To replace a lost airman certificate, submit FAA AC Form 8060-56 by mail or file the request online through the FAA’s Airmen Services portal. Either route costs $2 per certificate, and the FAA mails a permanent plastic replacement in roughly six to eight weeks.1Federal Aviation Administration. How Long Does It Take the FAA to Send Out a Permanent License Certificate The process covers pilots, flight instructors, ground instructors, mechanics, repairmen, flight engineers, and other certificate holders under 14 CFR Parts 61, 63, and 65.
Apply Online Through Airmen Services
For most people this is the faster path. The FAA’s Airmen Services portal at amsrvs.registry.faa.gov lets you request replacement of any or all of your airman certificates and pay the $2-per-certificate fee by credit card.2Federal Aviation Administration. Requesting Replacement Certificates Online – Airmen Services Create or log into an account and the system runs an automated check against your file. If your records are current — valid address, physical description on file, no flags — the request clears immediately. If something is missing or inconsistent, the portal will tell you to contact the Airmen Certification Branch to resolve it before any certificate can be issued.
One exception: if your certificate was issued on the basis of a foreign license under 14 CFR 61.75 or 63.42, the online request alone will not work. You must first submit a Verification of Authenticity of Foreign License form to the Airmen Certification Branch and then appear at a Flight Standards District Office for identification.2Federal Aviation Administration. Requesting Replacement Certificates Online – Airmen Services
Apply By Mail With Form 8060-56
Download AC Form 8060-56 from the FAA forms library, fill it out, and include a check or money order for $2 per certificate made payable to the FAA.3Federal Aviation Administration. Application for Replacement of Lost, Destroyed, or Paper Airman Certificate(s) Do not send cash and do not make the payment out to an individual or a specific office. Mail everything to:
Federal Aviation Administration
Airmen Certification Branch
P.O. Box 25082
Oklahoma City, OK 73125-00824Federal Aviation Administration. Airmen Certification – Contact Airmen Certification
If you hold more than one certificate — say a pilot certificate and a flight instructor certificate — you can request replacements for all of them in a single submission, at $2 each.
Information the FAA Needs
The regulation for Part 61 certificates lists what a replacement request must contain:5eCFR. 14 CFR 61.29 – Replacement of a Lost or Destroyed Airman or Medical Certificate or Knowledge Test Report
- Your full name as it appears on the certificate
- Your permanent mailing address, with ZIP code
- Your date and place of birth
- The grade, number, and date of issuance of the certificate, along with any ratings, to the extent you know them
If your mailing address is a P.O. Box, rural route, or general delivery, include your physical residential address or directions to your residence. The FAA may ask for a map otherwise, which slows things down.6Federal Aviation Administration. Replace an Airmen Certificate
Mechanics, repairmen, and other Part 65 certificate holders follow the same process but must also include a Social Security number in the request if they have one.7eCFR. 14 CFR 65.16 – Change of Name: Replacement of Lost or Destroyed Certificate Part 61 holders are not required to provide an SSN.
Name Changes Are a Separate Process
If your legal name has changed since your certificate was issued, do not try to write the new name on the replacement form. That will not work. You have to appear in person at a Flight Standards District Office for positive identification and present one of the following to an FAA inspector:8Federal Aviation Administration. Airmen Certification – Report a Change in Your Name, Nationality/Citizenship
- A photocopy of a marriage license
- A court order
- Another valid legal document verifying the name change
For certificates under Part 63 or Part 65, the name-change application must also include your current certificate along with the supporting legal document.9eCFR. 14 CFR 63.16 – Change of Name; Replacement of Lost or Destroyed Certificate Handle the name change first. Then, if the old certificate is also lost or damaged, request the replacement.
Keep Flying With Temporary Authority
You are not grounded while you wait. Under 14 CFR 61.29(e), you can obtain a document conveying temporary authority to exercise your certificate privileges, and you may carry it in place of your airman certificate for up to 60 days.5eCFR. 14 CFR 61.29 – Replacement of a Lost or Destroyed Airman or Medical Certificate or Knowledge Test Report The temporary authority is not valid if your certificate has been suspended or revoked.
Request it through the Airmen Services portal or by email. Residents of most countries outside the United States, Canada, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Dominican Republic, Grand Cayman Islands, and Guam can only receive temporary authority by email and must supply a valid email address.10Federal Aviation Administration. Requesting Temporary Authority to Exercise Certificate Privileges Online
If the permanent card has not arrived after 60 days, you can request another 60-day temporary authority online. Any renewal request must include the date you originally applied for the duplicate certificate, so hold onto that submission date.5eCFR. 14 CFR 61.29 – Replacement of a Lost or Destroyed Airman or Medical Certificate or Knowledge Test Report
How Long It Takes
The FAA estimates six to eight weeks to process and mail a permanent replacement.1Federal Aviation Administration. How Long Does It Take the FAA to Send Out a Permanent License Certificate Online submissions tend to move faster because the system validates your records immediately; mailed applications have to be opened, entered, and matched to your file by hand. The permanent plastic card ships by standard mail to the address on your application.
If you move between filing the request and receiving the card, update your address with the Airmen Certification Branch right away. An undeliverable replacement means starting over and paying the $2 fee again.
Knowledge Test Reports Follow a Different Path
Form 8060-56 does not cover a lost Airman Knowledge Test Report. For tests taken on or after January 13, 2020, log into your PSI account and print a duplicate directly, at no charge.11Federal Aviation Administration. Replace a Knowledge Test Report For older tests, the request goes to the FAA by email or on AC Form 8060-70, with a $12 fee per report.12Federal Aviation Administration. Application for Replacement of Lost or Destroyed Knowledge Test Report(s)
Why the Replacement Matters
Under 14 CFR 61.3, no one may serve as a required pilot flight crewmember without the appropriate pilot certificate in their physical possession or readily accessible in the aircraft.13eCFR. 14 CFR 61.3 – Requirement for Certificates, Ratings, Privileges, and Authorizations A temporary authority document issued under 61.29(e) satisfies that rule; flying with neither the permanent certificate nor a temporary document does not.
You also have to carry acceptable photo identification — a driver’s license, passport, U.S. military ID, or government-issued ID card — alongside the certificate.13eCFR. 14 CFR 61.3 – Requirement for Certificates, Ratings, Privileges, and Authorizations The airman certificate on its own is not enough.