ATP for Foreign Pilots

Step-by-step guide

FAQ for foreign ATP and commercial pilots

Minimum Requirements for enrollment

This is article can answer the most frequent questions of foreign pilots: “How to get FAA ATP if I have ICAO CPL or ATP”. This article is for foreign airline pilots without an FAA Airline Transport Pilot Certificate who would like to earn this Certificate. This article concerns inquiring commercial or airline pilots with at least 1500 hours of logged total time and NON-U.S. citizens.

To be qualified for FAA ATP you have to have:

  1. ICAO Commercial Pilot license with Multi-Engine Rating and Instrument Rating or Airline Transport pilot license with Multi-Engine Rating.
  2. 1,500 hours of total flight experience, including 250 hours as a Pilot In Command or under supervision and other requirements (check the full list!)

More detailed requirements you can find in Part 61.153 and Part 61.159.

Cost estimation:

All prices here are just approximate expenses. Your personal situation can be different from the common cases (age, experience, pause in an aviation career, personal abilities, etc). Some people need individual approaches, so this price is not a public offer but just an example of how much standard person in standard conditions can spend on the process of getting an ATP license.

  1. NON-type ATP: $3,999 (ATP-CTP) + $175 Written test ATP ME + $4000 (10 hours of ME training on BE76) + $2,000 (checkride  and aircraft rental) = $10,174
  2. ATP with Type-rating A320 (initial): $3,999 (ATP-CTP) + $175 Written test ATP ME + $15,000 (A320 Initial + checkride) = $19,174
  3. ATP with Type-rating A320 (reduced, if you have A320 in ICAO license): $3,999 (ATP-CTP) + $175 Written test ATP ME + $8,500 (A320 Reduced + checkride) = $12,674

If you need M-1 visa, you have an additional $600 processing fee for I-20 form issuance.

Enrollment application

You can download enrollment application for your personal ATP training with ATP.Academy

Instruction for TSA application

You can download our instruction for TSA application for foreign pilots. Be aware that initial process can take up to 8 weeks.

Still have questions?

Andrey Borisevich, Chief Instructor
Call us: (954) 399-6911
Email us: info@flydreams.us

Steps to receive FAA ATP License
based on foreign CPL or ATP License

1

Check eligibility requirements

Check eligibility requirements according part 61.135 and aeronautical experience according part 61.159.

2

US Visa M1

If you don’t have US visa we can help you with student M-1 visa. Download our instruction for foreign students.

3

Request Letter of Verification

Make sure you have enough time becasue verification process can take up to 90 days!

4

Obtain TSA permissions, fingerprints

When you have US visa, immediately apply for TSA approval. Use our instruction for ATP-CTP. You need TSA for each course (ATP ME or A320 type)!

5

ATP-CTP Program

The ATP-CTP course is a mandatory pre-requisite in order to take the ATP written exam. ATP-CTP course include 30 hours of ground school and 10 hours of sim training.

6

ATP Written Test

ATP ME written test includes 125 questions and you have 4 hours for pass this test. The minimum score is 70%.

7
Choose Your Way:

The cheapest way to get your ATP license - training and checkride in light-twin airplane. We can offer Beechcraft Duchess (BE76) or Tecnam P2006T (with Garmin G950) for your training.

1
MultiEngine ATP training

Training itself include 7-10 flight hours of training, 3-5 hours of ground school.

2
ATP Checkride with Examiner

When you ready for checkride we will help you with checkride appointment and schedule your checkride. More details about ATP ME checkride on webpage.

FAA regulations allows you to take your ATP checkride simultaneously with type rating check.

1
Airbus 320 type + ATP training

We can offer you ATP training combined with Airbus Type Rating at no additional cost. You will be train for type rating but your checkride will include both - ATP and Type Rating check.

2
ATP + type rating checkride on FFS

Your checkride will be the same like standard type rating checkride but it will be combined check. As a result you will have ATP license with type rating.

If you don't have enough time or money you can do step-by-step. Start from ATP ME on light-twin airplane and later on add type rating to your ATP license!

1
ATP ME training

Start your training on BE76, pass your checkride and get your ATP ME license.

2
ATP ME checkride

When you ready for checkride we will help you with checkride appointment and schedule your checkride. More details about ATP ME checkride on webpage.

3
A320 type

Then join our Initial type rating program and add A320 type rating to your ATP license.

4
A320 type rating checkride

Your checkride will be in full flight simulator and only as add-on to your ATP license.

Helpful Information

F.A.Q.

1. What documents are required for the M-1 visa application?

You will need the I-20 form issued by SkyEagle Aviation Academy (ATP.Academy is DBA), proof of SEVIS I-901 fee payment, a valid passport, your visa interview appointment confirmation, a passport-style photo, and financial documents proving your ability to cover tuition and living expenses.  

2. What are the career prospects for an Australian in an American airline company?

Getting your ATP license provides a straight path to charter operators, because it’s much easier to get a job from part 135 charter operators (business aviation) and cargo airlines. Some Miami cargo companies hire Australian pilots.

3. How much to get FAA ATP based on my ICAO ATP?

The total price is combined from the ATP-CTP course cost + cost of your ATP course and checkride. As you can see from this page you have a choice between "non-type ATP" and "ATP + type rating". The approximate price depending on your personal case will be:  

  1. NON-type ATP: $3,999 (ATP-CTP) + $175 (written test) + $4,000 (8 hours of ME training on BE76) + $1,000 (checkride  and aircraft rental) = $9,174
  2. ATP with Type-rating A320 (initial): $3,999 (ATP-CTP) + $175 (written test) + $15,000 (A320 Initial + checkride) = $19,174
  3. ATP with Type-rating A320 (reduced, if you have A320 in ICAO license): $3,999 (ATP-CTP) + $175 (written test) + $8,500 (A320 Reduced + checkride) = $12,674
  You can check our Packages to get a better price! P.S. Prices are subject to change! Verify current prices with our representative.

4. I currently have a EASA CPL ME IR ATPL frozen license. I’m interested in converting my license in FAA.

There are no direct converting from EASA CPL to FAA CPL. You have 2 options, depending on the number of flight hours you have now:

  1. You can convert your EASA CPL to FAA PPL and then you need to add Instrument rating (training + written test + Checkride) and CPL (ME or SE or Both) - the same procedure (training + written test + Checkride). You can find more info about validation here: http://skyeagle.aero/add_services/validation_faa/ And all other courses (Instrument rating and Commercial license) available at SkyEagle Aviation Academy. And here: http://skyeagle.aero/2017/05/04/faq-for-foreign-atp-pilots/
  1. If you qualified for FAA ATP (more than 1500 hours total and meet other requirements) then you have another option - straight to FAA ATPL.
Information about this option is here: https://atp.academy/atp/  

5. How to get FAA ATP if I already have ICAO ATP?

You have 2 options here:

If you still have questions - send us email info@flydreams.us.

6. Why do I need to take training for type rating if I already have type rating in my ICAO license?

This is a very common question. But the truth is - you really need type rating to get your FAA license with type even if you are Captain with XXXX thousand hours on this type. The reason for that - your FAA license is independent license of the United States of America and you need to comply with FAA regulations. Not your local regulations. It means that you need to take some training on the same type before checkride. Most of the schools (and ATP.Academy also) can offer you Reduced Program, which means you don't need to go over again as Initial training. You just need 4-8 hours of SIM training and some ground school before your checkride. Also, be aware that your FAA checkride will be absolutely the same and full as normal checkride for initial type rating even if you have XXX thousand hours on type.

7. What is the TSA? Why is it necessary to get TSA approval and how do I get it?

TSA – Transportation Security Administration. These are the same people who carry out passenger screening at US airports, for example. They also check and screen foreign students pilots and then approve them for flight training. After 9/11, all foreign students applying for a license from an FAA pilot are required to obtain a training permit from the TSA.  This is to prevent another catastrophe similar to 9/11.  All of the hijackers on 9/11 received flight training in the US to some extent. You must visit https://www.fts.tsa.dhs.gov/, to register and apply for training at a specific educational institution. IMPORTANT: When submitting an application, you must know exactly which flight school you will train at because you choose a service provider. If after the confirmation of TSA you decide to change the school – you will have to file a new application and pay a fee for the new ($130 for each application). If you apply for ATP-CTP and Type Rating, there will be two applications. After the TSA examines your application and they can confirm everything you will need to be fingerprinted. They can be handed in either with the police or with a special TSA agent.  A list of which can be found on the website above. We provide our own agent for the cost of $90 and he does everything in one day.

  1. The TSA application process can take 6-8 weeks. You may view your application progression on the homepage of https://www.fts.tsa.dhs.gov/home  and see quickly you may be approved. Keep this in mind when planning the start of your training, because if you signed up for ATP-CTP and you decided to apply for TSA 10 days before the start of the course, there is a considerable risk that you will be unable to fly for a few weeks. Easily avoidable if there is some preparation! NOTE: you can not start SIM training without TSA approval but you can take ground school.
  2. There are often problems with foreign last times. Sometimes they want the last name to be both in the pilot’s certificate and in the “Middle Name” field. Sometimes they want the name and last name to be together in the same “First Name” field. Have this in mind – how you wrote your name with the TSA will follow you everywhere; in a medical certificate, in a pilot certificate, in the results of a written test, in the FAA database, and so on. You must be careful with how you present your name because Americans attach great importance to bureaucracy. We know cases when the examiner refused to take exams because the medical certificate was written with a middle name, and the written exam did not have the middle name. If two “people” on paper do not coincide, then one paper is not valid and the examination can not be accepted (well, such logic is with the examiner).
  3. Sometimes fingerprinting takes more than 1-2 days. Make sure you have 2-3 days between arriving in the US and starting your ATP program.

8. What is the Letter of Verification?

If you have a foreign (non-FAA) license, and you are meet all part 61 requirements to get FAA ATP based on the foreign license, you need to prove that your license is valid, not expired, not revoked, etc. The official way how to do that - request a Letter of Verification from FAA authority. FAA will request this confirmation from your local CAA authority. The process itself can take up to 90 days and you need a Letter of Verification before your ATP checkride or ATP + type rating checkride.

9. How to validate my ICAO license?

You can find the best answer on government FAA-portal: https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certification/foreign_license_verification/ Pay special attention that this process can take up 90 days!

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