FAR 67.4 — Medical Certificate Application
FAR 67.4 explains how to apply for a first-, second-, or third-class FAA medical certificate, including the AME exam and required ID.
In Plain English
FAR 67.4 lays out the basic steps to apply for an FAA medical certificate — whether you're going for a first-, second-, or third-class medical. This is the gateway requirement before you can exercise the privileges of any pilot certificate that requires a medical (student, private, commercial, or ATP).
To apply, you must:
- Apply on the FAA-prescribed form and in the manner the Administrator requires (in practice, this is MedXPress online).
- Be examined by an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) designated under Part 183. You can find an AME through the FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine website, any FAA Regional Flight Surgeon, or the Aerospace Medical Education Division in Oklahoma City.
- Prove your age and identity with a government-issued photo ID such as a U.S. driver's license, state ID card, military ID, or passport. If you don't have a photo government ID, you can combine a non-photo government document (like a birth certificate or voter registration card) with another photo ID (like a work or student ID).
Why it matters: showing up to your AME unprepared — wrong form, no ID, or an examiner not designated under Part 183 — means no medical certificate, and no flying.
Regulation Text
14 CFR § 67.4§ 67.4 Application.
An applicant for first-, second- and third-class medical certification must:
(a) Apply on a form and in a manner prescribed by the Administrator;
(b) Be examined by an aviation medical examiner designated in accordance with part 183 of this chapter. An applicant may obtain a list of aviation medical examiners from the FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine homepage on the FAA Web site, from any FAA Regional Flight Surgeon, or by contacting the Manager of the Aerospace Medical Education Division, P.O. Box 25082, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73125.
(c) Show proof of age and identity by presenting a government-issued photo identification (such as a valid U.S. driver's license, identification card issued by a driver's license authority, military identification, or passport). If an applicant does not have government-issued identification, he or she may use non-photo, government-issued identification (such as a birth certificate or voter registration card) in conjunction with photo identification (such as a work identification card or a student identification card).
[Docket FAA-2007-27812, 73 FR 43065, July 24, 2008, as amended by Docket FAA-2022-1355, Amdt. 67-22, 87 FR 75845, Dec. 9, 2022]
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Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1What are the basic requirements to apply for an FAA medical certificate?
Per FAR 67.4, you must apply on the FAA-prescribed form (MedXPress), be examined by an AME designated under Part 183, and present government-issued photo ID proving age and identity.
Q2Who is authorized to perform your medical exam, and how do you find one?
FAR 67.4(b) requires examination by an Aviation Medical Examiner designated under Part 183. You can locate one through the FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine website, an FAA Regional Flight Surgeon, or the Aerospace Medical Education Division in Oklahoma City.
Q3What identification do you need to bring to your medical exam?
FAR 67.4(c) requires a government-issued photo ID such as a driver's license, state ID, military ID, or passport. Without a photo government ID, you may combine a non-photo government document like a birth certificate with another photo ID such as a work or student ID.
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Related Sections in Part 67
§ 67.1
Medical Certificate Applicability
§ 67.101
First-Class Medical Eligibility
§ 67.103
First-Class Medical Eye Standards
§ 67.105
First-Class Medical ENT Standards
§ 67.107
First-Class Medical Mental Standards
§ 67.109
First-Class Medical Neurologic Standards
§ 67.111
First-Class Medical Cardiovascular
§ 67.113
First-Class Medical Standards