1. You still need to see a doctor — but not necessarily an AME. BasicMed doesn't eliminate medical exams. You need a physical by a state-licensed physician (MD or DO) to complete your CMEC. This exam must be completed every 48-months, and it should be done before you take the online course. Make sure you keep your original completed CMEC form.
2. The online course is required — along with the medical exam. You don't have a choice. You must complete both the medical exam (with a signed CMEC form every 48 months) and the online course (with a passing quiz and completion certificate every 24 months) to operate under BasicMed. The course must be renewed every 24 months by retaking the course and entering your CMEC information. Whenever you complete a new CMEC exam, you must retake the online course, and that CMEC information will be digitally sent to the FAA. Remember to download and/or print your course completion certificate too.
3. You are responsible for keeping your own records. You don't send your physical exam's completed CMEC form or course certificate to the FAA or AOPA. Instead, you must save these documents yourself — either printed or digitally — in a safe place, for example, with your logbook, in case the FAA requests them.
4. Renewals are due by the end of the month — not the exact date. Both the medical exam and online course now follow calendar month renewals. That means if your course or exam was done on the 10th of a month, your renewal is due by the last day of that month, 48 months later for the CMEC exam or 24 months later for the online course completion. Completing both the exam and the course in the same month helps keep things simple.
5. Some medical conditions still require FAA approval. If you have a medical history, diagnosis, or recent event of certain cardiac, neurological, or mental health conditions, you will need a one-time only special issuance for each condition from the FAA, before qualifying for BasicMed. Remember, any new medical event of one of these types will require a new special issuance from the FAA, even if you are already flying under BasicMed.
6. A denied, revoked, or suspended FAA medical certificate or withdrawn Special Issuance disqualifies you. If your most recent FAA medical was denied, suspended, or revoked, or if your most recent Special Issuance was withdrawn — regardless of whether it was current — you are not eligible for BasicMed.
7. BasicMed does not replace your pilot certificate. You still need to hold a valid pilot certificate, complete flight reviews, and follow all relevant regulations. BasicMed is only a self-assessment program that allows you to fly without an FAA-issued medical certificate. It is not your license to fly.
8. You can't fly under BasicMed everywhere. BasicMed is only valid in the U.S. and select countries that accept it (e.g., the Bahamas, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Canada does not currently accept BasicMed.
9. There are limits to how fast and how high you can fly. Under BasicMed, you can't fly faster than 250 knots or above 18,000 feet MSL. If you need to fly higher or faster, you'll need a traditional FAA medical certificate. Learn more Flying Under BasicMed FAQs tab above.
10. BasicMed is not just for “old” or retired pilots. Any pilot who meets the requirements can fly under BasicMed. It’s a great option for private pilots, CFIs, DPEs, or those who are not purely career pilots, for whom an FAA-issued medical is required. It can be simpler for the pilot, and there is less waiting time.
Hundreds of thousands of pilots can potentially fly under BasicMed. Under the reforms, pilots who have held a valid medical certificate any time after July 15, 2006, may not need to take another exam with an FAA Aviation Medical Examiner. AOPA has developed an online tool to help you determine if you may qualify for BasicMed.
To qualify for BasicMed you must:
If your most recent medical certificate has been suspended at any point in time or revoked, if your most recent authorization for special issuance was withdrawn, or your most recent medical application was denied, you will need to obtain a new medical certificate before you can operate under BasicMed. Learn more about common disqualifications and how you may be able to fly under BasicMed in the future.
AOPA recommends taking the following steps, in order:
Step 1. Download, print, and complete Section 2 of the pilot information and medical history portion of the FAA Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist (CMEC);
Step 2. Schedule and undergo a BasicMed specific examination with a state-licensed physician who will complete the FAA Medical Examination Checklist. Take the CMEC form with you to the exam for the doctor to complete. AOPA recommends completing both your doctor visit and online course in the same month for easier renewal.
Step 3. Complete the AOPA Medical Self-Assessment online course, available at no cost to everyone!
Step 4. After completing the course quiz, enter your exam information from your CMEC. Upon submission of this form, your CMEC information and course completion is electronically sent to the FAA and you have earned your course completion certificate. Don't forget to print or download the online Course Completion Certificate and keep it and the completed Medical Examination Checklist (CMEC) form in your logbook or in an accurate and legible electronic format. You keep the documents, nothing gets mailed to the FAA or AOPA;
Step 5. Ensure that you meet the flight review requirements of FAR 61.56 and any other applicable flight or instrument proficiency requirements, as necessary for you to act as pilot in command.
NOTE: You will need your previously completed BasicMed exam CMEC for your 24-month course requirement to be reentered upon the new completion of the online course. For privacy reasons, AOPA does not have or maintain a copy of any information that you submitted to the FAA via the post course form.
AOPA has created a BasicMed Eligibility and Renewal tool to help. Answer a few questions and we will guide you to a website page with step-by-step instructions on what you need to do to take advantage of BasicMed for the first time or for your renewal.
The results provided by the questionnaire are for informational purposes only. You are responsible for ensuring your compliance with the BasicMed rules.
For more information, please download AOPA BasicMed Course FAQs (PDF 284 KB) and the AOPA BasicMed Pilot and Physician Guide (PDF, 651 KB) that both open in a new tab.
These records must be made available to the FAA upon request, but you are not required to carry them with you when you fly.