Change of Address

FAR 61.60 — Change of Address

FAR 61.60 requires pilots and instructors to notify the FAA in writing of a permanent address change within 30 days or stop exercising certificate privileges.

In Plain English

FAR 61.60 is a simple but important administrative rule. If you hold a pilot, flight instructor, or ground instructor certificate and your permanent mailing address changes, you have 30 days to notify the FAA in writing. After that 30-day window, you may not exercise the privileges of your certificate until the FAA has been notified.

Key points to remember:

Notification must be in writing to the FAA Airman Certification Branch, P.O. Box 25082, Oklahoma City, OK 73125 (online submission via the FAA's airmen services website also satisfies this).
If your new permanent mailing address is a P.O. Box, you must also provide your current residential address.
The clock starts on the date you actually change your permanent mailing address — not when you remember to update it.

Why it matters operationally: the FAA uses your address of record to deliver medical, certificate, and enforcement correspondence. Flying after day 30 without updating your address is technically flying without valid certificate privileges — a finding that can show up during a ramp check or accident investigation.

Regulation Text

14 CFR § 61.60

§ 61.60 Change of address. The holder of a pilot, flight instructor, or ground instructor certificate who has made a change in permanent mailing address may not, after 30 days from that date, exercise the privileges of the certificate unless the holder has notified in writing the FAA, Airman Certification Branch, P.O. Box 25082, Oklahoma City, OK 73125, of the new permanent mailing address, or if the permanent mailing address includes a post office box number, then the holder's current residential address.

Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask

Q1If you move to a new house, how long do you have to notify the FAA before you lose the privileges of your pilot certificate?

Per FAR 61.60, you have 30 days from the date of the permanent mailing address change to notify the FAA in writing; after that, you can't exercise certificate privileges until you do.

Q2Who exactly does FAR 61.60 apply to, and where do you send the notification?

FAR 61.60 applies to holders of pilot, flight instructor, and ground instructor certificates. Written notice goes to the FAA Airman Certification Branch, P.O. Box 25082, Oklahoma City, OK 73125.

Q3If your new mailing address is a P.O. Box, is that enough to satisfy FAR 61.60?

No. Under FAR 61.60, if your permanent mailing address includes a P.O. Box number, you must also provide your current residential address to the FAA.

Practice this with our AI examiner

Examiner Reed adapts to your responses and probes deeper on weak spots — full ACS coverage, not a script.

Studying for a checkride?

Private Pilot Requirements

Hours, eligibility, training pathway

How to Become a Pilot

Complete pathway from zero to ATP

Instrument Rating Requirements

IFR eligibility and aeronautical experience

Related Sections in Part 61