How Do New Flight Students Obtain Credentials?

Here's what you need to know about obtaining a TSA endorsement and applying for a student pilot certificate.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, March 08, 2023 at 03:45 PM ET

Verified

An instructor and a student preflight a Cessna 152 before a lesson. [Credit: Richard Steiger]

Key Takeaways:

For U.S. citizens, a TSA endorsement is issued by your flight instructor after verifying your citizenship with an unexpired passport or a driver's license/state ID and birth certificate.
The student pilot certificate requires an online application through the FAA's IACRA system, which involves creating an account and filling out personal details.
Your flight instructor will help you complete the IACRA application, verifying your driver's license and English proficiency, and upon submission, you'll receive a Federal Tracking Number (FTN) and a temporary certificate.
As a student pilot, you are explicitly prohibited from carrying passengers in the aircraft.

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Question: I have just started flight training. I was told that I need to get a TSA endorsement and then a student pilot certificate. That seems like an awful lot of work before I have even touched an airplane—how am I supposed to do this?

Answer: Provided you are a U.S. citizen, the TSA endorsement will be issued by your flight instructor after he or she verifies your citizenship using either an unexpired passport or a combination of your driver’s license or state ID card and a birth certificate. If you are a foreign national, the TSA endorsement is a little more complicated. The endorsement goes in your logbook.

(For foreign nationals, details can be found at the Flight Training Security Program.)