How do I replace a lost FAA private pilot certificate?

Replace a lost FAA private pilot certificate through FAA Airmen Services or by submitting a signed request to the Airmen Certification Branch. If the replacement card will not arrive before you fly, first obtain FAA-issued temporary authority under 14 CFR § 61.29. An order receipt, registry entry, scan or photograph is not authority to fly.

This Aviation & Real-World Flying guidance applies to FAA-issued credentials. Pilots often search for a replacement pilot licence, but the FAA term is pilot certificate; our explanation of why the FAA says certificate rather than licence covers the distinction.

Lost pilot license: how to request a replacement pilot license or FAA replacement certificate

The practical first route to an FAA replacement certificate is Airmen Services when your online identity matches the airman record; use the Airmen Certification Branch if it does not or if you need to submit a signed written request.

1. Confirm which document is missing. This process replaces an FAA airman certificate. Medical certificates, government photo identification, aircraft registration and airworthiness certificates have separate replacement procedures.
2. Try FAA Airmen Services. Sign in through the official FAA service and select the option for replacing an airman certificate. A public Airmen Registry result may confirm that your record exists, but it cannot order a card or authorise flight.
3. Check your personal details. Verify your legal name and permanent mailing address before ordering. Under 14 CFR § 61.60, a pilot who changes permanent mailing address may not exercise certificate privileges after 30 days unless the FAA has been notified.
4. Order the replacement. Pay the fee displayed by the FAA and retain the confirmation for tracking. The receipt proves that an order was placed; it is not a temporary pilot certificate.
5. Use the Airmen Certification Branch when necessary. Follow the FAA's latest instructions for signed requests, payment and delivery rather than relying on an old saved form, fee or postal address.

A written request should include the identifying information required by 14 CFR § 61.29 and the FAA's published instructions. This generally includes your full legal name, permanent mailing address, date and place of birth or other requested identifier, and enough certificate information to identify the record. If your permanent mailing address is a post-office box, include the residential-address information required by the regulation.

Sign the request and send sensitive personal information only through Airmen Services or the designated Airmen Certification Branch channel. If your name or certificate record is wrong, use the relevant FAA correction procedure rather than ordering another card containing the same error.

Can I fly after losing my pilot certificate?

You may not exercise the affected certificate privileges until you have the replacement certificate or acceptable FAA-issued temporary authority readily accessible.

Under 14 CFR § 61.29, the FAA may provide an email, fax or other written confirmation that serves temporarily while the duplicate is pending. Ordering the plastic card does not necessarily produce this authority automatically, so request it separately and allow time to resolve identity or record problems.

What are the 60-day temporary-authority rules?

• It must come from the FAA. A receipt, registry result, photocopy, scan, phone image or club record is not temporary authority.
• It lasts no more than 60 days. Check the issued document for its effective period, certificate grade, ratings and limitations.
• It covers only what it states. Confirmation of a pilot certificate does not replace medical documentation, photo identification, logbook endorsements or required currency.
• It is unavailable after suspension or revocation notice. Section 61.29 temporary authority cannot be used to bypass an enforcement action.
• It must be carried as directed. Keep the FAA document readily accessible with acceptable government-issued photo identification and any medical documentation required for the flight.
• Stop when it expires. If the permanent card has not arrived before the authority ends, contact the Airmen Certification Branch. Do not continue flying on the expired document.

How do I replace a lost student pilot certificate?

An FAA student pilot certificate is replaced through the same Airmen Services or Airmen Certification Branch process used for other FAA airman certificates.

The replacement only reproduces the certificate record. It does not renew a medical qualification, recreate an instructor endorsement, restore solo privileges, extend a solo endorsement or make the student current for the intended flight. A student must have every required certificate, medical qualification, endorsement, training item and form of identification before solo flight.

• Contact your instructor when the missing item is a logbook endorsement, solo authorisation, training record or evidence of currency. An instructor cannot issue a replacement FAA card, but can determine what training or new endorsement is required. Our guidance on reconstructing a lost training logbook and its endorsements explains the separate record problem.
• Contact the FAA when the certificate itself is missing, the Airmen Services record will not match, information on the replacement is wrong, or the original student certificate has not been issued as expected.
• Use the medical process when the lost document is a medical certificate or a combined legacy document. Replacing the student pilot certificate does not renew or replace medical eligibility.

Does an FAA replacement certificate restore medical status or pilot currency?

No. A replacement card reproduces information from the FAA airman record; it does not renew medical eligibility, restore endorsements or reset any recency period.

An FAA private pilot certificate generally does not expire, but exercising its privileges still depends on medical eligibility, flight-review status, recency and the proposed operation. See our summary of how certificate validity differs from flight recency for those rules.

Why is an FAA certificate replacement delayed or rejected?

Most replacement failures come from mismatched personal information, an incomplete written request or use of the wrong FAA process.

• Old mailing address: update the airman record before ordering so the new card is not sent to an address you cannot access.
• Name mismatch: a duplicate normally reflects the existing FAA record. Use the name-change or record-correction procedure when your legal name has changed or the record is inaccurate.
• Incomplete signed request: missing identity, residential-address, certificate, signature or payment information can stop processing. Follow the FAA's latest instructions.
• Online account mismatch: differences in name format, birth information or certificate number can prevent a record match. Do not enter false or altered details to force the system to accept the request; contact the Airmen Certification Branch.
• Temporary authority requested too late: do not assume it can be issued immediately before departure. Request it early enough to correct record problems and inspect the document.
• Original permanent card never arrived: this may be an initial issuance or delivery problem rather than a lost-certificate case. Check the original application's status and contact the FAA before any existing temporary certificate expires.
• Rating or limitation is wrong: contact the FAA about the discrepancy. A photograph of an older card does not authorise use of a rating absent from the replacement or temporary document.

Lost airworthiness certificate

A lost airworthiness certificate is an aircraft-document problem handled by the aircraft owner or operator and FAA Flight Standards, not through Airmen Services or the Airmen Certification Branch.

The owner or operator should contact the FAA Flight Standards office responsible for the aircraft and follow its replacement instructions. Be ready to identify the aircraft, establish your authority to request the document and explain whether the original was lost, damaged or made illegible. Aircraft registration is another separate process.

Do not substitute a photograph or photocopy and operate the aircraft normally. Under 14 CFR § 91.203, the appropriate airworthiness certificate must be aboard the aircraft and displayed at the cabin or cockpit entrance so that it is legible to passengers or crew. Obtain the replacement or specific FAA authorisation before operation.

What if my FAA certificate was based on a foreign licence?

The FAA can replace its own certificate card, but it cannot replace or validate the underlying foreign licence on which that certificate depends.

If the FAA-issued card is lost, request its replacement through Airmen Services or the Airmen Certification Branch. If the underlying foreign licence is missing, expired, suspended or revoked, contact the aviation authority that issued it. A new FAA card does not correct any of those conditions or independently restore privileges based on that licence.

Before flying, confirm that both credentials are valid and satisfy the applicable FAA verification, document-carrying, medical and operational requirements. If the missing credential was issued only by a foreign authority, FAA Airmen Services cannot replace it.