No. You do not need to be a United States citizen to learn to fly in the United States. What you do need, if you are not a US citizen or national, is a security threat assessment and a Determination of Eligibility from the Transportation Security Administration under the Flight Training Security Program, set out in 49 CFR Part 1552. That has to be in place before instruction starts, not after.
US citizens are not exempt from the paperwork either. A flight training provider is required to verify and record citizenship before training, which is why we ask every new student for a passport or an equivalent document on the first visit. This page explains both sides of that process. It sits under our flight training FAQ with the rest of the eligibility questions, and our guide for international student pilots covers the wider picture of training here from abroad.
What The Rule Actually Requires
49 CFR Part 1552 puts obligations on both sides. A candidate who is not a US citizen or national must complete a security threat assessment, which includes a fingerprint-based criminal history records check, and must hold a Determination of Eligibility from TSA before a flight training provider may begin instruction. The provider must validate that determination through the TSA portal, notify TSA of the training events, photograph the candidate within five business days of arrival, designate a security coordinator reachable at any hour, train its own staff in security awareness, and keep the records for five years.
The practical consequence for you is simple: the application is yours to file, the verification is ours to do, and neither can be skipped or backdated. If TSA issues an ineligibility determination, training stops immediately. If your determination is in order, you train exactly like anybody else, with no additional restriction on what you may learn or which certificate you may earn.
The Sequence, In Order
| Step | Who Does It | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Choose your school and your course | You | The application names the provider, so decide first |
| Register and apply in the TSA portal | You | Identity details, passport and immigration documents, a processing fee set by TSA |
| Submit fingerprints | You | Collected at an approved location for the criminal history records check |
| Security threat assessment | TSA | Plan on weeks rather than days, and apply well before you want to fly |
| Determination of Eligibility issued | TSA | Training may not begin before this exists |
| Validation and notification | We do it | We confirm your determination in the portal and log your training events |
| Photograph on arrival | We do it | Within five business days of you arriving for training |
| Train | You | No further restriction on the certificate or ratings you may earn |
If You Are A US Citizen
Bring proof on your first visit. A valid US passport settles it in one document. A certified birth certificate together with a government photo identification does the same job. We inspect it, record that we did, and the matter is closed for the rest of your training. It is worth doing on day one rather than the morning of your first solo, which is where it becomes urgent. Our page on what to bring to your first lesson has the full arrival list.
Visas, And What We Cannot Do
We train under Part 61 and we do not hold Part 141 approval. The direct consequence is that we cannot issue an I-20 form, so we cannot sponsor an M-1 student visa. That is a plain limitation and we would rather you read it here than discover it after buying a flight.
Plenty of people who are not US citizens still train with us. Lawful permanent residents, people living and working here in other statuses, and visitors who are lawfully present all fly at Van Nuys. What kind of activity a particular immigration status permits is a question for an immigration attorney rather than for a flight school, and we will not guess at it on your behalf. The TSA determination and your immigration status are two separate matters, and you need both to be right.
English, Licenses And The Other Eligibility Questions
Two more requirements catch international students out, and both are about the FAA rather than TSA. The first is language: 14 CFR 61.83 and 61.103 require you to read, speak, write and understand English for a student pilot certificate and a private pilot certificate respectively. Our page on how good your English needs to be explains what that means on the radio at a busy Class D airport.
The second is what happens if you already hold a license from another country. You do not have to start again: 14 CFR 61.75 lets the FAA issue a US private pilot certificate on the basis of a foreign license from an ICAO contracting state, after a verification step with the issuing authority. That route is set out on flying in the US on a foreign pilot license.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can A Non-US Citizen Get A US Pilot License?
Yes. Citizenship is not an eligibility requirement for any FAA pilot certificate. Non-citizens complete the TSA security threat assessment under 49 CFR Part 1552 before training begins, then meet exactly the same aeronautical experience, knowledge and practical test standards as everybody else.
How Long Does TSA Approval Take?
Plan on weeks rather than days, and apply as soon as you have chosen your school, because the application names the provider. Nobody can begin flight instruction before the Determination of Eligibility exists, so the application is the first thing to start and the last thing you want to be waiting on.
Do I Need A Student Visa To Learn To Fly?
Not necessarily, and we cannot advise on it. We train under Part 61 and do not issue I-20 forms, so we cannot sponsor an M-1 visa. What any given immigration status permits is a question for an immigration attorney, and it is separate from the TSA security threat assessment.
Do US Citizens Have To Prove Citizenship To Take Flying Lessons?
Yes. A flight training provider must verify citizenship before training and keep the record. A valid US passport is the simplest proof; a certified birth certificate with a government photo identification also works. Bring it to your first lesson.
Does A One-Off Introductory Flight Need TSA Approval?
It depends on the flight and on your status, so tell us when you book and we will confirm what applies before you arrive rather than at the desk. Getting that answer in advance costs one phone call and saves a wasted trip to the airport.
Related Reading
- Flight training FAQ — forty answers for new students.
- International student pilots — training at Van Nuys from abroad.
- Flying in the US on a foreign pilot license — the 61.75 conversion.
- English requirements for pilots — what the standard means on the radio.
- What to bring to your first lesson — including the identification we must see.
- Part 61 versus Part 141 — why the distinction matters for visas.
Start The Paperwork Early
If you are planning to train here from outside the United States, call us before you file anything, because the application names the school and the order of operations matters. Call (818) 330-1318 any day between 9 AM and 9 PM, or book a free consultation and we will walk through the sequence with you. A discovery flight is $229 for sixty minutes and is credited in full toward your course if you enroll within twenty-four hours. We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406.