In ordinary speech there is no difference, and nobody will correct you. In the regulations there is: the FAA issues pilot certificates, not licenses. Open 14 CFR Part 61 and you will find "certificate" everywhere the document you earn is meant, and "license" reserved almost entirely for two other things: a foreign pilot license issued by another country, as in 14 CFR 61.75, and your driver's license, which 14 CFR 61.23(c) allows a sport pilot to use in place of a medical certificate.
That is the whole distinction. It matters when you are reading regulations, filling in an FAA form or searching for an answer online, and it matters not at all when you are telling somebody at a party that you have a pilot's license. This page explains the terminology properly, because the related words, ratings, endorsements and authorizations, are the ones that genuinely do mean different things. It sits under our flight training FAQ.
Why The FAA Says Certificate
A certificate certifies something: that you were tested against a published standard and met it. That is exactly what an FAA practical test does. The examiner is not granting you permission to fly, they are attesting that on the day you demonstrated the knowledge, risk management and skill in the Airman Certification Standards for that certificate.
The consequence is the part worth knowing. A pilot certificate does not expire. Your private pilot certificate is issued once and remains yours. What expires is your permission to exercise its privileges, which is controlled separately by currency rules: a flight review every twenty-four calendar months under 14 CFR 61.56, recent takeoffs and landings before carrying passengers under 61.57, and instrument currency under 61.57(c) if you fly in instrument conditions. Your medical certificate expires too, on a schedule set by class and age.
So a pilot who has not flown in fifteen years still holds a valid certificate. They simply may not act as pilot in command until they have done a flight review, which is a very different legal position from a lapsed license. Our page on the flight review covers what that involves.
Certificate, Rating, Endorsement, Authorization
These four words are used loosely in conversation and precisely in the regulations. Getting them straight makes the rest of Part 61 much easier to read.
| Term | What It Is | Examples | How You Get It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | The level of pilot you are | Student, sport, recreational, private, commercial, airline transport, flight instructor | Knowledge test and practical test with an examiner |
| Rating | What you may fly, or in what conditions | Airplane single-engine land, multi-engine land, instrument rating, type rating | Added to a certificate by further training and a test |
| Endorsement | A signed logbook entry from an instructor | Solo under 61.87, complex under 61.31(e), high performance under 61.31(f), spin training under 61.183(i) | Training plus an instructor's signature; no examiner involved |
| Medical certificate | A separate document from a medical examiner | First, second and third class | Examination by an aviation medical examiner |
A private pilot flying a four-seat Piper Warrior therefore holds a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating and a current third class medical certificate. Adding a multi-engine rating at $5,100 adds a rating to the same certificate. Adding the complex endorsement in our Piper Arrow at $999 adds a logbook signature and nothing else, with no test and no new plastic card. Both are real qualifications; only one appears on the certificate itself.
Where The Wording Actually Trips People Up
Three places. Searching. If you look for "pilot license requirements" you will find good information written in plain English; if you look in 14 CFR for a section about licenses you will not find one. Search the regulations for "certificate".
Foreign documents. Here the distinction is load-bearing. 14 CFR 61.75 lets the FAA issue a US private pilot certificate on the basis of a foreign pilot license from an ICAO contracting state, and the holder must carry that foreign license to exercise the certificate's privileges. Two documents, two words, and confusing them causes real problems. That route is explained on flying in the US on a foreign pilot license.
Job advertisements. Operators write "commercial license required" and mean a commercial pilot certificate. Nobody is testing your vocabulary. Apply anyway.
What The Document Looks Like
A plastic card, roughly the size of a credit card, listing your name, certificate number, the certificate level and the ratings you hold. It arrives by post some weeks after your checkride; your examiner issues a temporary authority on the day so you can fly in the meantime. You apply for it, and for your student pilot certificate before that, through the FAA's IACRA system, which our page on the IACRA student pilot certificate walks through field by field.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is A Pilot License The Same As A Pilot Certificate?
In everyday speech, yes. Formally the FAA issues certificates, and Part 61 uses the word license mainly for foreign pilot licenses and for driver's licenses. The document most people call a pilot's license is a pilot certificate.
Does A Pilot Certificate Expire?
No. A private, commercial or airline transport pilot certificate is issued without an expiry date. What lapses is your ability to use it: a flight review is required every twenty-four calendar months under 14 CFR 61.56, and passenger-carrying and instrument currency are governed by 61.57. Medical certificates do expire.
What Is The Difference Between A Rating And An Endorsement?
A rating is added to your certificate after training and a practical test with an examiner, and it appears on the plastic card. An endorsement is a signed entry in your logbook from an instructor after training, with no test and no change to the certificate. Both are required before you may do the thing they cover.
Do I Need A Separate License For Each Type Of Airplane?
No. One certificate covers a category and class, such as airplane single-engine land. Moving to a twin requires a multi-engine rating; a complex or high-performance airplane requires an instructor endorsement under 14 CFR 61.31; large or turbojet aircraft require a type rating.
Is A Student Pilot Certificate A Real Certificate?
Yes. It is issued by the FAA and it is what makes solo flight legal, though it carries no privileges to carry passengers or fly for compensation. You need one before your first solo rather than before your first lesson.
Related Reading
- Flight training FAQ — forty answers for new students.
- Types of pilot licenses explained — every certificate the FAA issues, compared.
- Private pilot license in Los Angeles — the course, the hours and the price.
- Complex and high-performance endorsements — what 61.31 requires.
- The flight review — why a certificate that never expires still needs one.
- Flying in the US on a foreign pilot license — where the distinction really matters.
Earn One Of Your Own
Whatever you call it, the way to get one starts the same way. A discovery flight is $229 for sixty minutes in the left seat, logged as dual instruction toward your certificate, and credited in full toward your course if you enroll within twenty-four hours. To talk through which certificate and which ratings suit your plans, book a free consultation or call (818) 330-1318 any day from 9 AM to 9 PM. We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406.