Flight Training For International Students

If you are not a United States citizen and you want flight training in the US, there is a security clearance you must have before your first training flight. It is called the Alien Flight Student Program, run by the Transportation Security Administration, and it applies to far more people than most prospective students expect — including green card holders, people already living and working in the US, and people who hold a foreign pilot license.

This guide explains who needs AFSP clearance and who is exempt, exactly how the application works step by step, what it costs, how long it takes, how fingerprinting works, how long clearance lasts, and how the M-1 student visa question fits alongside it.

Who Needs A TSA Clearance

The rule comes from 49 CFR Part 1552, enacted in 2004. Any person who is not a citizen or national of the United States is an alien for the purposes of this rule, and an alien must obtain a TSA security threat assessment before beginning flight training toward a US airman certificate.

That includes categories people often assume are excluded:

• Lawful permanent residents — green card holders are not US citizens and do need AFSP clearance
• Holders of work visas such as H-1B, L-1 or O-1 who live in the United States
• Tourists on a B-2 visa or the Visa Waiver Program
• Students on F-1 visas studying something unrelated
• Holders of foreign pilot licenses seeking a US certificate or rating
• People taking training outside the United States toward a US airman certificate

The clearance is required per category of training. AFSP defines three categories by aircraft weight and type, and initial flight training for a private pilot certificate, an instrument rating or a multi-engine rating in typical training airplanes all falls under the light-aircraft category.

Who Is Exempt From AFSP

You do not need an AFSP security threat assessment if any of the following apply.

US citizens are not exempt from everything: a flight school must verify citizenship before providing flight training, normally with a valid US passport or a birth certificate together with government photo identification.

The AFSP Process Step By Step

Step One: Tell The Flight School Before You Apply

Contact the school first. Your application names the training provider and the specific course, and the school must acknowledge your request inside the TSA system before it goes anywhere. Applying without having spoken to a school is the most common way to stall an application. Ask the school for its exact provider name in the system and the correct course code for the training you want.

Step Two: Create An AFSP Account

Go to the TSA's AFSP website at flightschoolcandidates.gov and create a student account. A user ID is issued immediately; the password arrives by email and can take 24 to 48 hours. Change it as instructed. Keep the account number safe — if you later apply for a further category of training, using the same account is what lets TSA reuse your existing fingerprints instead of taking new ones.

Step Three: Submit The Training Request

Log in and complete the application. You will be asked for biographical details, passport and visa information, immigration status, an address history, and the training details including the provider and course. Upload legible scans of your passport and visa pages. Validate and submit. Your training requests then appear in the Current Flight Training Applications section of your AFSP home page, where you can track status.

Step Four: The School Acknowledges Your Request

TSA emails the flight school asking it to confirm your training request. Nothing progresses until the school does this, so it is worth telling them the request has been submitted rather than assuming they are watching for it.

Step Five: Pay The Processing Fee

Once the school confirms, you are emailed instructions to pay the processing fee by credit card. The fee for the standard category of flight training has historically been $140 per training request, and TSA has adjusted it over time — check the current amount on flightschoolcandidates.gov before you budget. The fee is per training request, not per course, and it is not refundable.

Step Six: Preliminary Approval

After payment, TSA emails you and the school a Preliminary Approval notice. This does not authorize you to begin training. It confirms only that the application and fee have been received and that fingerprints are still needed. If you have not had a preliminary decision within about seven business days, contact the TSA AFSP help desk. If the decision is unfavorable because information is missing, you can correct and resubmit without paying the fee again, and the school does not need to validate the request a second time.

Step Seven: Submit Fingerprints

Only after preliminary approval will you receive an email with the subject Fingerprint Instructions. Do not submit fingerprints before you receive it. Prints submitted early are invalidated, your training request is canceled, and you have to start that part again. Follow the instructions to a TSA-approved collection site — there are collection points across the Los Angeles area — and bring the documentation the email specifies. If you have previously submitted fingerprints under the same AFSP account for an earlier training request, TSA will normally reuse them.

Step Eight: Wait For The Decision

Several factors affect processing time. Most straightforward applications are decided within roughly two weeks of fingerprints being received, and TSA describes the overall program as usually completed in 14 days or less. Complex immigration histories take longer. Plan for a month if you are booking travel around it.

Step Nine: Begin Training, And The Photograph

Once approved you may begin flight training. On your first training day the school must photograph you in person and upload that photograph to TSA. It must be a new photograph taken by the school — not a copy of the one in your passport. The school also keeps records of your identity documents and your approval.

The Clearance Window: 180 Days And 365 Days

Two clocks start on the day your approval is issued, and both matter.

The second one is the one that costs people money. If you are approved on 1 March and begin training on 1 May, you have not gained two months: you still have until 1 March the following year, which is 305 days rather than 365. Anyone planning a full private pilot certificate should therefore be flying at a pace that finishes comfortably inside a year. If you run out of time, you submit a new training request and pay the fee again.

The M-1 Visa Question

TSA clearance and immigration status are two entirely separate matters, and confusing them causes real problems. AFSP clearance is not a visa and gives you no right to be in the United States. Your visa status determines whether you may lawfully undertake the training at all.

Flight training as your principal purpose in the United States generally requires an M-1 vocational student visa. To obtain one you need an I-20 issued by a school certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, then a SEVIS fee payment and a consular interview. Not every flight school is SEVP-certified, so if you need an M-1 you must confirm that the school can issue an I-20 before you make any other plans.

Other statuses come up frequently. A B-1 or B-2 visitor may in some circumstances take recreational flight training that is incidental to a visit, but flight training as the primary purpose of the trip is not permitted on a visitor visa, and this is an area where people get it wrong. F-1 students studying something else may sometimes train recreationally, subject to their designated school official's guidance. Holders of work visas and green card holders are already lawfully present and generally have no immigration obstacle — only the AFSP requirement. Immigration status is a legal question specific to your circumstances; get advice on it rather than relying on any flight school's summary, including this one.

Documents To Prepare

• Passport, valid well beyond your intended training period
• Visa and I-94 record, or green card if you are a permanent resident
• Address history covering the last five years
• Any foreign pilot license and logbook you already hold
• An FAA medical certificate from an aviation medical examiner in the United States
• Evidence of English language proficiency, which the FAA requires for any certificate

Training In Los Angeles As An International Student

Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) is one of the busiest general aviation airports in the world, and Southern California offers flyable weather most of the year, which matters a great deal when you are working against a 365-day clearance window. The airspace is complex and the radio work is fast, which produces pilots who are comfortable operating anywhere. Read more on our Van Nuys Airport and flight training at Van Nuys pages, and see the individual certificate guides for private pilot, instrument rating, commercial pilot and multi-engine, or the full airline pilot career program.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who Needs To Apply To The Alien Flight Student Program?

Anyone who is not a US citizen or national and is seeking flight training toward a US airman certificate. That includes green card holders, work visa holders, tourists and holders of foreign pilot licenses.

Do Green Card Holders Need TSA Approval For Flight Training?

Yes. Lawful permanent residents are not US citizens and are covered by the rule. This surprises people every year.

Do I Need TSA Clearance For A Discovery Flight?

No. Discovery and demonstration flights conducted for marketing purposes are exempt. You can book a You Fly LA discovery flight without an AFSP application.

How Much Does The TSA Application Cost?

The processing fee for the standard flight training category has historically been $140 per training request. Fingerprinting may carry a separate collection charge. Check flightschoolcandidates.gov for the current amount before budgeting.

How Long Does TSA Approval Take?

TSA describes the program as usually completed in 14 days or less, and most straightforward applications are decided within about two weeks of fingerprints being received. Allow a month if you are booking travel around it.

When Should I Submit My Fingerprints?

Only after you receive the official Fingerprint Instructions email following preliminary approval. Prints submitted before that are invalidated and your training request is canceled.

How Long Is My TSA Approval Valid?

You must begin training within 180 days of approval and complete it within 365 days of approval. The 365 days run from approval, not from the day you start.

Do I Need A Separate Application For Each Certificate Or Rating?

You need a training request for each category of training. Private pilot, instrument and multi-engine in light training airplanes fall under the same weight category, but each course is submitted as its own training request. Using the same AFSP account lets TSA reuse your fingerprints.

Do I Need An M-1 Visa To Train In The United States?

If flight training is your principal purpose in the US, generally yes, and it requires an I-20 from an SEVP-certified school. If you are already lawfully in the US on another status, your situation depends on that status. Take proper immigration advice.

Can I Convert My Foreign Pilot License To An FAA License?

If you hold a license issued by an ICAO contracting state, you may be able to obtain a restricted FAA private pilot certificate issued on the basis of it under 14 CFR 61.75, which requires FAA verification with the issuing authority. A standalone FAA certificate requires the full training and testing, and AFSP clearance if you are not a US citizen.

Do I Need An FAA Medical Certificate?

Yes, at least a third class for a private pilot certificate, issued by an aviation medical examiner. Foreign medical certificates are not accepted for FAA certificates, and there are AMEs across Los Angeles.

What Level Of English Do I Need?

The FAA requires that you read, speak, write and understand English, and it is assessed during your training and at the checkride. Radio work in the Los Angeles basin is fast, so genuine conversational fluency makes training much easier as well as safer.