What do I need to show before flight training?

Proof that you are a U.S. citizen or national, or, if you are not, a TSA clearance. The rule is TSA's Flight Training Security Program, 49 CFR Part 1552, and it applies to every instructor, including an independent one like me.

By Davide Zambiasi, Gold Seal CFI / CFII, airplane and helicopter

Last updated October 14, 2026

Does everyone have to prove citizenship?

Yes. Under 49 CFR 1552.7(a), no instructor may give flight training to anyone before establishing that the person is a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national, a foreign military pilot endorsed by the Department of Defense, or a candidate TSA has cleared. Section 1552.3 names the "individual flight instructor certificated under 14 CFR parts 61" as a flight training provider, so the rule covers me as much as an academy.

Ground training is not flight training under 1552.3. The check has to happen before the first lesson in the airplane.

Which documents prove U.S. citizenship?

Either one document from the first list, or two documents: one from List A and one from List B. These are the lists in Table 2 of the final rule (89 FR 35626, May 1, 2024). TSA keeps the current list on the FTSP Portal.

One document on its own

Unexpired U.S. passport, book or card
Unexpired Enhanced Tribal Card
Unexpired FAST, NEXUS, SENTRI, or Global Entry card, if it shows U.S. citizenship
Unexpired Enhanced Driver's License or Enhanced Identification Card, if it shows U.S. citizenship

List A: proof of citizenship

U.S. birth certificate, or a U.S. territory birth certificate
Certificate of Citizenship (N-560 or N-561)
Certificate of Naturalization (N-550 or N-570)
U.S. Citizen Identification Card (I-179 or I-197)
Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240)
Certification of Report of Birth Abroad (DS-1350 or FS-545)
U.S. passport expired within the last 12 months, with a List B document

List B: photo identification

Unexpired driver's license issued by a state or U.S. territory
Unexpired temporary driver's license together with the expired license
Unexpired photo ID issued by the federal government or a state, with an agency seal or logo, such as a state university ID. Permits, such as a gun permit, do not count.
Unexpired U.S. military ID, retired military ID, or military dependent's card
Native American tribal document with photo
Unexpired TWIC or Merchant Mariner Credential
U.S. passport expired within the last 12 months, with a List A document

Is my driver's license enough?

Not by itself. An ordinary driver's license is on List B, so it proves who you are but not that you are a citizen. Pair it with a List A document, such as your birth certificate. An Enhanced Driver's License that shows U.S. citizenship counts on its own.

If you cannot show acceptable documents, 1552.7(a)(1) is blunt: you "must be denied flight training".

What happens to my documents?

The instructor records the check, in one of two ways under 1552.15(c). The first is an endorsement in both the instructor's and the student's logbooks, which reads in part: "I certify that [insert student's full name] has presented to me a [insert type of document presented...] establishing that [the student] is a U.S. citizen or U.S. national in accordance with 49 CFR 1552.7(a)." The second is a copy of the documents. Either record is kept for at least 5 years (1552.15(e)).

What if I am not a U.S. citizen?

Then TSA calls you a candidate, and you need a Determination of Eligibility before your first flight lesson. That includes a green card holder. Under 1552.17 and 1552.31, you open an account on the FTSP Portal and submit your biographic and biometric information, identity documents, and the fee. TSA runs a security threat assessment with an immigration check and an FBI fingerprint check.

TSA "will process complete security threat assessment applications within 30 days".
You must be lawfully in the United States and within your authorized stay (1552.35(a)).
The determination lasts 5 years, or until your authorized stay ends, if that comes first (1552.31(d)).
TSA sets the fee and posts it on the portal. It is not refunded unless paid in error (1552.39).

The instructor also reports each training event to TSA. Training can start more than 30 days after TSA acknowledges that notice, or after 5 business days for expedited processing, which covers lawful permanent residents among others (1552.51). On the first day, the instructor photographs you and uploads the photo within 5 business days.

I am registered with TSA as a flight training provider. Visas, the Form I-20, and how training with me starts are on the international students page.

What should I bring to the first lesson?

A U.S. passport works on its own. So does a birth certificate with a driver's license. The rest of the certificate requirements are on theprivate pilot requirements page, and how I teach it is on the private pilot training page.