A passing Part 107 test report is valid for 24 calendar months for your Remote Pilot Certificate application. The FAA calls the score report an Airman Knowledge Test Report, or AKTR. Once you hold the permanent certificate, it does not expire, but you must keep your aeronautical knowledge current to exercise remote pilot-in-command privileges. FAA Remote Pilot Airman Certification Standards, Appendix 3 and FAA certificate guidance.
The useful first question is whether you are still applying or already certificated. An applicant needs an acceptable passing report for the application. A certificate holder approaching the knowledge-recency deadline normally needs recurrent training.
Which record has a deadline?
Keep these records separate when checking your status:
| Record | What it establishes | Time limit or next check |
|---|---|---|
| Passing initial UAG test report | Evidence of passing the Unmanned Aircraft General - Small knowledge exam | Valid for 24 calendar months for the certificate application |
| Permanent Remote Pilot Certificate | The FAA has issued the pilot credential | Does not expire; having the card alone does not establish current knowledge |
| Recurrent-training completion certificate | Evidence of completing the knowledge update | Keep it as proof of currency and track the next 24-calendar-month deadline |
The report rule comes from the FAA's ACS. The certificate and completion-record distinctions come from the FAA's certificate permanence guidance and recurrent-training FAQ.
A passing score is not an issued pilot certificate. Do not treat an exam report or an application confirmation as permission to take remote pilot-in-command responsibility. The FAA's certification process includes application processing and security screening after the test.
If you passed but have not finished applying
Locate the original AKTR and check the test date, identifying details, and result. The FAA's Airman Testing FAQs explain that the report includes your FAA Tracking Number, score, and codes identifying missed knowledge areas. Resolve incorrect personal information instead of assuming the system will reconcile it automatically.
For the ordinary initial-test route, complete FAA Form 8710-13 in IACRA, the Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application system. Enter the 17-digit Knowledge Test Exam ID when prompted, then electronically sign and submit. Results may take up to 48 hours to appear; follow the FAA's subsequent temporary-certificate instructions. Our Part 107 certificate application guide explains the broader process and alternative eligibility route.
Submit promptly rather than planning around the final day of report validity. If your report is already outside its 24-calendar-month window and you never received a certificate, do not substitute the recurrent course intended for certificate holders. You need a valid basis for an initial application. Confirm your specific application status with the FAA before booking another test, particularly if you submitted previously or may qualify through a current Part 61 pilot certificate.
If a new UAG sitting is needed, use the test scheduling guide to check the appointment and identification steps. Use the old report's missed-topic codes to focus your preparation; the Part 107 study sequence can help organize that review. Reprinting an old report retrieves the record; it does not create a new test date.
If you already hold the certificate
An old initial report does not mean you have lost the permanent certificate. The FAA says that certificate is permanent unless revoked. What you need to establish now is knowledge recency, using your latest qualifying test or training record rather than the age of the card.
The FAA's current recurrent-training instructions direct Part 107 certificate holders to the free Part 107 Small UAS Recurrent course, ALC-677. It is available regardless of whether their knowledge currency has lapsed. Eligible Part 61 pilots with a current flight review can use ALC-515. A knowledge-recency lapse alone does not require another initial UAG test.
If your recency has lapsed, stop exercising remote pilot-in-command privileges until you complete the qualifying update. FAA AC 107-2A, Figure 6-1 illustrates the gap during which those privileges cannot be exercised. Completing training later does not make flights during that gap compliant.
How the calendar-month cycle works
Knowledge recency runs from the qualifying test or training month through the end of the corresponding month two years later, as the FAA's AC 107-2A examples show.
The FAA illustrates this with an initial test passed on September 13, 2020: recurrent training is due by September 30, 2022. In its separate early-completion example, training finished on July 15, 2020, leads to a July 31, 2022, deadline. These are the dates in the FAA guidance, not records of a flight described here. Early training starts a new cycle instead of preserving the previous due month.
Record the due month and set an earlier reminder. Avoid using a generic "two years from today" reminder after opening an old completion certificate: the date that matters is the actual qualifying event.
Check the records before accepting a flight
Use a short record check to avoid confusing administrative progress with readiness:
- Identify whether you hold an issued certificate or only a passing report. If you are still applying, finish the application steps.
- Find the latest qualifying test or training completion date. Calculate the recency deadline from that event.
- Keep the training completion certificate accessible. The FAA says you must be able to show a copy as proof of currency; completing training does not trigger a new pilot card.
- Check the actual aircraft and mission separately. Knowledge currency does not replace preflight inspection or assessment of the operating area. AC 107-2A Chapters 5 and 7 explain those responsibilities.
If the initial report is missing, the FAA's testing FAQ says reports for tests taken on or after January 13, 2020, can be reprinted through the testing provider's portal. For a missing recurrent record, retrieve the course completion certificate before relying on a remembered month. Keep application records and recurrent evidence in separate, clearly named files.
Your next action should follow your status: finish an initial application while the passing report is valid, or update and document knowledge recency if you already hold the certificate. Before committing to a flight date, verify the underlying record rather than relying on the phrase "my Part 107 is still good."
Sources
- FAA Remote Pilot Airman Certification Standards, FAA-S-ACS-10B. April 2021, Appendix 3: validity of a passing report for initial certification.
- FAA: Become a Certificated Remote Pilot. Current agency instructions for applying after the test and choosing recurrent training.
- FAA: Does the Remote Pilot Certificate expire?. Permanent certificate versus knowledge currency.
- FAA: Is a new certificate issued after recurrent training?. Completion records as proof of currency.
- FAA AC 107-2A. Advisory guidance; section 6.7.2 and Figure 6-1 explain recurrent cycles, and Chapters 5 and 7 address operating checks.
- FAA Airman Testing FAQs. June 1, 2026 guidance on score-report details, corrections, and replacements.
Last checked: September 10, 2026.