Yes, but not on the foreign license by itself. You convert it. 14 CFR 61.75 lets the FAA issue a US private pilot certificate on the basis of a pilot license issued by a contracting state to the Convention on International Civil Aviation. The US certificate is what you actually fly on, and you must have the underlying foreign license in your possession or readily accessible in the aircraft whenever you exercise its privileges.
That single sentence is the answer to most of the confusion around this question. You are not "flying on your EASA license" in American airspace; you are flying on a US certificate that exists because of it, and which stops being valid the moment the foreign license does. This page covers the route, the limits and the alternative. It sits under our flight training FAQ, and our guide for international student pilots covers the wider picture of flying at Van Nuys from abroad.
What A 61.75 Certificate Is
It is a genuine US private pilot certificate with a note on its face that it was issued on the basis of a foreign license. It carries private pilot privileges, and it is tied to the foreign document in four ways worth understanding before you start.
First, the privileges are those authorized by 14 CFR 61.75 together with the limitations the Administrator places on the certificate. Second, you must carry the foreign license with you, or have it readily accessible in the aircraft, to exercise the certificate's privileges. Third, the medical requirement is satisfied either by a medical certificate issued under 14 CFR Part 67 or by a medical license issued by the country that issued your pilot license. Fourth, the English language requirement applies: 61.75 requires the applicant to be able to read, speak, write and understand English, as covered on how good your English needs to be.
The Process, And The Part That Takes Time
The slow step is verification. Before the FAA issues anything, it asks the civil aviation authority that issued your license to confirm that the license and the medical are authentic and current. That exchange happens between two government agencies, not between you and anyone, and it takes as long as it takes. The rest of the process is quick by comparison: an application, an appointment at a Flight Standards District Office or with an authorized representative, and the certificate itself.
The practical advice is therefore blunt: start the verification before you book a trip, not after. People arrive in Los Angeles with two weeks of holiday and a license from home expecting to rent an airplane on the Tuesday, and the verification is the reason they do not. Start it months ahead and the rest is straightforward.
Convert Or Start Fresh
| 61.75 Conversion | A Standalone US Certificate | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | US private pilot certificate issued on the basis of your foreign license | A US certificate in its own right |
| Privileges | Private pilot privileges only | Whatever certificate you earn, up to commercial and beyond |
| Dependence on the foreign license | Total: carry it, and keep it valid | None |
| Flight training required | None for the certificate itself | Full course to the certificate you want |
| Medical | Part 67 medical or the medical license from the issuing country | FAA medical certificate |
| Main time cost | Waiting for authority-to-authority verification | Training hours and tests |
| Best for | Renting and flying for pleasure while you are here | Anyone wanting to work as a pilot in the United States |
If your goal is to fly for a living in the United States, the conversion is not the route. A 61.75 certificate carries private privileges, and commercial work requires a US commercial certificate earned on its own terms under 14 CFR 61.129. Our commercial pilot course is $15,400, and the airline pilot career program runs the whole sequence for $84,000. Instrument privileges on a converted certificate are a separate question with their own conditions, so ask us and we will check the current regulation text with you rather than guess.
What You Still Need Before You Fly Here
A certificate is not the same as being ready to fly in Los Angeles. Three things sit between the paperwork and the airplane.
A flight review under 14 CFR 61.56 is required to act as pilot in command unless you have completed one in the preceding 24 calendar months: at least one hour of ground and one hour of flight with an authorized instructor. A checkout in our airplanes is our own requirement, because an insurer and a chief instructor both want to see you fly the type before you take it alone; aircraft rental explains how ours works. And an airspace briefing, which is the part experienced foreign pilots underestimate. The Los Angeles basin is one of the most complex pieces of airspace in the world, with a Class B shelf overhead, published transition routes, terrain on three sides and relentless traffic. Two hours with a local instructor is worth more than any amount of chart study at home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Fly In America With A European Pilot License?
Not directly. You convert it under 14 CFR 61.75, which gives you a US private pilot certificate issued on the basis of the European license. You then fly on the US certificate, with the European license carried with you or readily accessible in the aircraft.
Do I Need An FAA Medical To Convert My License?
Not necessarily. 14 CFR 61.75 accepts either a medical certificate issued under Part 67 or a medical license issued by the country that issued your pilot license. Many pilots convert on their home medical and take an FAA medical later only if they decide to train further here.
How Long Does A 61.75 Conversion Take?
The controlling factor is the FAA's verification request to your national aviation authority, which is outside anyone's control and can take a long time. Start it months before you plan to fly rather than weeks, and treat everything else in the process as quick.
Can I Work As A Pilot In The US On A Converted License?
No. A certificate issued under 14 CFR 61.75 carries private pilot privileges. Commercial work requires a US commercial certificate earned in its own right, and employment in the United States raises separate immigration questions that a flight school cannot answer for you.
Can I Rent An Airplane At Van Nuys With A Converted Certificate?
Yes, once you have a current flight review under 14 CFR 61.56 and have completed a checkout with one of our instructors. Bring your US certificate, your foreign license, your medical and your logbook, and allow a couple of hours for a local area briefing before your first solo flight here.
Related Reading
- Flight training FAQ — forty answers for new students.
- International student pilots — training at Van Nuys from abroad.
- Do I need to be a US citizen to learn to fly — the TSA process.
- Aircraft rental at Van Nuys — checkout requirements and rates.
- The flight review — what 14 CFR 61.56 requires.
- Commercial pilot license — the route if you intend to fly for a living.
Talk To Us Before You Book Your Flights
If you hold a license from outside the United States and want to fly while you are here, call before you start the paperwork so the verification is running while you plan the rest. Call (818) 330-1318 any day from 9 AM to 9 PM, or book a free consultation. If you would rather simply fly with an instructor and skip the conversion entirely, a discovery flight is $229 for sixty minutes over Los Angeles. We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406.