BasicMed Aviation: Eligibility, Aircraft, and Flight Limits

To fly under BasicMed, you need a current U.S. driver’s license, a prior FAA medical certificate issued at some point after July 14, 2006, that was never denied, revoked, or suspended, a comprehensive physical exam by any state-licensed physician every 48 months, and an FAA-approved online aeromedical course every 24 months. BasicMed requirements are set out in 14 CFR Part 68 and let general aviation pilots fly without holding a traditional FAA medical certificate, provided the pilot, the aircraft, and the flight all stay within the program’s limits.

Who Qualifies as a Pilot

Three baseline conditions decide whether you’re eligible in the first place.

  • A valid U.S. driver’s license. You must follow every medical restriction printed on it, including corrective lenses, prosthetic aids, or daylight-only driving. If your license is revoked for medical reasons, your BasicMed eligibility goes with it.1Federal Aviation Administration. BasicMed
  • A prior FAA medical certificate of any class held at some point after July 14, 2006. A pilot who has never gone through the FAA medical process cannot start with BasicMed.2eCFR. 14 CFR 61.23 – Medical Certificates: Requirement and Duration
  • A clean recent record. Your most recent FAA medical certificate cannot have been denied, revoked, or suspended. If it was, you have to resolve it through the standard medical certification process before BasicMed is available.3Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Updates BasicMed Program

Flight instructors are listed by the FAA among those eligible to fly under BasicMed.1Federal Aviation Administration. BasicMed Because BasicMed also prohibits flying for compensation or hire, the interaction between paid instruction and that restriction is worth confirming against current FAA guidance before you rely on it.

Conditions That Require a Special Issuance First

Some diagnoses add a step before you can use BasicMed at all. If any of the conditions below apply, you must first obtain a one-time Authorization for Special Issuance of a Medical Certificate directly from the FAA. An Aviation Medical Examiner cannot grant this initial authorization.4eCFR. 14 CFR 68.9 – Special Issuance Process

  • Mental health: a severe personality disorder that has repeatedly manifested through overt acts, psychosis (including delusions, hallucinations, or grossly disorganized behavior), bipolar disorder, or substance dependence within the previous two years.4eCFR. 14 CFR 68.9 – Special Issuance Process
  • Neurological: epilepsy, unexplained disturbance of consciousness, or unexplained transient loss of nervous system function.4eCFR. 14 CFR 68.9 – Special Issuance Process
  • Cardiovascular: heart attack, coronary heart disease that has required treatment, cardiac valve replacement, or heart replacement.1Federal Aviation Administration. BasicMed

The authorization is one-time. Once the FAA grants it for a particular diagnosis, you don’t repeat that step for BasicMed renewals. Pilots who previously held a valid special issuance medical certificate on or after July 15, 2006, may already satisfy this requirement.

The Two Things You Must Complete

BasicMed runs on two tracks. Both have to be finished before you fly.

The Physical Exam

Start with FAA Form 8700-2, the Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist (CMEC). You complete Section 2 yourself, covering your medical history and current health. Your physician then conducts a comprehensive physical exam and completes Section 3, signing a declaration that they are not aware of any medical condition that, as currently treated, could interfere with your ability to safely operate an aircraft.5Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Form 8700-2 Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist The physician does not have to be an AME. Any doctor with a state medical license qualifies.

The Online Course

You also have to complete an FAA-approved online medical education course covering aeromedical risk factors, medication effects, and health awareness relevant to flying. AOPA offers one of the most widely used versions. After you finish, the course provider takes the information from your signed CMEC and electronically transmits the necessary data to the FAA, and you receive a course completion certificate.

What to Keep in Your Logbook

Keep the signed CMEC and your course completion certificate in your logbook, in paper or electronic form, and have them available for inspection.5Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Form 8700-2 Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist Without those documents accessible, you’re not legal to fly under BasicMed even if you completed every step.

Aircraft You Can Fly Under BasicMed

The aircraft itself has to fit within two limits. It must be authorized to carry no more than seven occupants total, including you as pilot, and its maximum certificated takeoff weight cannot exceed 12,500 pounds.1Federal Aviation Administration. BasicMed That range covers most privately flown airplanes, from two-seat trainers up through light twins and some larger single-engine turboprops.

Limits on the Flight Itself

Every BasicMed flight has to stay within these operational limits:

  • Altitude: no higher than 18,000 feet MSL, which keeps you out of Class A airspace.3Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Updates BasicMed Program
  • Speed: indicated airspeed no faster than 250 knots.3Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Updates BasicMed Program
  • Passengers: no more than six passengers, seven total occupants counting you.1Federal Aviation Administration. BasicMed
  • No compensation or hire. You cannot fly for pay under BasicMed.3Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Updates BasicMed Program
  • VFR or IFR is fine, as long as you hold the appropriate ratings.1Federal Aviation Administration. BasicMed

Where BasicMed Is Valid

BasicMed flights must be conducted within the United States, including U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.1Federal Aviation Administration. BasicMed BasicMed does not meet International Civil Aviation Organization medical standards, so most foreign countries do not accept it. As of 2025, the Bahamas and Mexico are the two foreign nations that allow BasicMed pilots in their airspace. Canada does not currently recognize BasicMed. If you plan to fly internationally beyond the Bahamas or Mexico, you need a traditional FAA medical certificate.

Your Ongoing Duty to Self-Ground

The exam only happens every four years, which puts weight on your own judgment in between. Under 14 CFR 61.53, a pilot using a driver’s license for medical qualification cannot fly when they know or have reason to know of any medical condition that would make them unable to operate the aircraft safely.6eCFR. 14 CFR 61.53 – Prohibition on Operations During Medical Deficiency There is no formal reporting trigger. If a health issue arises that could impair your flying, you’re expected to ground yourself.

The rule also requires that if you’ve been diagnosed with any condition that may affect your ability to fly, you must be under the care and treatment of a state-licensed physician while exercising BasicMed privileges.2eCFR. 14 CFR 61.23 – Medical Certificates: Requirement and Duration

Keeping BasicMed Current

Two renewal clocks run on different schedules, and both have to stay current.

The course falls due twice as often as the exam, so if you started them on the same day the course will expire first while the exam is still valid. If either lapses, you’re grounded under BasicMed until you finish the overdue requirement. There is no grace period.