Investigating Licence Conversion

Many pilots train in one country and plan to use the licence in another. Whether that is possible, and how much extra work it takes, depends on the receiving authority and the rules in force at the time. A flight school cannot decide this for you.

Words that are often mixed up

• Conversion: the receiving authority issues its own licence on the basis of your foreign licence, usually after you meet conditions.
• Validation: the receiving authority accepts your foreign licence for a limited purpose or period, without issuing its own.
• Recognition: a general term that can mean either, or an agreement between states.
• Re-issue or credit: you apply for a new licence and receive credit for experience.
• Transfer: used in some systems for moving a licence between competent authorities within a single regulatory area.

Different authorities use these words in different ways. Always read the exact wording on the authority page.

Where to look

Start with the authority of the country where you want to use the licence, not with the school. Official pages that deal with this appear on the researched country pages:

• United Kingdom: the CAA has pages on conversion of third-country licences. Since Brexit the UK treats licences from other states, including EASA states, as non-UK licences for this purpose. The UK system is separate from EASA.
• United States: the FAA has rules on certificates issued on the basis of a foreign licence (Part 61).
• New Zealand: the CAA publishes a page on recognising foreign pilot licences.
• Ireland: the Irish Aviation Authority has FAQs on ICAO third-country licences.
• Czechia: the national authority has a page on conversion and validation of foreign licences.
• Spain: the national authority has published a guide on converting FAA licences.
• France and Portugal: the authorities have pages on foreign aeronautical titles and licence validation.

Not every country has a page on this site yet. Where we do not, use the authority's own website.

What authorities commonly look at

Without stating any figure, the usual factors include:

• The state that issued the licence and whether it is a member of the international civil aviation framework.
• The type of licence and any ratings.
• Your flight experience and its documentation.
• Theory examinations and practical tests that may be required.
• Language proficiency.
• Medical certification from the receiving authority.
• Whether the training was done in an approved or recognised organisation.

Where the licence is later used also matters: some countries accept a foreign licence only for private flying, or only for aircraft registered in the issuing state.

Why training does not guarantee conversion

Conversion rules are made by the receiving authority and they change. A school that says "our graduates have converted" is describing past cases. These are not promises about your case. Equally, a school's approval in one country does not oblige another country to recognise the licence.

Keep these separate:

1. Training completion.
2. Licence issuance by the first authority.
3. Rating issuance.
4. Conversion or validation by the second authority.
5. Employment eligibility, which depends on immigration and the employer.
6. Airline recruitment, which is a hiring decision and is never guaranteed by a link between a school and an airline.

A practical process

1. Decide in which country you want to use the licence and for what purpose.
2. Read that authority's conversion page and note the date you read it.
3. Write to the authority with a specific question if the page is unclear, and keep the reply.
4. Compare the plan with your chosen school's course.
5. Ask the school which of its past students converted to the same authority, and what they were asked to do. Treat that as anecdotal.
6. Re-check before you pay, because rules change.

"Frozen ATPL" and conversion

You may see the shorthand "frozen ATPL". It usually describes someone who has passed the ATPL theory exams and holds a commercial licence with an instrument rating, but does not yet have the flight experience required for the unrestricted airline transport licence. Terminology varies, it is marketing shorthand, and it is not a universally issued licence. If you hold something described this way, ask the receiving authority how it treats it; do not assume equivalence.

Questions to ask

• What did the authority page say, and on what date?
• Which exams, flights and medicals would be required in my case?
• Are there time limits?
• Does the school's course match what the authority will accept?
• What will I do if the rules change while I am training?

See International Pilot Training for the wider picture and Verification explained for how this site labels approval status.