FAA MedXPress is the FAA's own online system for completing FAA Form 8500-8, the Application for Airman Medical Certificate, and you have to finish it before your medical appointment rather than at it. When you submit, the system gives you a confirmation number; you take that number to your Aviation Medical Examiner, who uses it to pull your application up on screen. Without it, the examination cannot start.
This page walks through the whole process: what to gather first, how the form is organized, what the examiner actually sees, and the specific mistakes that turn a routine third class into a six-month correspondence with the FAA. For where the medical fits in your overall plan, see our guide to FAA medical certificate classes. MedXPress itself lives on the FAA's site at medxpress.faa.gov — that is an FAA system, not ours, and we have no access to anything you enter there.
What MedXPress Is, And What It Is Not
MedXPress is a data entry system. It is not an assessment, it does not decide anything, and submitting it is not an application to the FAA in the sense of a decision being made. What it does is move the applicant half of Form 8500-8 out of the examiner's waiting room and onto your own keyboard, where you can take your time.
What it is, and what people underestimate, is a legal declaration. The form is signed under the same penalties that apply to any federal application. 14 CFR 67.403 makes an incorrect statement, a fraudulent statement or an intentional falsification on an application for a medical certificate grounds for suspension or revocation of any certificate you hold, and grounds for denial. Nobody gets into trouble for disclosing a condition. People get into serious trouble for not disclosing one.
Gather These Before You Open The Form
The form will ask for things you will not remember accurately off the top of your head. Fifteen minutes of preparation removes almost all the friction.
- Your certificate details. The grade of pilot certificate you hold, if any, and its number.
- Your flight time. Total pilot time to date and time flown in the last six months. An honest estimate is expected for the second figure.
- Your last FAA medical. The approximate date and where it was done.
- Every current medication. Generic name, dose, and what it is for. Include anything over the counter you take regularly, and supplements.
- Your medical history. Diagnoses, surgeries, hospital admissions, with approximate dates.
- Visits to health professionals in the last three years. Date, name, address and the reason for each. This includes physiotherapists, dentists, optometrists, therapists and routine physicals.
- Any arrest, conviction or administrative action involving driving while intoxicated or under the influence, or any drug or alcohol offense, and any driving license suspension or revocation.
The three-year visit history is the item that takes longest. If you have moved or changed doctors, start collecting it a week before rather than the night before.
Setting Up Your Account
Access to MedXPress goes through an FAA login account. You create it once with an email address you actually check, because the system emails you the confirmation and any notices. Use your full legal name exactly as it appears on your government-issued photo identification — not a shortened first name, not a married name you have not yet changed on your license. A mismatch between the name on the application and the name on the identification you bring to the appointment causes real delay, and it propagates onward into your certificate and later into IACRA.
Keep the login details somewhere permanent. You will use the same account for every future medical, and each renewal starts from your previous submission rather than a blank form, which saves considerable time later.
How The Form Is Organized
Form 8500-8 splits into an applicant half and an examiner half. You complete the applicant half. The structure is visible in 14 CFR 68.7, which borrows exactly this part of the form for the BasicMed checklist and describes it as boxes 3 through 13 and boxes 16 through 19.
| Part Of The Form | What It Covers | Where People Go Wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Class applied for | First, second or third class | Choosing third out of caution when a career is the goal. Take the class that answers your real question. |
| Identity and contact details | Legal name, date of birth, address, physical description | Name not matching photo identification |
| Certificate held and occupation | Grade and number of your pilot certificate, occupation, employer | Leaving it blank when you are a student with no certificate yet. Say so rather than skipping. |
| Flight time | Total pilot time, and time in the last six months | Nothing, if you have your logbook open |
| Date of last FAA medical | Approximate date and location | Claiming none when you had one years ago |
| Medications (item 17) | Every medication currently used, with dose | Omitting over-the-counter medicines, supplements and anything taken occasionally |
| Medical history (item 18) | A long yes-or-no grid of conditions, ever in your life | Answering from memory instead of from records. "Ever" means ever. |
| Visits to health professionals (item 19) | Every visit in the last three years, with date, name, address and reason | Listing only the interesting ones. Routine visits count. |
The Medical History Grid Is Cumulative, Not Current
The history section asks whether you have ever had each listed condition, not whether you have it now. A childhood asthma diagnosis you outgrew at nine is still a yes, with an explanation. Answering no because it is no longer true is the most common inadvertent falsification on the entire form, and it is exactly the kind of thing that surfaces later and causes disproportionate trouble.
Every yes gets an explanation in the comments box. A good explanation is short and factual: what it was, when, how it was treated, and that it resolved. A missing explanation invites a question. A defensive explanation invites three.
Medication Disclosure Deserves Its Own Paragraph
Declare everything you take, including medicines you consider trivial. The examiner is not scanning the list for reasons to refuse; they are checking it against the FAA's pharmaceutical guidance, and most common medications are perfectly acceptable. What causes problems is a medication discovered later that was not declared, because that changes the question from a medical one to a truthfulness one.
If you take something you suspect is restricted — a stimulant, an antidepressant, a sedating antihistamine, an anticoagulant — do not guess and do not stop taking it to get through the examination. Talk to an Aviation Medical Examiner informally first and ask what the pathway looks like. Our pages on ADHD, anxiety and depression and what disqualifies you from being a pilot cover the main cases.
The Confirmation Number
When you submit, MedXPress issues a confirmation number. Write it down, screenshot it and email it to yourself. Bring it to the appointment along with government-issued photo identification, and bring your glasses or contact lenses if you wear them.
The examiner enters that number and your application appears on their screen exactly as you typed it. They can see everything you entered; they cannot edit your declarations. If you realize after submitting that you made an error, tell the examiner at the start of the appointment rather than hoping it passes unnoticed — a correction made openly is administrative, and one discovered later is not.
Do Not Fill It In Months Ahead
A submitted application does not sit in the system indefinitely. The FAA purges submissions that are not used within a set window, after which you re-enter the whole thing. Complete MedXPress within a week or two of your appointment, not as soon as you decide to learn to fly. If your appointment moves substantially, check that your submission is still live before you travel.
What The Examiner Sees, And What Happens Next
Your examiner reviews your entries, examines you against the 14 CFR Part 67 standards for the class you applied for, and then does one of three things. They issue the certificate on the spot and you leave with it. They defer the file to the FAA's Aerospace Medical Certification Division because something in your history is outside their authority to decide. Or, rarely, they deny.
Deferral is the outcome worth understanding. It is not a refusal; it means the decision belongs to the FAA rather than to the examiner, and it very often ends in issuance once the requested records arrive. The way to shorten a deferral — or avoid one — is to walk in with the documentation already assembled: specialist letters, test results, discharge summaries, whatever covers the item in your history. Ask the examiner in advance what they will want.
Ten Mistakes We See Most Often
- Using a shortened or informal name that does not match photo identification.
- Answering the history grid from memory rather than records.
- Treating "ever" as "currently".
- Listing only medical visits, and omitting dentists, optometrists and therapists from the three-year history.
- Omitting over-the-counter medicines and supplements.
- Stopping a medication shortly before the appointment to avoid declaring it.
- Writing long, defensive explanations where two factual sentences would close the point.
- Applying for a third class when an airline career is the real goal, and discovering a first class problem years later.
- Submitting months before the appointment and having the submission purged.
- Submitting an application at all, before taking informal advice, when the history contains something the FAA regulates closely. A denial closes both BasicMed and the sport pilot driver's-license route.
Related Reading
- FAA medical certificate classes — which class you actually need.
- Finding an aviation medical examiner in Los Angeles — how to choose one and what to ask.
- Third class medical certificate — requirements, cost and validity.
- The IACRA student pilot certificate — the other online system you will meet, right after this one.
- Student pilot resources — the paperwork, in order.
- What disqualifies you from being a pilot — before you submit anything.
FAA MedXPress FAQ
What Is FAA MedXPress?
The FAA's online system for completing FAA Form 8500-8, the Application for Airman Medical Certificate. You fill in the applicant half online, submit it, and take the confirmation number to your Aviation Medical Examiner, who retrieves it at your appointment.
Do I Have To Use MedXPress?
Yes. The applicant portion of the medical application is completed through MedXPress, and your examiner needs the confirmation number to open your file. It is an FAA system, accessed at medxpress.faa.gov.
How Long Does MedXPress Take To Fill In?
Thirty to sixty minutes for most people, plus however long it takes to assemble your three-year history of visits to health professionals. The history is the slow part, not the typing.
What Is The MedXPress Confirmation Number For?
It is how your examiner retrieves your submitted application. Bring it to the appointment with government-issued photo identification. Without it the examiner cannot begin.
How Far In Advance Should I Complete MedXPress?
A week or two before the appointment. Submissions are not held indefinitely; the FAA purges applications that are not used within a set window, and you would then have to enter everything again.
Do I Have To Declare Every Medication On MedXPress?
Yes, including over-the-counter medicines and supplements you take regularly. Most common medications are acceptable. An undeclared medication discovered later is a far larger problem than a declared one that needs discussion.
What If I Made A Mistake After Submitting?
Tell your examiner at the start of the appointment. A correction raised openly is an administrative matter. Under 14 CFR 67.403, an incorrect or falsified statement on a medical application is grounds for suspension, revocation or denial, so never leave an error standing.
Does A Yes Answer On The History Grid Mean I Fail?
No. Most yes answers are resolved with a short factual explanation and, where relevant, supporting records. The history grid exists to give the examiner context, not to disqualify you.
We Will Help You Get The Order Right
The medical is step one of the paperwork, and getting the sequence right saves months. Book a free consultation and we will walk you through the medical, the student pilot certificate and the written exam in the order that costs you least. If you have not flown yet, start with a discovery flight — $229 for 60 minutes, flown by you, with no medical certificate and no paperwork required. Call (818) 330-1318 any day from 9 AM to 9 PM. We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406, at Van Nuys Airport.