Holding a Part 61 pilot certificate does not automatically make you a Part 107 remote pilot. If your certificate is not a student certificate and you meet the flight-review requirements in 14 CFR 61.56, you can use the FAA's ALC-451 initial course instead of the initial aeronautical knowledge test. You still need to apply for and receive the remote pilot certificate. The FAA's existing-pilot FAQ confirms that distinction.

Start with your certificate and flight-review record. Those determine which application route is available; the date of your last flight alone does not answer the question.

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Choose the route that matches your records

Use this branching checklist before enrolling or starting an application:

Your positionNext actionEvidence to keep
You hold a nonstudent Part 61 certificate and meet section 61.56Complete ALC-451, then use the training-course application routePilot certificate, qualifying review or check record, initial-course completion certificate
You hold a nonstudent Part 61 certificate but do not meet section 61.56Restore flight-review compliance before using that route, or take the initial knowledge testNew qualifying review documentation, or the initial test result
Your only pilot certificate is a student certificateUse the initial knowledge-test routeInitial test result and application records
You already hold a Part 107 remote pilot certificate and need knowledge recencyUse the appropriate recurrent courseRecurrent-course completion certificate

Source basis: 14 CFR 107.61, 107.63 and 107.65. The checklist organizes the available routes; it does not determine an individual applicant's eligibility.

The general requirements still apply: you must be at least 16, meet the English-language requirement and have no known physical or mental condition that would interfere with safe small-UAS operation. Section 107.61 allows FAA-imposed limitations in certain medical-related English-language cases. Our Part 107 eligibility guide covers those broader entry requirements.

For a pilot who has stopped flying crewed aircraft, renewing a flight review solely to use the course route is a choice to weigh against taking the initial test. Compare the actual arrangements available to you. The full initial-certification guide explains the test route if that is the better fit.

Check what satisfies your flight-review requirement

Section 61.56 uses a 24-calendar-month window: look back to the beginning of the 24th month before the current month. A conventional review generally includes at least one hour each of flight and ground training, plus the instructor's satisfactory-completion endorsement. Check the qualifying entry, not merely total hours or recent takeoffs and landings.

A separate flight review is not always necessary. Qualifying pilot practical tests or proficiency checks can satisfy the rule's exceptions. Completion of a phase of an FAA-sponsored proficiency program can also qualify. A recent checkride may therefore be the relevant record. Bring the documentation and have the submitting official confirm the applicable provision if you are unsure.

Keep three questions separate: which pilot certificate you hold, whether you meet section 61.56, and whether your Part 107 knowledge is current. Completing a drone course does not itself establish flight-review compliance. Likewise, flying recently does not establish that your remote-pilot recurrent training is current.

Complete the initial course and save its certificate

On FAASafety.gov, select ALC-451: Part 107 Small UAS Initial – Part 61 Pilots. The FAA lists this initial course at no cost. Use the account associated with your own training record, complete the course requirements and save the completion certificate.

Check the course number, name and completion date on the saved file. A screenshot showing progress is not the initial-course completion certificate required by section 107.63. If you cannot find the certificate later, the IACRA guide explains how to retrieve it from the completed-courses area of FAASafety.gov.

Do not substitute ALC-515 or ALC-677 at this stage. Both are recurrent courses for people who already hold a remote pilot certificate. The word “Part 107” in a course title is not enough to identify the correct course.

Start Form 8710-13 in IACRA

IACRA is the FAA's Integrated Airman Certificate and/or Rating Application system. Use your existing account if you have one. Your FAA Tracking Number, or FTN, identifies your application record for the official completing the process.

Before entering the application, compare your pilot certificate number and issue date with your account information. The IACRA FAQ says certificate details must match the FAA record and that your name must match the identification you present. Review any prepopulated certificates. If something is missing or wrong, resolve it with the submitting official or IACRA support before proceeding on an incorrect basis.

Follow the IACRA training-course applicant guide:

  1. Start a new application in the Applicant Console, select Pilot, then Remote Pilot.
  2. Confirm the certificate and flight-review information for the training-course route.
  3. Review personal information and answer the supplementary questions accurately.
  4. Upload the ALC-451 completion certificate in the basis-of-issuance section.
  5. Review and submit the application as directed, then arrange completion with an authorized official.

Submission from your console is only part of the process. IACRA expressly says the application is not complete until the submitting official performs the remaining steps with you. Be ready to complete the acknowledgments and electronic signature during that review.

Bring the records to an authorized official

The FAA's certification instructions list four appointment options: an FAA Flight Standards District Office, a designated pilot examiner, an airman certification representative or an FAA-certificated flight instructor. Confirm that the person can handle your remote-pilot application and ask how the temporary-certificate step will work.

Prepare a small document packet:

  • Your completed Form 8710-13 application details and FTN.
  • Valid photo identification.
  • Your Part 61 pilot certificate, with its number and issue date available for comparison.
  • The logbook endorsement or other acceptable evidence showing section 61.56 compliance.
  • Your ALC-451 completion certificate, saved and ready for review.

Under section 107.63, the recipient must verify identity, and you must demonstrate flight-review compliance through an endorsement or another FAA-acceptable method. The course certificate supplies the training evidence. These documents answer different questions; one does not replace the others.

Review discrepancies before signing. A misspelled name, wrong certificate details or unreadable course file is easier to address while you and the official are reviewing the application together. This appointment completes an application review, not a demonstration of drone flying skill.

Understand who issues the temporary certificate

The FAA overview warns that a CFI cannot issue a temporary certificate. That does not mean an application processed by a CFI can never result in an electronic temporary certificate.

The detailed IACRA guide describes immediate temporary availability after a certifying officer completes the application, and later Applicant Console availability after a recommending instructor, the CFI role, completes it. The instructor processes the application; subsequent system availability is a separate step.

If timing matters, confirm the expected route before the appointment and monitor your Applicant Console afterward. Do not book work on the assumption that a signature or submission receipt is already a remote pilot certificate. The FAA's published processing descriptions are not a guarantee for your application.

Section 107.64 permits a temporary certificate for up to 120 calendar days. Read its actual expiration date. It ends earlier when the permanent certificate arrives or when a denial or revocation notice applies. Check the issued document's name and rating, retain it where it is accessible for operations and follow up before its expiration if the permanent certificate has not arrived.

Keep initial certification separate from recurrent training

After certification, section 107.65 separately governs aeronautical-knowledge recency within the previous 24 calendar months. Keep the qualifying test or training date with your pilot records.

For later recurrent training, ALC-515 is the Part 61 option for pilots who meet the current flight-review condition. ALC-677 is available to Part 107 certificate holders regardless of whether their Part 61 flight review remains current. Both FAA recurrent courses are listed at no cost.

If your crewed-aircraft flying lapses after receiving Part 107, do not assume the Part 61 alternative continues indefinitely. Check your present eligibility and use the appropriate recency method before exercising remote-pilot-in-command privileges. The Part 107 recurrent-training guide covers the calendar-month deadline and recordkeeping in detail.

Finish the application before planning the first assignment

The useful sequence is to establish your route, complete the right initial course or test, resolve the application records and obtain the issued certificate. For the Part 61 route, arrange the official's review while your documentation is ready and your flight-review qualification is clear. Before accepting a drone assignment, confirm that the remote pilot certificate is available and your knowledge recency is satisfied.

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Last checked: September 9, 2026.