends on the actual form and your circumstances.
What is Form 115B?
Form 115B is the student tandem skydiver request for medical advice and doctor's medical certificate. The form explains that skydiving carries a continuing risk of injury or death and that some medical conditions can increase that risk or be worsened by the activity. The clinician is asked to assess medical risk, not to promise an injury-free jump.
The form includes different possible conclusions, including advice not to jump. It also recognises situations where the instructor needs relevant information or where a limitation may apply. Which conclusion is appropriate depends on the medical assessment. It cannot be selected in advance when booking an appointment.
Read every page of the form. Information for the doctor is part of the assessment, not an optional attachment to a signature page. Bring the whole document and explain the proposed activity, centre and date.
Why does access to your medical records matter?
The 115B form explains that your GP or the specialist treating you will usually know most about you and may be best placed to give advice. Other doctors providing private sports medical advice must recognise the limitations of not having access to your medical record.
A list of diagnoses typed from memory may not answer questions about previous investigations, treatment response or the circumstances of an episode. Bring relevant clinic letters, investigation results and an up-to-date medicine list where available. If information is missing, the clinician may need to obtain it or recommend assessment elsewhere before giving an opinion.
Do not interpret a request for records as an unnecessary obstacle. The point is to assess the specific risk with enough information. A short deadline does not make an uncertain history safer or turn a general consultation into a specialist assessment.
What should you bring to the medical appointment?
Prepare the current 115A and 115B documents provided or confirmed by the centre, your jump date and any written instructions. Tell the clinician whether you have already completed any part of the declaration and which answer prompted the request for advice.
Bring a medicine list, relevant records and details of recent changes in health. Explain previous procedures, injuries or episodes that the form asks about. If you have had advice about jumping before, bring the actual document, its date and any conditions attached to it.
Include practical information from the centre. For example, if it has asked a specific question about a previous injury, show that request rather than paraphrasing it. The clinician should know the purpose of the appointment before preparing a document.
Contact The Online GP with the form and deadline so the team can confirm whether the requested assessment is suitable, what information is needed and the fee. A booking does not guarantee a certificate or a particular conclusion.
Does an old medical certificate cover a new tandem jump?
The 115B form says a certificate may be valid for a maximum of three years, with a shorter period if the issuing doctor considers that appropriate. This is a maximum on that form, not a promise that every certificate lasts three years or remains suitable after your health changes.
Read the expiry and any limits on your own document. If you have a new condition, new symptoms, a relevant injury, an operation or a change in treatment, ask the centre and an appropriate clinician what needs to be reconsidered. Do not rely on an old signature without discussing the change.
If the centre requests a different version of the form, check what it will accept. Keep a copy of the documents and advice you receive, but do not alter a clinician's wording or transfer a signature onto a new form.
Check the form and records before booking
What requirements should you check with the skydiving centre?
Medical advice is only one part of preparing for a tandem jump. British Skydiving guidance explains that centres can have their own requirements relating to equipment fit, weight and height. Confirm those directly with your chosen centre before making non-refundable travel plans.
A medical certificate should not be treated as overriding the centre's operational decision. The instructor and centre need the information required by their process. If the form or clinician says the instructor must be informed, ask how to do that before training begins.
For participants aged sixteen or seventeen, British Skydiving guidance also requires parental or guardian consent. This is separate from medical risk assessment. Ask the centre for its current consent documents rather than assuming that a medical form supplies every permission needed.
What if a condition needs more specialist advice?
A GP may be able to assess the question, may need further records or tests, or may advise that a specialist should be involved. The 115B form identifies aviation medical examiners as particularly suited to this type of work and provides a route to further advice through British Skydiving where needed.
That does not mean every private GP is an aviation medical examiner or that a routine appointment is suitable for every case. Confirm the clinician's role and the assessment required before paying. If specialist advice is recommended, ask what information to send and whether the proposed jump date remains practical.
Do not stop medicines, omit symptoms or postpone necessary medical care to make a form easier to complete. Discuss treatment questions with the prescribing or treating clinician. The document should reflect your health, rather than your health being changed to fit the document.
How much time should you allow before jump day?
Arrange the evidence early enough for missing records or further advice to be addressed. There is no universal turnaround that fits every medical history. A straightforward document request and an unresolved health concern are not the same appointment.
If the jump is close, tell both the centre and the clinic the actual deadline. Ask what is realistic before relying on a document being ready. If the assessment cannot be completed safely in time, discuss the booking options with the centre. A deadline should not lead to an unsupported signature.
The 115B form says it should be presented to the parachute training organisation by the participant immediately before training, rather than sent to British Skydiving headquarters. Follow the instructions on the current document and any submission steps your centre has confirmed.
How can you make the booking enquiry useful before paying?
Separate the centre's administrative request from the medical question. Tell the clinic which form the centre has supplied, when the jump is planned and which part of the declaration prompted the request for advice. Ask what records the clinician will need before choosing an appointment. The first enquiry can establish the purpose without sending your entire medical history through a general booking channel.
Ask for the proposed fee and what it covers. If further records, specialist advice or another assessment may be required, clarify how those would be arranged and charged. This guide does not publish a package price because it has not established the assessment needed for your circumstances. A useful written proposal describes the clinical task, not simply a charge for a signature.
After the assessment, check that you understand the conclusion and any conditions before taking the document to the centre. Keep the full form and relevant advice together. If the centre asks for a change, return to the issuing clinician rather than editing the wording yourself. A document that accurately reflects an assessment is more useful than a reassuring phrase that the recipient cannot interpret.
Where can you read more about related appointments?
Different activities need different documents. Read our guides to UKDMC diving medical forms and ENG1 and ML5 seafarer medicals. For a separate general health discussion or requested supporting records, our online GP service explains the consultation route. It does not replace an activity-specific qualification or examination.
Discuss the purpose of a skydiving medical appointment
What else should you know before booking?
Does everybody need a doctor to sign a tandem skydiving form?
No. British Skydiving uses Form 115A for tandem medical self-declaration. If you cannot self-declare because of your health, ask the centre about Form 115B and the medical advice needed. Obtain the current paperwork for the jump you booked rather than assume every participant needs the same appointment.
Can I use the same form for tandem and solo training?
Do not assume so. British Skydiving identifies 115A and 115B for tandem jumping and 115C and 115D for solo student training. Ask the centre for the forms that match your activity. Bring the complete instructions, not just a signature page, to any medical assessment you arrange.
Does a signed Form 115B mean skydiving is safe for me?
No. It records medical advice about risk, not a guarantee against injury or death. The clinician may advise against jumping, identify restrictions or require further information. Read the conclusion and any conditions with the centre before training rather than treating a signature as unrestricted permission to take part.
Can a doctor complete the form without my records?
That depends on the assessment and the information available. Form 115B warns about the limitations of advice without access to medical records. Bring relevant reports and a medicine list; the clinician may need further records or specialist advice before being able to provide a useful opinion about your circumstances.
Does a certificate always last three years?
No. Form 115B gives a maximum of three years and permits a shorter period where the issuing doctor considers it appropriate. Read the limits on your own certificate. If your health or treatment changes, ask for advice rather than assume an unexpired document covers every later change.
Can The Online GP guarantee a certificate before my jump?
No. Contact the team with the current form, relevant records and actual deadline to check whether the requested assessment is suitable. More information or specialist advice may be needed. Neither booking nor paying guarantees a certificate, a particular conclusion or completion before a jump date.
How can you arrange the right tandem medical assessment?
For a London medical-form appointment, ask The Online GP about your tandem skydiving paperwork. Share the actual form and the question that needs answering. The aim is a clear, evidence-based assessment of your circumstances, with further advice where needed, rather than a signature that promises more than medicine can support.
Last updated 8 November 2026. This article is general information and is not a substitute for medical advice about your own health. In an emergency call 999.