How do I replace a lost FAA private pilot certificate?
Replace a lost FAA private pilot certificate, get 60-day temporary authority to fly, and avoid medical, ID and aircraft-document mistakes.
Replace a lost FAA private pilot certificate through Airmen Services or by sending a signed request to the FAA Airmen Certification Branch. If you need to fly before the replacement card arrives, obtain FAA-issued temporary authority under 14 CFR § 61.29; a photograph, photocopy, registry result or order receipt is not a substitute.
This Aviation & Real-World Flying guidance applies to FAA-issued credentials. Although pilots often search for a lost pilot licence, the FAA calls it a pilot certificate; our explanation of the US distinction between a pilot certificate and a licence covers the terminology used by other countries.
How do I request an FAA replacement pilot certificate?
Using the FAA Airmen Services portal is the practical first choice when you can access your record and verify your identity.
- Confirm which document is missing. This process replaces the pilot certificate issued to you as an airman. A medical certificate, government photo ID, aircraft registration certificate or airworthiness certificate follows a different replacement path.
- Use the official FAA service. Sign in to Airmen Services through the FAA website and select the replacement-airman-certificate service. A public Airmen Registry search can help confirm that a record exists, but it cannot issue a replacement or authorise flight.
- Check your identity and address. Make sure your legal name, certificate details and permanent mailing address are correct before ordering. Under 14 CFR § 61.60, an airman who changes permanent mailing address may not exercise certificate privileges after 30 days unless the FAA has been notified.
- Order the replacement card. Pay the fee displayed by the FAA and retain the confirmation for tracking. That confirmation is evidence of an order, not temporary authority to act as pilot.
- Use a signed request if the online route fails. Follow the FAA's latest postal instructions for the Airmen Certification Branch rather than relying on an old address, fee or saved form.
A written request should contain the identifying information required by 14 CFR § 61.29 and the FAA's published instructions. This normally includes your full legal name, permanent mailing address, date and place of birth, certificate number if known, certificate grade and ratings, and any other requested identifier. If the permanent mailing address is a post-office box, include the residential-address information required by the regulation.
Sign the request and use only the payment method and mailing address specified by the FAA. Send sensitive identity details solely through the official online service or the designated Airmen Certification Branch channel.
Can I fly after losing my pilot licence?
No—after losing the certificate, you must obtain an acceptable replacement or FAA temporary document before acting as a required pilot crewmember.
Use the FAA service for Temporary Authority to Exercise Certificate Privileges when you cannot wait for the plastic card. Under 14 CFR § 61.29, the FAA may issue an email, fax or other written confirmation that can serve as a temporary certificate for no more than 60 days while the duplicate is pending. This authority is unavailable if you have been notified that the certificate is suspended or revoked.
- Request the replacement certificate. Temporary authority is intended to cover the period while the duplicate is being issued.
- Request temporary authority separately. Ordering a replacement card does not necessarily generate it automatically. Allow time before a planned flight in case your record or identity details need attention.
- Read the issued document. Confirm the certificate grade, ratings, limitations and expiry date. Contact the FAA if the document does not match your airman record.
- Carry the required documents. Keep the FAA-issued temporary document readily accessible in the form the FAA specifies, together with acceptable photo identification and any medical documentation required for the operation.
- Track the 60-day limit. If the permanent card has not arrived before the temporary authority expires, contact the Airmen Certification Branch. Do not continue flying on the expired document.
A scan of the lost card, an image stored on a phone, a pilot-certificate database result, a replacement receipt or a club membership card does not meet this requirement. If the FAA document confirms only your pilot certificate, it does not replace a separate medical certificate unless the document expressly says that it does.
Does an FAA replacement card restore medical status or pilot currency?
No. A replacement reproduces the certificate information in the FAA record; it does not renew a medical qualification, restore an endorsement or reset any recency period.
| Missing or expired item | What the pilot must do |
|---|---|
| Pilot certificate | Obtain the replacement card or valid FAA temporary authority. |
| Medical certificate or BasicMed documentation | Use the applicable medical replacement or BasicMed process. Our guide to medical options and paperwork for FAA private pilots explains which qualification applies. |
| Government-issued photo ID | Replace it through the issuing authority. The FAA pilot card is not photo identification. |
| Logbook or endorsements | Reconstruct supportable records with instructors, training organisations or operators. A replacement pilot card cannot recreate flight time or logbook endorsements. |
| Flight review or passenger and instrument recency | Complete the required training, review, experience or proficiency check. Reprinting the card does not change the relevant dates. |
An FAA private pilot certificate generally has no expiry date, but the right to use its privileges depends on currency, medical qualification and the proposed operation. See our summary of FAA certificate validity and pilot recency requirements for those separate rules.
Why is an FAA certificate replacement delayed or rejected?
Most replacement problems result from mismatched personal details, an incomplete written request or using the wrong FAA process.
- Old mailing address: update the airman record before ordering. Otherwise, the new card may be mailed to the same address where you can no longer receive it.
- Name mismatch: a replacement normally reproduces the FAA record. Use the FAA name-change or record-correction procedure if your legal name has changed or the record is wrong.
- Incomplete postal request: missing identity, certificate, address, signature or payment information can stop processing. Follow the latest FAA instructions rather than copying an older request.
- Online account mismatch: differences in name format, birth details or certificate number can prevent the portal from matching your record. Do not create altered details simply to force a match; contact the Airmen Certification Branch.
- Temporary authority requested too late: do not assume it will be available moments before departure. Request it early enough to resolve record errors and check its expiry date.
- Permanent card never received after a checkride: this may be an issuance or delivery problem rather than a lost-certificate replacement. Check the status of the original application and contact the FAA before the temporary certificate from the checkride expires.
- Ratings missing from the replacement: contact the FAA about the discrepancy. Do not rely on a photograph of an old card to exercise a rating absent from the replacement or temporary document.
Is FAA airworthiness certificate replacement the same process?
No. An airworthiness certificate belongs to an aircraft, while a pilot certificate belongs to an airman; Airmen Services and temporary authority under 14 CFR § 61.29 do not replace the aircraft document.
If an aircraft's airworthiness certificate is lost, damaged or illegible, the owner or operator should contact the FAA Flight Standards office responsible for the aircraft and follow its replacement instructions. Be prepared to identify the aircraft, establish your authority to make the request and explain what happened to the original certificate.
Do not substitute a photograph or photocopy and operate normally. Under 14 CFR § 91.203, the appropriate airworthiness certificate must be aboard the aircraft and displayed at the cabin or cockpit entrance so it is legible to passengers or crew. Obtain the replacement or specific FAA authorisation before flight.
An aircraft registration card is another separate credential handled through the aircraft-registration process. A mistake we see constantly is treating every FAA card replacement as an Airmen Services transaction; that portal is for the pilot certificate discussed here, not the aircraft's registration or airworthiness documents.
What if my FAA certificate was based on a foreign licence?
The FAA replaces the FAA-issued certificate, while the foreign aviation authority replaces the underlying foreign licence.
If your private pilot certificate was issued on the basis of a foreign licence, a new FAA card does not cure an expired, suspended, revoked or missing underlying licence. Check the validity of both credentials and carry every document required for the privileges being exercised. If the lost credential was never issued by the FAA, apply to the national authority that issued it rather than using FAA Airmen Services.