FAA aviation medical certificate validity ranges from 6 to 60 calendar months. Check the exact period by class, age and flying privileges.
An FAA aviation medical certificate is usable for 6 to 60 calendar months, depending on its class, the pilot’s age on the examination date and the privileges exercised. First-class ATP privileges last 6 or 12 months; second-class commercial privileges last 12 months; private-pilot privileges last 24 or 60 months.
For our Aviation & Real-World Flying readers, the key detail is that one medical can remain usable for lower-level privileges after its higher-class period ends. The standard periods come from 14 CFR 61.23.
FAA medical validity by class and age
These are the standard maximum periods, with the pilot’s age determined on the date of the medical examination.
| Medical obtained | Privileges being exercised | Under age 40 | Age 40 or older |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-class | ATP privileges | 12 calendar months | 6 calendar months |
| First-class | Commercial privileges | 12 calendar months | 12 calendar months |
| First-class | Private-pilot-level privileges | 60 calendar months | 24 calendar months |
| Second-class | Commercial privileges | 12 calendar months | 12 calendar months |
| Second-class | Private-pilot-level privileges | 60 calendar months | 24 calendar months |
| Third-class | Private-pilot-level privileges | 60 calendar months | 24 calendar months |
Turning 40 after the examination does not shorten that certificate’s applicable period. If the pilot was 39 on the examination date, the under-40 duration applies to that issuance.
When does an FAA medical certificate expire?
The applicable period ends on the final day of the specified calendar month, not on the anniversary of the exact examination date.
- Find the examination month. Use the date printed on the medical certificate.
- Select the applicable period. Match the certificate, age at examination and privileges in the table above.
- Count whole calendar months after the examination month. A six-month period from an examination on 15 January runs through 31 July; a 12-month period runs through 31 January of the following year.
A mistake we see constantly is counting six months from the precise day and stopping on 15 July. FAA medical duration is measured in calendar months, so that example remains valid through the end of July.
Does a first-class medical become second- or third-class?
A first-class medical does not literally change class, but it can continue satisfying operations that require a lower medical class.
For example, a pilot aged 45 who receives a first-class medical may use it for ATP privileges for six calendar months, commercial privileges for 12 months and private-pilot-level privileges for 24 months. Pilots often call this a “downgrade”, although no replacement certificate is issued.
The same principle applies to a second-class medical: after its 12-month commercial period, it may still support private-pilot-level operations for the applicable 24- or 60-month period. Our breakdown of third-class medical and BasicMed choices for private pilots explains which route fits private flying.
Can an FAA medical be valid for less time?
Yes. A limitation printed on the certificate, a special-issuance authorisation or an accompanying FAA letter can impose an earlier expiry date or additional reporting requirements.
Those individual restrictions take precedence over the standard table. Pilots should check for wording such as Not valid after rather than assuming the normal 6-, 12-, 24- or 60-month period applies.
What happens when the medical period ends?
Once the relevant period ends, the pilot may not exercise privileges requiring that medical class unless the same certificate still qualifies for a lower-level operation.
After the final applicable period, the usual route is another FAA medical examination and a new certificate. An eligible private pilot may instead qualify under BasicMed, which has separate examination, course and operating requirements.
The pilot certificate itself does not expire merely because the medical is no longer usable. They are separate credentials, as covered in our explanation of how pilot and medical certificates differ.