BasicMed runs on two separate clocks. The comprehensive physical exam expires every 48 calendar months, and the online medical education course expires every 24 calendar months. Both use calendar-month counting, which means each one stays valid through the last day of its expiration month rather than the exact anniversary of completion. So when does BasicMed expire in practice? Whichever clock runs out first, because you need both current to act as pilot in command.
The 48-Month Physical Exam Clock
The Comprehensive Medical Examination must be completed within the 48 calendar months before you fly under BasicMed.1eCFR. 14 CFR Part 61 – Certification: Pilots, Flight Instructors, and Ground Instructors – Section: 61.23 Medical certificates: Requirement and duration The date your physician signs the examination checklist starts the countdown. If that signature lands on March 10, the exam remains valid through March 31 four years later.
That calendar-month rule gives you a handful of extra days at the tail end compared to a strict date-to-date reading. Not a reason to cut it close. Scheduling the next exam during the final month of the window gives you room to reschedule if something comes up, and it doesn’t cost you any validity on the new four-year cycle, since the new clock starts from the new signature date.
Flying past the 48-month window is an FAA violation. The maximum civil penalty for a pilot acting as an airman is $1,875 per violation as of the most recent adjustment, a figure that is adjusted annually for inflation.2Federal Register. Revisions to Civil Penalty Amounts, 2025 An enforcement action on your record also complicates future certificate renewals and insurance.
The 24-Month Course Clock
The online medical education course must be completed within the 24 calendar months before you fly.3Federal Aviation Administration. BasicMed Same calendar-month rule: a course finished on October 10 stays valid through October 31 two years later. Because 24 months is exactly half of 48, you will renew the course at least once between physical exams.
Two FAA-approved providers currently offer the course: AOPA’s BasicMed Medical Self-Assessment and the Mayo Clinic BasicMed Online Training Course.3Federal Aviation Administration. BasicMed Both are free to access, though AOPA requires membership for some features. The course covers health factors relevant to flight safety and ends with a knowledge quiz you must pass to receive a completion certificate.
The staggered cycle is what trips pilots up. You renew the course, feel current, and forget the physical is on a different timeline, or the reverse. Both must be valid at the same moment for you to legally fly. If either lapses, you are grounded until you bring it back.
How to Renew Before Either One Lapses
Renewal runs on two independent tracks, and most pilots handle them in this order.
Start with the online course. Log in through AOPA or the Mayo Clinic portal, work through the modules, and pass the quiz. The provider then electronically transmits your results to the FAA, including a release authorizing the FAA to pull your record from the National Driver Register through your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles.4Federal Aviation Administration. AC 68-1A – BasicMed That NDR check happens in the background. Nothing more is required from you beyond authorizing it during the course.
Next, schedule the physical with any state-licensed physician. The doctor does not need to be an Aviation Medical Examiner; your regular primary care physician qualifies as long as they hold a current state medical license.5eCFR. Part 68 Requirements for Operating Certain Small Aircraft Without a Medical Certificate The physician works from FAA Form 8700-2, the Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist, completing the clinical portion after you have filled in your medical history section.6Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Form 8700-2 Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist Tell your physician before the appointment that this is a BasicMed exam rather than a routine physical, and bring a printed copy of the checklist and AC 68-1A. Many doctors have never seen the form.
There is no plastic certificate, no card in the mail, and no formal approval letter. Once you have a signed checklist and a course completion certificate, you are cleared to fly through the next expiration date on each document.
What to Keep in Your Logbook
You must retain two documents in your logbook: the signed Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist and the course completion certificate.7eCFR. 14 CFR 61.113 – Private Pilot Privileges and Limitations: Pilot in Command These are your only proof of compliance, since the FAA does not issue a separate BasicMed certificate.
You do not need to carry either document in the cockpit during flight. They can be stored in a physical logbook or electronically in any format, as long as you can produce an accurate, legible copy if the FAA asks.8Federal Aviation Administration. N 8900.420 – Demonstrating Eligibility to Operate Under BasicMed A photo on your phone or a PDF in cloud storage is fine. What matters is that you can pull it up on request.
Keep the expired copies too. When the physical or course renews, the new document takes over for compliance purposes, but the old checklist can give your physician useful context at the next exam.
A Note on Flying Outside the United States
BasicMed expiration dates are only part of what governs an international flight. The regulation permits BasicMed flights outside the United States only if authorized by the country you are flying into.7eCFR. 14 CFR 61.113 – Private Pilot Privileges and Limitations: Pilot in Command As of the last published guidance, a small number of countries including the Bahamas, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic have authorized BasicMed flights by U.S. pilots. Canada does not currently accept it. A current physical and course don’t override a destination country’s policy, so verify directly with the civil aviation authority before you plan the trip. These authorizations can change without notice.