1.2 Remote Pilot Certification (Subpart C)

Earning and Keeping the Remote Pilot Certificate

Subpart C (sections 107.52 to 107.79) governs how you become — and stay — a certificated Remote Pilot in Command (Remote PIC). This is one of the most heavily tested regulatory blocks on the Unmanned Aircraft General (UAG) exam.

Eligibility (Section 107.61)

To hold a Remote Pilot Certificate with a small UAS rating you must:

1. Be at least 16 years old.
2. Be able to read, speak, write, and understand English (medical-condition exceptions exist).
3. Be in a physical and mental condition that does not interfere with safe operation — note there is no FAA medical certificate required for Part 107.
4. Pass the initial aeronautical knowledge test (UAG) at an FAA-approved testing center, or complete the free online course if you already hold a Part 61 certificate.
5. Pass a TSA security background check, triggered automatically when you submit your IACRA application.

For the exam: The minimum age is 16 — not 14, 17, or 18. This single fact is asked almost every test.

The Knowledge Test, By the Numbers

The Application Path

1. Pass the knowledge test — you receive an Airman Knowledge Test Report with a 17-character exam ID.
2. Log in to IACRA (Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application) at iacra.faa.gov and complete FAA Form 8710-13.
3. TSA screening begins automatically.
4. Once vetted, print a temporary certificate valid for 120 days while the permanent card is mailed.
5. Receive the permanent plastic Remote Pilot Certificate by mail.

Staying Current — Recurrent Training (Section 107.65)

Your certificate never expires, but your privileges do unless you stay current. Currency is restored by completing free online recurrent training through faasafety.gov within every 24 calendar months.

• The course is titled Part 107 Small UAS Recurrent and is free — the old paid in-person recurrent test is no longer required.
• The 24-month clock runs from the calendar month you last completed initial or recurrent training.
• Worked example: initial test passed March 15, 2026 → recurrent due no later than March 31, 2028 (end of the 24th calendar month).

When Privileges Lapse

If you miss the 24-month deadline:

• Your certificate is not revoked — it remains a valid document.
• You simply cannot exercise Part 107 privileges (cannot act as Remote PIC) until you finish recurrent training.
• You do not retake the initial proctored test — just complete the free online course to restore privileges immediately.

The Part 61 Shortcut

If you already hold a current Part 61 pilot certificate (Private, Commercial, ATP) — meaning a flight review within the preceding 24 calendar months — you may obtain a Remote Pilot Certificate without the proctored test:

1. Complete the free online initial course Part 107 Small UAS Initial (ALC-451) on faasafety.gov.
2. Apply through IACRA.
3. Clear the TSA background check.

This route saves the $175 test fee and the trip to a testing center.

Certificate Actions and Inspection

Under Section 107.57 and 107.59, the FAA may suspend or revoke your certificate for cheating on the test, drug or alcohol violations, refusing a test, or operating unsafely. The Remote PIC must present the certificate for inspection on request by the FAA, NTSB, TSA, or any federal, state, or local law enforcement officer.

Currency, Privileges, and the Documents You Carry

The exam draws a sharp line between holding a certificate and being current to exercise it. Holding is permanent — the Remote Pilot Certificate has no expiration date printed on it. Currency is a rolling 24-calendar-month obligation. Picture two clocks: one never runs out (the certificate document); the other resets each time you finish initial or recurrent training and counts down 24 calendar months. When the second clock hits zero, you may not act as Remote PIC until you reset it with the free online course.

Calendar-Month Arithmetic

The FAA always uses calendar months, which means deadlines fall on the last day of a month, not on an anniversary date. If you complete training on July 3, 2026, you are current through the end of the 24th calendar month, which is July 31, 2028 — you effectively gain the partial first month for free. The exam tests this by giving a mid-month completion date and offering an exact-anniversary distractor; the correct answer is the end of that month two years later.

What You Must Carry and Show

While acting as Remote PIC you must have available, and present on request to the FAA, NTSB, TSA, or any law enforcement officer:

No Medical, But a Real Fitness Standard

A common trap pairs "medical certificate" with Part 107. There is no FAA medical certificate for remote pilots — but Section 107.17 still prohibits acting as Remote PIC, or manipulating the controls, if you know or have reason to know of a physical or mental condition that would interfere with safe operation. So a pilot with an untreated condition causing dizziness must self-ground even though no medical paperwork exists. Fitness is self-assessed, much like the IMSAFE checklist used in manned aviation.

TSA Vetting and Enforcement Hooks

The TSA security background check runs automatically off your IACRA submission; you do not file anything separately. If the FAA later alleges cheating on the knowledge test, a drug or alcohol offense, or unsafe operation, it can suspend or revoke the certificate under Sections 107.57 and 107.59 — and a refusal to submit to a properly requested drug or alcohol test is itself grounds for action. Tie these threads together and the certification picture is complete: easy to obtain, free to keep current, but governed by enforceable conduct standards throughout its life.