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General Info: Foreign Students

Question: Are you a foreign training provider?
Answer: NO. I can't provide training to students who require a visa.

Question: Do I need a VISA?
Answer: It depends on what you are trying to accomplish. If you want some kind of certificate or rating from the FAA, then you will need to prove US Citizenship or go through a process with the Transportation Security Administration. If you are on vacation and you seek additional training to maintain proficiency, then you are simply a visitor to the US and flying is incidental to your visit. Examples:

VISA(non-tourist) & TSA Clearance Required	VISA & TSA Clearance Not Required
Private pilot certificate Commercial pilot certificate Instrument Rating Multi-Engine Rating TSA Letter defining activites which VISA is required (as listed above)	Flight Review Instrument Proficiency Complex endorsement High performance endorsement Multi-Engine Time Building Helicopter Time Building & Transition Ground School Discovery Flights Any certificate or rating for balloons, airships, or gliders.
Note: a VISA is always required for flight training. Flight training is defined as any training to obtain a recreational pilot, sport pilot, private pilot certificate, multiengine rating (at any level), or instrument rating. In short, anything that would result in a checkride requires a visa sponsored by a TSA certified "Foreign Training Provider".	Note: Since this is considered recurrent training, a visa is not required. Any ground training or flying which utilizes existing skills is exempt from the TSA screening process.

The United States Department of Homeland Security has implemented a new aviation security program. As of October 2004, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has assumed responsibility for screening pilots requesting flight training. If you are not a US Citizen, you must follow the screening process described at theTSA website: https://www.flightschoolcandidates.gov Is this free? No, there is a $130.00 processing fee in addition to the fingerprinting requirement.

Those foreign nationals already located in the US with an H or F1 (academic) VISA may undergo flight training without undertaking this screening process. Foreign nationals with an academic VISA must notify SEVIS prior to undertaking flight training for a certificate or rating.

More information on the TSA rule can be found at the AOPA website.

US Citizens

Any individual seeking flight training to obtain a recreational pilot, sport pilot, private pilot certificate, multiengine rating (at any level), or instrument rating is subject to this rule. For US Citizens, you must show evidence of US Citizenship in the form of:

Valid, unexpired U.S. passport.
Original birth certificate of the United States, American Samoa, or Swains Island, and government-issued picture ID.
Original certification of birth abroad with raised seal (Form FS-545 or DS-1350) and government-issued picture ID.
Original certificate of U.S. citizenship with raised seal (Form N-560 or N-561), or a Certificate of Repatriation (Form N-581), and government-issued picture ID.
Original U.S. Naturalization Certificate with raised seal (Form N-550 or N-570) and a government issued picture ID.

When such documentation has been reviewed, the flight instructor must retain a copy of the document used to prove citizenship as well as provide the following endorsement to the student in their pilot's logbook.

"I certify that [insert student's name] has presented me a [insert type of document presented, such as a U.S. birth certificate or U.S. passport, and the relevant control or sequential number on the document, if any] establishing that [he or she] is a U.S. citizen or national in accordance with 49 CFR 1552.3(h). [Insert date and instructor's signature and CFI number.]"

49CFR1552.3(h)

(h) U.S. citizens and nationals: A flight school must determine whether an individual is a citizen or national of the United States prior to providing flight training to the individual.

(1) U.S. citizens and nationals. To establish U.S. citizenship or nationality an individual must present to the flight school his or her:

(i) Valid, unexpired United States passport;

(ii) Original or government-issued certified birth certificate of the United States, American Samoa, or Swains Island, together with a government-issued picture identification of the individual;

(iii) Original United States naturalization certificate with raised seal, or a Certificate of Naturalization issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) (Form N-550 or Form N-570), together with a government-issued picture identification of the individual;

(iv) Original certification of birth abroad with raised seal, U.S. Department of State Form FS-545, or U.S. Department of State Form DS- 1350, together with a government-issued picture identification of the individual;

(v) Original certificate of United States citizenship with raised seal, a Certificate of United States Citizenship issued by the USCIS or INS (Form N-560 or Form N-561), or a Certificate of Repatriation issued by the USCIS or INS (Form N-581), together with a government-issued picture identification of the individual

Getting the Documentation

Passport (6 Weeks Normally; 2 Weeks Expedited) - obtain or renew your U.S. Passport as soon as possible. For more information, please see the USA Department of State web site.
Birth Certificate (2 Weeks Normally; 3-5 Business Days Expedited) - if you do not possess a US birth certificate as required by the law, you may obtain a certified copy of your state-issued birth certificate from VitalChek for about $40.

"If you're faced with a forced landing, fly the thing as far into the crash as possible." Bob Hoover

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US Citizens

49CFR1552.3(h)

Getting the Documentation

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