CASA (Australia)
A CASA guide is in preparation. Until it is ready, the routes below apply to a CASA license as to any other ICAO license.
International Pilot Transitions
FAA pathwaysfor international pilots
- 61.75, the TIP-L for EU licenses, or full FAA certification, from an EASA, UK CAA, CASA or other ICAO license.
- Two phases from home, one in Florida.
Choose your route
Choose the route by the privileges you need.
For pilots with a Part-FCL license at private level or higher who want to fly in the United States, add FAA ratings such as the SF-50, or move up to an FAA commercial or ATP certificate. Every route starts with the FAA verifying your license with the authority that issued it.
| If you … | Your route |
|---|---|
| want to fly privately in the US or in N-registered aircraft, or add an SF-50 type rating | The 61.75 routeGuide, pages 5–6, 12 |
| hold a license issued by an EU Member State with a valid SEP or MEP class rating, and want a private certificate with no foreign-license limitation (it carries no type ratings) | The TIP-LGuide, pages 7–8 |
| hold an ATPL with instrument privileges, or a CPL with an instrument rating, and want ATP privileges | The FAA ATP, directlyGuide, page 10 |
| hold a PPL, or a CPL without an instrument rating, and want commercial privileges | A 61.75 certificate, then the commercialGuide, page 9 |
| want an SF50 rating on your EASA license as well | An EASA route for the ratingGuide, page 14 |
| hold a UK license | 61.75 or full FAA certificationGuide, page 20 |
Order matters. Section 61.75 is open only while you hold no FAA pilot certificate other than a student pilot certificate. A pilot who gets the 61.75 certificate first may keep it next to an FAA certificate earned later by test, such as a commercial certificate. Which order suits you depends on your goals for the next 24 months; we help you choose.
The first step on every route is the verification letter. If 61.75 is anywhere in your plan, get it before any other FAA certificate.
EASA licenses
Three routes from a Part-FCL license.
“EASA license” is our shorthand for a Part-FCL license: your national authority issued it, and the FAA asks that authority to verify it. Read across a row to compare the routes.
| 14 CFR 61.75The 61.75 route | 14 CFR 61.71(c)The TIP-L | 61.123(h), 61.153(d)(3)Commercial or ATP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open to | Holders of a license at private level or higher from any ICAO State, UK included | Holders of an EU Part-FCL PPL(A), CPL(A) or ATPL(A) issued by an EU Member State, with a valid SEP (land) or MEP (land) class rating for single-pilot operations; type ratings alone do not qualify | Commercial: holders of an FAA private certificate, which a 61.75 certificate can be. A TIP-L certificate counts too. ATP: holders of a CPL with an instrument rating, or an ATPL with instrument privileges |
| You get | A private certificate with the FAA equivalents of your license’s ratings; private privileges only | A private certificate with single-engine land, multiengine land and instrument-airplane ratings, as your license allows | A standard commercial or ATP certificate, not tied to your license |
| Tests | None for the certificate; the IFP knowledge test only if you want instrument privileges | The PFB (or PEP) knowledge test and a flight review; for the instrument rating, the IFB (or IEP) test, acclimatization flying unless you are exempt, and an instrument proficiency check in the US | FAA knowledge test, training, experience and practical test |
| Type ratings | Entered from your license (“VFR ONLY” without instrument privileges), or added by FAA practical test | None | By FAA practical test; type ratings marked “U.S. TEST PASSED” on a 61.75 certificate are eligible for transfer |
| Medical | An FAA medical, or a medical issued by the State that issued your license | Both: an FAA medical of at least third class, and your EU medical | Third class for a practical test in the aircraft, none in a simulator; second class for commercial privileges; first class for ATP pilot-in-command privileges |
| Tied to your license | Yes: usable only while your license is effective and with you | No foreign-license limitation on the certificate | No: the certificate is not issued under 61.75 |
| In person | Application in person in the US | Application in person in the US | Practical test with an FAA examiner; designated examiners do not work outside the US |
- 14 CFR 61.75
A private certificate issued on the basis of your license
Section 61.75 lets the holder of a private-level or higher license issued by any ICAO State apply for an FAA private pilot certificate, with no knowledge test and no flight test for the certificate itself. Private privileges only, whatever your license grade; no expiry date of its own, and usable only while your license is effective.
- TIP-L
A private certificate without the foreign-license limitation
Since May 18, 2021, the Technical Implementation Procedures – Licensing (TIP-L) under the EU–US aviation safety agreement have let holders of EU Part-FCL licenses convert them into an FAA private pilot certificate. Whatever you hold, the TIP-L converts only to private level. Type ratings do not convert, an EASA SF50 rating included, and an ATPL that carries only type ratings, such as A320 or B737, does not qualify: you also need a valid SEP or MEP class rating. Not eligible: licenses issued by Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the UK, because those States are not party to the agreement; their holders can use 61.75.
- 61.123(h)
Commercial: your 61.75 certificate is the entry point
An FAA commercial certificate requires at least an FAA private pilot certificate. A 61.75 certificate meets that requirement, and the result is an unrestricted commercial certificate, not tied to your license. A TIP-L private certificate meets it as well. You earn the commercial certificate on its own terms: knowledge test, training, aeronautical experience, instructor endorsements and a practical test.
- 61.153(d)(3)
ATP: directly on your CPL with IR, or your ATPL with instrument privileges
You do not need an FAA commercial certificate first. A CPL with an instrument rating, or an ATPL with instrument privileges, issued by an ICAO State and carrying no geographical limitations, is the basis for an FAA ATP. The FAA verifies it first. A PPL never qualifies. The CTP is for multiengine only: a single-engine ATP, including one taken with the SF-50 type rating, does not need it.
- 61.75 + TIP-L
Choose before you apply
A TIP-L certificate is an FAA pilot certificate, so once you hold one, 61.75 is closed unless you surrender it. TIP-L ratings cannot go on a 61.75 certificate, but its holder can get a separate TIP-L certificate; we plan the order and confirm with the examiner whether both certificates are kept.
Each route in detail, with its exceptions, the verification letter and the logbook: pages 3 to 13 of our guide. Get the free guide
Map my pathwayUK CAA licenses · SRG1160
61.75 or a full FAA certificate; the TIP-L is closed to UK licenses.
The UK left the EU on January 31, 2020 and its transition period ended on December 31, 2020, before the TIP-L took effect on May 18, 2021, so UK licenses were never eligible. The FAA lists no US–UK licensing procedures, so your routes are 61.75 and full FAA certification built on your UK license.
What works
- 61.75 on a UK PPL, CPL or ATPL, including a UK Part-FCL CPL restricted to British-registered aircraft
- An FAA commercial certificate through a 61.75 certificate, and an FAA ATP on a UK CPL with a full instrument rating, or a UK ATPL with instrument privileges, carrying no geographical limitations
- Instrument privileges through the IFP test, if your license shows a full instrument rating
- A UK Part-MED Class 1 or Class 2 medical, which meets ICAO standards
What does not
- The National PPL (license prefix GBR.NP.) or the UK LAPL (GBR.LA.) as the basis for 61.75
- An IMC rating, or IR(R), as the basis for the IFP test
- A Pilot Medical Declaration, which the UK CAA itself calls not an internationally recognized medical standard
- SRG1160
Verification through the UK CAA
File the FAA request, Form AC 8060-71. On the same day, apply to the UK CAA online with form SRG1160. The FAA emails the UK CAA, which replies only to the FAA and aims to do so within ten working days of a complete application. If the FAA’s email has not arrived within 30 working days, the UK CAA cancels your application and keeps the fee, so file both together. The UK CAA charges £61 per verification, or £122 for a license plus theory exam results (fees as checked on October 11, 2026).
- Before 2021
Moved to an EU authority before 2021?
Then you hold an EU Part-FCL license, and the TIP-L can be open to you; the authority that holds your license confirms where it came from.
- License number
License number changes
Any change of prefix or suffix in your license number means a reissued 61.75 certificate after a new verification.
- TSA
TSA applies to you too
TSA’s rule applies to UK citizens as to everyone else who is not a US citizen or national.
UK licenses have their own page in our guide: page 20. Get the free guide
Map my pathwayCASA and other ICAO licenses
The routes open to any ICAO license.
Our guide is written for European licenses. Its 61.75, full certification, TSA and medical chapters apply to any ICAO license.
- 61.75. Open to the holder of a private-level or higher license issued by any ICAO State, with no knowledge test and no flight test for the certificate itself.
- Medical. For a 61.75 certificate, an FAA medical, or a medical issued by the State that issued your license.
- Commercial. A 61.75 certificate meets the requirement for an FAA private pilot certificate, and the result is an unrestricted commercial certificate, not tied to your license.
- ATP. A CPL with an instrument rating, or an ATPL with instrument privileges, issued by an ICAO State and carrying no geographical limitations, is the basis for an FAA ATP.
- TSA. The Flight Training Security Program applies to everyone who is neither a US citizen nor a US national, whatever their nationality.
- Not the TIP-L. It is for licenses issued by EU Member States only.
The 61.75, commercial, ATP, TSA and medical pages of our guide: pages 5–6, 9–10 and 15–19. Get the free guide
How we work
Two phases from home, one in Florida.
No FAA source gives an end-to-end time. What exists are published pieces, and most of them run in parallel; of these, the FAA’s 45 to 90 days for the verification letter is the longest.
- Phase 1 · Remote
Consultation
Every plan starts with an individual consultation. We look at your license, ratings, medical, logbook and goals, especially for the next 24 months, set out the routes open to you, and give you a written plan with the order of steps and the paperwork each needs.
- Phase 2 · Remote
Preparation
The verification letter, knowledge-test preparation, the TSA Flight Training Security Program, the medical application, the US agent for service, and a review of your logbook against the FAA’s definitions. For the SF-50, ground school starts here, with our SF50 computer-based training.
- Phase 3 · In the US
Training and the FAA
We conduct the FAA application and the practical test in the US. Airspace familiarization, the knowledge tests and the FAA medical, training as planned, and the meeting with your examiner at KCRG or with the FSDO; if you are eligible, you leave with your temporary certificate. How long it takes depends on your experience; we set it in your plan.
Why in the US
- Knowledge tests
- Unless you have a US military or government link, FAA knowledge tests are taken at a testing center in the United States; the only testing abroad is on US military installations, for US service members, their families and some US government employees.
- FAA medical
- You can get it in Jacksonville when you arrive. With a foreign address, name a US agent for service first.
- The FAA meeting
- Meet in person in the US with your documents. If you are eligible, you leave with a temporary certificate, valid for up to 120 days.
Start early
- Request the verification letter, and file your authority’s form, at least 90 days before you arrive.
- With no US address, name a US agent for service; it comes before any certificate or FAA medical.
- Apply to TSA at least 30 days before training; each training event then has its own wait.
- Plan the knowledge tests your route needs; most reports stay valid for 24 calendar months.
The FAA says verification takes about 45 to 90 days and asks you not to schedule travel or practical tests until the letter has arrived. We have seen anything from 7 days to 3 months: it depends mostly on how quickly your authority answers.
Every case is assessed individually after a consultation; the guide is the starting point, not the plan. Timings and costs: page 21 of our guide. Get the free guide
Map my pathway49 CFR part 1552
TSA approval comes before any flight training.
The TSA Flight Training Security Program (FTSP) applies to everyone who is neither a US citizen nor a US national, whatever their nationality, US permanent residents included. Before your first flight training you need a Determination of Eligibility, TSA’s approval after a security threat assessment.
- How long
- The rule gives TSA 30 days for a complete application. TSA suggests applying at least 30 days before your planned training.
- Fee
- US$140, or US$125 if you upload a valid comparable credential, such as TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS, before paying. One fee covers all your training for up to five years.
- Our policy
- We ask for a Determination of Eligibility before any flight with us.
- 01
Create one candidate account on the FTSP portal, fts.tsa.dhs.gov. Use a personal email address that no one else uses; TSA writes only by email.
- 02
Complete the application with images of your documents. Write every name exactly as in your passport’s machine-readable zone, without accents, apostrophes or hyphens, and list every address of the past five years.
- 03
Pay through Pay.gov once you have submitted.
- 04
When the email “Documents Accepted - Fingerprint Instructions Available” arrives, have your fingerprints taken by a TSA-accepted collector; earlier prints are rejected.
- 05
Wait for the email “Determination of Eligibility - Final Approval Granted”. TSA asks you not to make training arrangements before it arrives.
- 06
Select your training provider in the portal; once the provider accepts, it creates your training events and notifies TSA. To train with us, select the provider listed as Piotr Dlugiewicz under the New York FSDO.
Fingerprints, returning pilots and the wait for each training event: pages 16 and 17 of our guide. Get the free guide
Taking it home
Taking the SF-50 rating home to Europe.
An FAA SF-50 rating does not move to your EASA license by itself, and the TIP-L never moves type ratings. Regulation (EU) 2020/723 offers three ways to get it there, and which one fits depends on where the aircraft you fly is registered.
- Article 3(d)
An SF50 rating on your license, restricted to aircraft registered in the US
That your authority uses this option and accepts your FAA rating on its own conditions; it sets how the restriction comes off, typically by meeting Article 10.
- Article 10
An unrestricted SF50 rating
At least 500 hours as pilot on the type, the Part-FCL prerequisites, current flying practice and a Part-FCL skill test.
- EASA course
An unrestricted SF50 rating
The SF50 type-rating course at an approved training organization, which may recommend credit for your FAA training, and the skill test.
We plan how an FAA rating fits your EASA license before you start. Page 14 of our guide
Free guide · 24 pages · PDF
Imagine Flying Guide to FAA Certificates for European Pilots
From EASA to FAA: how a Part-FCL license becomes the basis for an FAA pilot certificate. Three routes, what each one needs, the SF-50 type rating, and a section for UK license holders.
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Jacksonville Executive Airport at Craig (KCRG)
985 Charles Lindbergh Dr, Ste 3E
Jacksonville, FL 32225, USA
Jacksonville Executive Airport at Craig (KCRG)
985 Charles Lindbergh Dr, Ste 3E
Jacksonville, FL 32225, USA
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