BasicMed is not a class of FAA medical certificate. It is an alternative set of conditions in 14 CFR 61.113(i) and 14 CFR Part 68 under which a private pilot may fly without holding a current medical certificate at all — provided they have held one since 14 July 2006, hold a valid US driver's license, complete an approved online medical education course every 24 calendar months, and are examined by a state-licensed physician against the FAA's checklist every 48 calendar months.
It is often written as "basic med" or "FAA basic medical", and it has one enormous advantage over a third class: your own doctor can perform the examination. It also carries aircraft and operating limits that a medical certificate does not. This page works through who qualifies, what the current limits actually are — most of the internet is out of date on this — and when BasicMed is and is not the better choice. For the wider comparison, see our guide to FAA medical certificate classes.
The Limits Changed. Check The Date On Anything Else You Read
BasicMed launched in 2017 with a six-seat, 6,000-pound aircraft limit and a five-occupant cap. Those are the figures in almost every article, forum post and video you will find, and for the current rule they are wrong.
The text of 14 CFR 61.113(i) as it stands today permits an aircraft that is authorized to carry not more than 7 occupants and has a maximum certificated takeoff weight of not more than 12,500 pounds. The operating limits are unchanged: not above 18,000 feet MSL, not faster than 250 knots indicated, and carrying no more than five passengers. Everything below is written against the current text on eCFR rather than against the original rule.
Who Qualifies For BasicMed
Four conditions have to be true before you can begin, and the first one is the one that stops people.
1. You Must Have Held A Medical Certificate After 14 July 2006
BasicMed is a way of staying qualified, not a way of becoming qualified. You must have held an FAA medical certificate — of any class, issued at any time after 14 July 2006 — whether or not it has since expired. If you have never held one, BasicMed is closed to you until you obtain one. A first-time student pilot therefore has to take a third class medical first, and BasicMed becomes available afterwards.
2. Your Most Recent Medical Must Not Have Ended Badly
BasicMed is unavailable if your most recent application for a medical certificate was denied, if your most recent medical certificate was suspended or revoked, or if your most recent Authorization for Special Issuance of a Medical Certificate was withdrawn. An expired certificate is fine. A refused one is not.
This is the single strongest argument for talking to an Aviation Medical Examiner informally before you submit any application. An informal conversation costs nothing and closes no doors. A denied application closes both BasicMed and the sport pilot driver's-license route in 14 CFR 61.23(c) permanently, or until the FAA later issues.
3. You Must Hold A Valid US Driver's License
And you must comply with every restriction and limitation on it. If your license requires corrective lenses, you wear them in the airplane. You also consent, as part of the process, to the FAA obtaining your state driving record.
4. You Must Hold At Least A Private Pilot Certificate
BasicMed operates on the private pilot privileges in 61.113. It is not available to a student pilot flying solo, and it does not substitute for the medical a student needs before their first solo flight.
The Two Things You Repeat, And How Often
| Requirement | Who Does It | How Often | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approved medical education course | You, online | Every 24 calendar months | 14 CFR 68.3, 61.23(c)(3) |
| Comprehensive medical examination against the FAA checklist | Any state-licensed physician | Every 48 calendar months | 14 CFR 68.5, 68.7 |
| Valid US driver's license | Your state licensing authority | As your license requires | 14 CFR 61.113(i) |
The Medical Education Course
14 CFR 68.3 requires an approved online course covering medical self-assessment, the warning signs of medical conditions, mitigation of medical risk, the effects of medication on flying, and the regulatory prohibition on operating an aircraft while a medical deficiency exists. At the end you make an electronic certification to the FAA that includes your course completion, your authorization for the FAA to obtain your driving record, confirmation that you are under a physician's care where relevant, the details of your physician examination, and your acknowledgment that you may not fly while a medical deficiency exists.
The course is free from the providers the FAA recognizes and takes most people an hour or two. Keep the completion certificate; along with the examination checklist it is what you must have available when you exercise the privileges.
The Physician Examination
This is the part that makes BasicMed attractive. Under 14 CFR 68.5 you complete your section of the Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist and hand it to a state-licensed physician — not necessarily an Aviation Medical Examiner. Your own doctor, who already knows your history, can do it.
The checklist itself is defined by 14 CFR 68.7. Your part reproduces boxes 3 through 13 and 16 through 19 of FAA Form 8500-8. The physician's part requires a clinical examination covering 22 listed body systems and areas, a discussion of every medication you take and its effect on your ability to fly, any testing the physician judges necessary in their professional discretion, and a signed certification that they performed the examination and are not aware of any medical condition that, as presently treated, could interfere with your safe operation of an aircraft.
Two practical notes. First, the physician signs off on their own clinical judgment, not against FAA pass-or-fail standards, and they are not required to have any aviation background. Second, plenty of physicians have never seen the form. Send it ahead of the appointment and explain what you are asking for, and the visit goes far more smoothly.
The Aircraft And Operating Limits In Detail
| Limit | Current Rule |
|---|---|
| Aircraft occupancy | Authorized to carry not more than 7 occupants |
| Maximum certificated takeoff weight | Not more than 12,500 pounds |
| Passengers carried | No more than five |
| Altitude | Not above 18,000 feet MSL |
| Speed | Not faster than 250 knots indicated airspeed |
| Outside the United States | Only if the country in which the flight is conducted authorizes it |
| Compensation or hire | Not permitted; 61.113(a) applies as it does to any private pilot operation |
For almost every general aviation aircraft you are likely to fly, these limits are theoretical. A Piper Warrior, a Cessna 172, a Cirrus SR22, a Bonanza, a Baron — all comfortably inside 7 occupants and 12,500 pounds. The altitude limit only bites if you fly a pressurised turbocharged single high, and the speed limit only bites at low level in something fast. The limits that matter in practice are the international one and the compensation one.
Flying Outside The United States
BasicMed is a US rule, and other countries are not obliged to recognize it. 61.113(i) permits flight outside the United States only where the country of flight authorizes it. The Bahamas and Mexico have taken their own positions on this over the years and those positions change. If a trip abroad is part of your flying, verify the current position with that country's civil aviation authority before you plan around BasicMed, or simply hold a medical certificate.
Conditions That Need A One-Time Special Issuance First
14 CFR 68.9 requires a one-time special issuance from the FAA before BasicMed can be used, for a defined set of conditions. Once that one-time authorization is granted, you move to BasicMed and do not need to repeat it for that condition, though mental health and neurological conditions require periodic recertification that you remain under appropriate specialist care.
| Category | Conditions |
|---|---|
| Mental health | A personality disorder severe enough to have repeatedly manifested itself by overt acts; a psychosis as defined in the rule; a bipolar disorder; substance dependence within the previous two years |
| Neurological | Epilepsy; a disturbance of consciousness without satisfactory medical explanation; a transient loss of control of nervous system functions without satisfactory medical explanation |
| Cardiovascular | Myocardial infarction; coronary heart disease that has required treatment; cardiac valve replacement; heart replacement |
Everything outside those three lists is handled between you and your physician under the checklist. That is the real liberalization BasicMed delivered: conditions that previously meant an annual special issuance file with the FAA are now a conversation with a doctor who knows you.
BasicMed Or A Third Class Medical
| BasicMed | Third Class Medical | |
|---|---|---|
| Who examines you | Any state-licensed physician | An FAA-designated Aviation Medical Examiner |
| How often | Physician every 48 calendar months, course every 24 | Every 60 calendar months under 40, every 24 at 40 or over |
| Prerequisite | Must have held a medical certificate after 14 July 2006 | None |
| Aircraft limits | 7 occupants, 12,500 lb maximum certificated takeoff weight | None beyond your certificate and ratings |
| Operating limits | Below 18,000 ft MSL, 250 knots, five passengers | None beyond your certificate and ratings |
| Valid outside the US | Only where the country of flight authorizes it | Yes |
| Covers student solo | No | Yes |
| Covers commercial or ATP privileges | No | No; those need a second or first class |
| Typical cost | Your physician's office visit fee, plus a free online course | $120 to $200 around Los Angeles |
When BasicMed Is Clearly Better
If you are over 40, fly a normal light single for pleasure, and have a settled medical history that your own doctor manages, BasicMed halves the paperwork frequency and replaces a stranger's examination with your own physician's. If you have a condition that would otherwise require an annual special issuance file, the difference is even larger.
When A Third Class Is Better
If you are under 40 and healthy, a third class lasts five years against BasicMed's four, costs a couple of hundred dollars, and carries no aircraft or altitude limits at all. If you fly abroad, if you might want to instruct or fly commercially later, or if you are still a student pilot, the medical certificate is the simpler answer. And if you have never held a medical certificate, the question does not arise: you need one first.
How To Set It Up, In Order
- Confirm you qualify. A medical certificate held at some point after 14 July 2006, no denial, suspension, revocation or withdrawn special issuance, a valid US driver's license, and at least a private pilot certificate.
- Download the Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist from the FAA and complete your section.
- Book your physician and send the checklist ahead. Explain that you need a comprehensive examination and their signature on the FAA form.
- Take the online medical education course from an FAA-recognized provider and complete the electronic certification at the end.
- Keep both documents available. The completed checklist and the course completion certificate are what you must have when exercising BasicMed privileges.
- Diarise both dates. Course every 24 calendar months, physician every 48. They will not stay in step, and losing track of the shorter one is the most common way pilots fall out of BasicMed currency.
Related Reading
- FAA medical certificate classes — first, second, third and BasicMed compared in one place.
- Third class medical certificate — requirements, cost and five-year validity.
- FAA medical expiry calculator — work out every expiry date from one examination.
- Sport pilot certificate — the driver's-license route and how it differs from BasicMed.
- The flight review — the other recurring currency requirement every pilot has.
- Aircraft rental at Van Nuys — what a checkout involves if you fly on BasicMed.
BasicMed FAQ
What Is BasicMed?
An alternative to holding an FAA medical certificate, set out in 14 CFR 61.113(i) and 14 CFR Part 68. A private pilot who has held a medical certificate since 14 July 2006 may fly within defined aircraft and operating limits on a valid US driver's license, an online medical education course taken every 24 calendar months, and a physician examination every 48 calendar months.
What Are The Current BasicMed Aircraft Limits?
The aircraft must be authorized to carry not more than 7 occupants and have a maximum certificated takeoff weight of not more than 12,500 pounds. You may carry no more than five passengers, fly no higher than 18,000 feet MSL and no faster than 250 knots indicated. The earlier six-seat and 6,000-pound figures still quoted widely online are out of date.
Who Can Perform A BasicMed Examination?
Any state-licensed physician, using the FAA's Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist under 14 CFR 68.7. It does not have to be an Aviation Medical Examiner, which is the main practical advantage of BasicMed.
How Often Do I Need The BasicMed Course And Exam?
The online medical education course every 24 calendar months and the physician examination every 48 calendar months. The two intervals are different, so track them separately.
Can A Student Pilot Use BasicMed?
No. BasicMed operates on private pilot privileges under 61.113(i). A student pilot needs a third class medical certificate, or the sport pilot alternative, before flying solo.
Can I Use BasicMed If I Have Never Had A Medical Certificate?
No. You must have held an FAA medical certificate at some point after 14 July 2006. If you never have, obtain one first; BasicMed becomes available afterwards.
Does BasicMed Work Outside The United States?
Only where the country in which the flight is conducted authorizes it. Positions vary by country and change over time, so verify with that country's civil aviation authority before planning a trip around BasicMed.
Can I Fly For Compensation Or Hire Under BasicMed?
No. BasicMed rests on private pilot privileges, and the prohibition on acting as pilot in command for compensation or hire in 14 CFR 61.113(a) applies as it does to any other private pilot operation. Commercial privileges require a second class medical certificate.
Not Sure Which Route Fits You
BasicMed, a third class, or the sport pilot driver's-license route — the right answer depends on your history and what you want to fly, and it is a ten-minute conversation rather than an afternoon of reading. Book a free consultation and we will give you a straight answer. If you have not flown a light aircraft yet, a discovery flight is $229 for 60 minutes, you fly it from the left seat, and it requires no medical at all. Call (818) 330-1318 any day between 9 AM and 9 PM, or find us at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406.