Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to your FAA questions.
The following are steps for obtaining a U.S. license with an instrument rating:
If your foreign license has an instrument rating:
You can obtain a U.S. license but we must verify your present license by checking with the civil aviation authority in the country that issued your license. You must fill out the "Verification of Authenticity of Foreign License, Rating, and Medical Certification" form and send it with the documents the form requires to:
By Mail:
Airmen Certification Branch, AFS-760
P.O. Box 25082
Oklahoma City, OK 73125-0082
By Fax:
Fax the form and required documents to (405) 954-9922.
Confirmation of Your License:
It will take FAA about 45-60 days to confirm your license. We will send you a letter when it’s approved.
Take the Written Test:
The instrument foreign pilot written test is available at any computerized knowledge testing center that gives FAA written tests.
Take These to Your Flight Standards District Office (FSDO):
Contact an operations inspector at your local FSDO.
You must bring:
- Your license
- A current medical certificate
- The confirmation letter from Oklahoma City
- Another picture ID and
- Results of the computerized test
Fees in the United States:
There is no fee if you are applying in the United States.
Invalid Medical Certificate Information:
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If your License and Medical Certificate are ONE Document--You must revalidate the medical portion in your country of origin before you apply for your U.S. license.
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If your License and Medical Certificate are SEPARATE Documents--You may be able to get a U.S. medical certificate. Contact a U.S. aviation medical examiner.
If you registered using the FAA IACRA system, the FAA will mail you your license. It typically takes 6-10 weeks from the date the temporary certificate was issued to process the permanent certificate. If it has been more than eight (8) weeks since you received your temporary certificate, contact the Airmen Certification Branch for assistance. If you haven’t registered yet, please visit Become a Drone Pilot and follow Step 3.
Still can't find what you are looking for? Please feel free to contact the UAS Support Center for general questions and comments.
Your certificate is permanent unless revoked by the Administrator. After completing the initial knowledge test, you must update your recency of aeronautical knowledge within 24 calendar months to maintain currency. To update your recency of aeronautical knowledge, complete the appropriate online ALC training course.
Still can't find what you are looking for? Please feel free to contact the UAS Support Center for general questions and comments.
A test conducted by law enforcement is not regulated under 14 CFR Part 120; however, it may demonstrate a violation by the pilot of 14 CFR § 91.17. Under § 91.17, a flight crewmember is strictly prohibited from operating or attempting to operate an aircraft while having a breath alcohol concentration 0.04 or above, or while under the influence of alcohol. Although non-DOT tests like this are not required to be reported to the Federal Air Surgeon, we encourage you to report it to the Drug Abatement Division. We provide a sample form on our 'Suggested Forms & Formats' web page.
If you have any further questions or need additional guidance that is more specific to your situation, please contact the FAA Drug Abatement Division at 202-267-8442 or drugabatement@faa.gov.
Please visit our website to learn more about our program.
Applicable Regulation:
There are several sources for information regarding medical conditions and airman medical certification.
- Aviation Medical Examiners (AMEs): There are approximately 3,500 physicians around the globe who are FAA-designated AMEs. AMEs are authorized to receive applications, to perform physical examinations and to issue airman medical certificates.
- Aerospace Medical Certification Division, AAM-300
Federal Aviation Administration
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
P.O. Box 25082
Oklahoma City, OK 73125
(405) 954-4821 - FAA, Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners
- FAA, Regional Flight Surgeons.
- Pilot organizations: Two of the largest pilot organizations are the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA, 800.236.4800) and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA, 800.872.2672).
The COA application requires a minimum of 5 attachments as follows:
- The public declaration letter that declared the public agency's public aircraft status;
- An airworthiness statement from the agency's accountable executive declaring the UAS(s) they are operating is airworthy and that they will maintain an airworthiness program;
- A lost link document for each UAS that explains the loss of link protocol for the UAS;
- A loss of communication document that describes the loss of communication between the Remote Pilot in Control (RPIC) and their observer, and the loss of communication between the PIC and air traffic control if that is required; and
- An emergency procedures document that lists the different emergencies an operation may have and how the public agency will respond to such emergencies.
Still can't find what you are looking for? Please feel free to contact the UAS Support Center for general questions and comments.
Every incident is analyzed on a case-by-case basis. Generally, a city is liable to the extent that it authorizes the operation. Deviations outside of that authorization are generally not considered as violations by a city.
Still can't find what you are looking for? Please feel free to contact the UAS Support Center for general questions and comments.
Yes, an individual who is deaf can obtain a pilot certificate in one of the five categories of aircraft: airplane, rotorcraft, glider, powered-lift, or lighter-than-air.
What types of certificates can a deaf pilot obtain?
A deaf pilot can obtain a student pilot certificate, recreational pilot certificate, private pilot certificate, and, on a limited basis, a commercial pilot certificate; for example, agricultural aircraft operations, banner towing operations, or any operation which does not require radio communication. With new interface technology for in cockpit receipt of weather information and digital communication, additional pilot certificates may be available to deaf pilots in the future.
What are the grades of pilot certificates?
There are five grades of pilot certificates that are available: student pilot, recreational pilot, private pilot, commercial pilot, and airline transport pilot.
What are the differences in the certificates?
A student pilot certificate is designed for the initial instructional period of flying. The student pilot is limited to flying with the flight instructor or solo after appropriate instructor endorsements (Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) sections 61.87 and 61.89). A recreational pilot certificate limits the holder to specific categories and classes of aircraft, the number of passengers which may be carried, the distance that may be flown from the departure point, flight into controlled airports, and other limitations (14 CFR section 61.101). A private pilot certificate permits the pilot to carry passengers and provides for limited business use of an airplane (14 CFR section 61.113). A commercial pilot certificate permits the pilot to conduct certain types of operations for compensation and hire (14 CFR section 61.133).
Yes. The Pilot Records Database (PRD) regulation, 14 CFR part 111, requires an air carrier/operator to query a pilot’s records to help make hiring determinations. The PRD does not replace the requirement for you to obtain the drug and alcohol records in accordance with 49 CFR § 40.25. Employers may use FAA’s aviation release of information suggested form to request the drug and alcohol testing information from previous DOT-regulated employers to meet the requirements under 49 CFR § 40.25. Please refer to FAA’s Advisory Circular (AC 120-126A) for more information about the drug and alcohol testing requirements.
For questions about accessing or entering data into the PRD, please review 14 CFR part 111 and the FAA’s Advisory Circular (AC 120-68), or contact the FAA’s PRD support office at 9-amc-avs-PRDSupport@faa.gov.
If you have any further questions or need additional guidance that is more specific to your situation, please contact the FAA’s Drug Abatement Division at (202) 267-8442 or drugabatement@faa.gov.
Please visit our Web site to learn more about our program.
Applicable Regulations:
Response by the Federal Air Surgeon
Long-standing FAA regulation, § 61.53, prohibits all pilots — those who are required to hold airman medical certificates and those who are not--from exercising privileges during periods of medical deficiency. The FAA revised § 61.53 to include under this prohibition sport pilots who use a current and valid U.S. driver's license as medical qualification. The prohibition is also added under §§ 61.23 (c) (2) (iv) and 61.303 (b) (2) (4) for sport pilot operations.
You should consult your private physician to determine whether you have a medical deficiency that would interfere with the safe performance of sport piloting duties. Certain medical information that may be helpful for pilots can be found in our Pilot Safety Brochures.
Response by the Federal Air Surgeon
You may use your current and valid U.S. driver's license to exercise sport pilot privileges; however, you must hold the required, valid FAA airman medical certificate if you wish to exercise private pilot (or higher) privileges.
Since the operation you proposed does not meet the definition of a governmental function under Title 49 USC 40125(a)2, your only option is to fly under the Part 107 rule.
Still can't find what you are looking for? Please feel free to contact the UAS Support Center for general questions and comments.
If you have an issued waiver, and you want to change the equipment used under the waiver, you would need to apply for an amendment to the waiver. You may need to update the safety justification for the original waiver justification. The list of authorized pilots is maintained by the Responsible Person.
Still can't find what you are looking for? Please feel free to contact the UAS Support Center for general questions and comments.
LASIK and other forms of vision corrective surgery have potentially adverse effects that could be incompatible with flying duties. These include:
- Corneal scarring or opacities;
- Worsening or variability of vision;
- Night-glare; and
- Haziness of vision.
The FAA expects that a pilot will not resume piloting aircraft until his or her own treating health care professional determines:
- The post operative condition has stabilized;
- There have been no significant adverse effects or complications; and
- The person meets the appropriate FAA vision standards.
If these determinations are favorable and if otherwise qualified, the pilot may immediately resume piloting but must ensure that:
- The treating health care professional documents his or her determinations in the pilot's health care treatment record;
- A copy of that record is immediately forwarded to the Aerospace Medical Certification Division in Oklahoma City; and
- A personal copy is retained.
The airman may continue flight duties unless informed otherwise by the FAA or another disqualifying condition occurs.
For pilots being treated with an antidepressant, the FAA has specific guidelines regarding what information needs to be provided to the Aviation Medical Examiner (AME). For pilots looking for resources, the Airman Information - SSRI INITIAL Certification is a great starting point. It outlines the necessary steps you should take and includes the information you must provide to the FAA.
Response by the Federal Air Surgeon
If you are ultimately certified then you are no longer on record with the FAA as having had your most recent application denied or your most recently held FAA airman medical certificate suspended or revoked, etc. Therefore, it is not necessary to maintain airman medical certification thereafter to exercise sport pilot privileges provided you hold a current and valid U.S. driver's license and provided you otherwise qualify.
No, you cannot instruct without the appropriate certificate(s) in your possession. Under 14 CFR 61.3, requirements for certificates, ratings, and authorizations, "A person may not act as pilot in command or in any other capacity as a required pilot flight crewmember... unless that person has a valid pilot certificate or special purpose pilot authorization... in that person's physical possession or readily accessible in the aircraft when exercising the privileges of that pilot certificate or authorization."
You can find information about replacing an airmen certificate on our website.
No, you cannot instruct without the appropriate certificate(s) in your possession. Under 14 CFR 61.3, requirements for certificates, ratings, and authorizations, "A person may not act as pilot in command or in any other capacity as a required pilot flight crewmember... unless that person has a valid pilot certificate or special purpose pilot authorization... in that person's physical possession or readily accessible in the aircraft when exercising the privileges of that pilot certificate or authorization."
You can find information about replacing an airmen certificate on our website.
You can fly every mission as a civil operator under Part 107. You can only fly some missions under your COA as a public aircraft. For daylight missions at a LAANC capable airport, Part 107 may be a better option for you. It's important to understand that if flying under Part 107, you must fully comply with Part 107 (which means a waiver to 107.29 to fly at night, for example). If flying under your COA, you must fully comply with your COA. You can't pick and choose parts of each that suit you. They are mutually exclusive legal frameworks. The crew MUST clearly understand which rules they are flying under before they take off.
Still can't find what you are looking for? Please feel free to contact the UAS Support Center for general questions and comments.
After you have passed the initial aeronautical knowledge test, you will then complete the FAA Airman Certificate and/or Rating Application (known as IACRA) to receive a remote pilot certificate. IACRA is a web-based certification/rating application that ensures you meet the requirements and electronically submits the application to the FAA's Airman Registry. Applications should be validated within 10 days. Applicants will then receive instructions for printing their temporary airman certificate, which is good for 120 days. The FAA will then mail you your permanent Remote Pilot Certificate within that 120 days.
Still can't find what you are looking for? Please feel free to contact the UAS Support Center for general questions and comments.