A 3rd Class Medical Certificate is the FAA health clearance that private pilots, recreational pilots, student pilots, and flight instructors need to exercise their flying privileges. An FAA-designated physician called an Aviation Medical Examiner performs the exam, and once issued the certificate stays valid for two to five years depending on your age.
Who Needs One
Federal regulations require at least a 3rd Class Medical when you exercise the privileges of a private, recreational, or student pilot certificate. Student pilots must hold a valid medical before their first solo flight.1Federal Aviation Administration. When Is a Medical Examination Required? Flight instructors need one whenever they’re acting as pilot in command or as a required crewmember, and anyone taking a practical test for a recreational, private, commercial, or airline transport certificate needs a current 3rd Class Medical at the checkride.2eCFR. 14 CFR 61.23 – Medical Certificates: Requirement and Duration
Some pilots don’t need any medical certificate at all. Glider and balloon pilots are exempt, including student pilots training in those aircraft. Sport pilots can fly on a valid U.S. driver’s license instead, provided they haven’t had a medical application denied, a prior medical revoked or suspended, or an Authorization withdrawn, and provided they don’t know of any condition that would keep them from safely operating a light-sport aircraft.3Federal Aviation Administration. Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners – Application Process for Medical Certification
BasicMed as an Alternative
BasicMed lets qualifying private pilots fly without a current FAA medical certificate. Instead of visiting an AME, you see any state-licensed physician for a comprehensive physical every 48 months and complete an online medical education course every 24 calendar months.4Federal Aviation Administration. AC 68-1A – BasicMed
To qualify you must hold a valid U.S. driver’s license and must have held an FAA medical certificate at some point after July 14, 2006. The operational limits: aircraft no heavier than 12,500 pounds maximum certificated takeoff weight, no more than seven occupants authorized and six passengers carried, altitudes at or below 18,000 feet MSL, and speeds no greater than 250 knots. VFR and IFR are both allowed, but the flight must stay inside the United States and cannot be for compensation or hire.5Federal Aviation Administration. BasicMed
If you fly heavier aircraft, go above 18,000 feet, or operate outside the U.S., BasicMed won’t cover you and you need the traditional 3rd Class Medical.
What the Exam Covers
Vision and Hearing
You need distant visual acuity of 20/40 or better in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses, and you must be able to perceive the colors necessary for safe flight. If you use glasses or contacts to reach 20/40, the certificate will carry a limitation requiring you to have corrective lenses available while flying.6Federal Aviation Administration. Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners – Summary of Medical Standards
For hearing, you must be able to hear an average conversational voice in a quiet room at 6 feet with your back turned to the examiner. An audiometric test is an accepted alternative.6Federal Aviation Administration. Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners – Summary of Medical Standards
Cardiovascular Health
The regulations don’t set a fixed blood pressure threshold, but the FAA’s current guideline maximum is 155/95. Readings above that will likely lead to a deferral or denial. Some cardiovascular conditions are automatically disqualifying without a special authorization, including treated or symptomatic coronary heart disease, a history of heart attack, cardiac valve replacement, and permanent cardiac pacemakers.6Federal Aviation Administration. Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners – Summary of Medical Standards
Mental Health and Substance Use
An established diagnosis of psychosis, bipolar disorder, or a severe personality disorder shown through repeated overt acts is disqualifying. So is substance dependence, unless you can demonstrate recovery with at least two continuous years of total abstinence. Substance abuse within the preceding two years is separately disqualifying. The Federal Air Surgeon also has catch-all authority to deny certification for any other mental or neurological condition that in qualified medical judgment would prevent you from safely performing pilot duties.7eCFR. 14 CFR 67.307 – Mental
Medications
Some medications will stop an AME from issuing your certificate even when the condition itself is manageable. The FAA’s “Do Not Issue” list covers controlled substances in Schedules I through V, most psychiatric medications including antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs, seizure medications (even when prescribed for migraines), narcotic pain relievers, sedating antihistamines, muscle relaxants, and any drug newly approved by the FDA within the past 12 months. Diabetes medications that aren’t on the FAA’s approved combination list and smoking-cessation drugs such as varenicline are also included.
Beyond that list, don’t fly on any medication whose label warns about drowsiness or advises caution when driving or operating machinery. The rule applies to prescription drugs, over-the-counter products, and some dietary supplements. The FAA treats “until you know how the medication affects you” warnings the same as an outright drowsiness warning.
How to Apply
Start with FAA Form 8500-8 through the MedXPress system online. The form collects your personal information and full medical history, and once you submit it the system generates a confirmation number to give your examiner. The application stays active for 60 days; miss that window and you start over.8Federal Aviation Administration. How Do I Get a Medical Certificate and What to Expect During the Exam Be thorough and honest. The FAA cross-references your answers against other federal databases, and an inconsistency triggers a much longer review than a straightforward disclosure would.
Only FAA-designated Aviation Medical Examiners can perform the physical. Use the FAA’s online locator tool to find one near you. If you have a history of substance- or alcohol-related issues, look specifically for a HIMS (Human Intervention Motivation Study) AME, who is trained to evaluate and sponsor airmen through those certification pathways.9Federal Aviation Administration. Find an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) The exam typically runs $100 to $200. The FAA does not set the fee; each AME’s office does, so call ahead.
At the appointment, the AME pulls up your MedXPress application with your confirmation number and reviews your history. The in-office exam covers vision, hearing, blood pressure, heart and lung function, and a general physical assessment. If everything checks out, the AME issues your certificate on the spot.10Federal Aviation Administration. Application for Airman Medical Certificate or Airman Medical and Student Pilot Certificate If something needs a closer look, the AME defers the application to the FAA’s Aerospace Medical Certification Division in Oklahoma City. A deferral is not a denial. It just means the AME couldn’t make the final call in the office.
How Long It Lasts
Validity depends on your age at the time of the exam. If you’re under 40, the certificate is good for 60 calendar months. At 40 or older, it’s good for 24 calendar months. Either way, it expires at the end of the last day of the expiration month printed on the certificate, not on the anniversary of your exam date. An exam on March 10 produces a certificate valid through March 31 of the expiration year.2eCFR. 14 CFR 61.23 – Medical Certificates: Requirement and Duration
Renewal is a repeat of the initial process: a fresh MedXPress application and another visit to an AME before the expiration month ends. There’s no abbreviated version.
What You Must Report Between Exams
Holding a medical certificate carries ongoing duties. You cannot act as pilot in command or as a required crewmember if you know or have reason to know of any medical condition that would keep you from meeting your certificate’s standards, or if you’re taking medication or receiving treatment that impairs your ability to meet them. That obligation applies every time you fly, whether or not your certificate is technically current.11eCFR. 14 CFR 61.53 – Prohibition on Operations During Medical Deficiency
Short-term, self-limiting conditions like a cold or a minor orthopedic injury don’t require notice to the FAA between physicals. Ground yourself while affected and disclose the condition on your next MedXPress application. Chronic or serious conditions that require ongoing treatment are different, and warrant an appointment with an AME rather than waiting for the next renewal.
Alcohol- and drug-related legal actions have their own rule. A DUI conviction or an administrative action related to alcohol or drugs, including an administrative license suspension for refusing or failing a breath or blood test, must be reported in writing to the FAA’s Security and Investigations Division within 60 calendar days. The report needs your name, address, date of birth, airman certificate number, the type of violation, the date of the action, and the state that holds the record. Each separate action requires its own report, so a single incident that produces both an administrative suspension and a criminal conviction means two notifications.12eCFR. 14 CFR 61.15 – Offenses Involving Alcohol or Drugs
Missing the 60-day deadline is punishable on its own. The FAA can deny, suspend, or revoke your certificates and ratings for up to a year based on the failure to report, separate from any consequences of the underlying offense.12eCFR. 14 CFR 61.15 – Offenses Involving Alcohol or Drugs
If You’re Deferred or Denied
A deferral or denial doesn’t have to end your flying. The FAA has built pathways for pilots whose conditions fall outside the standard criteria.
Special Issuance Authorization
For a condition that is technically disqualifying, such as controlled diabetes, a history of heart disease, or treated depression, the Federal Air Surgeon can grant an Authorization for Special Issuance. You’ll need to show you can safely perform pilot duties for the authorization period, which often means detailed records from your treating physician and sometimes a special medical flight test or additional evaluation.13eCFR. 14 CFR 67.401 – Special Issuance of Medical Certificates A Special Issuance must be renewed periodically with updated documentation showing the condition remains stable. Many AMEs can re-issue certificates under an existing Special Issuance through the AME Assisted Special Issuance (AASI) process, which is faster than routing every renewal through Oklahoma City.14Federal Aviation Administration. Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners: Authorization for Special Issuance of a Medical Certificate
Statement of Demonstrated Ability
For static conditions that won’t get worse, such as loss of an eye, hearing loss, or a missing limb, you may qualify for a Statement of Demonstrated Ability (SODA). A SODA is issued through a Flight Standards District Office after you pass a practical test showing you can fly safely with the condition. A SODA does not expire. Once granted, it authorizes any AME to issue your medical certificate for the specified class as long as the underlying condition hasn’t changed.13eCFR. 14 CFR 67.401 – Special Issuance of Medical Certificates
Appealing a Final Denial
If the FAA issues a final denial and you believe it was wrong, you can file a petition for review with the National Transportation Safety Board within 60 days. The petition must identify the denial action, explain why you believe it was erroneous, and include a copy of the denial letter. The NTSB assigns the case to an administrative law judge, who holds a prehearing teleconference and then a formal hearing where you can present evidence, call witnesses, and cross-examine FAA witnesses. You may be represented by an attorney.15National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). How to File a Petition for Review of a Certificate Denial
One limit worth knowing: the NTSB cannot review a denial of a SODA or a Special Issuance Authorization. Those decisions rest with the Federal Air Surgeon, and the way forward is to reapply with additional medical evidence rather than appeal through the Board.