Can You Take a Check Ride on a Temporary Pilot Certificate?

FAA has rules about whether pilots can add a new rating while flying on a paper credential.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at 10:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

When you acquire pilot certificates and ratings rapidly, you may be ready for the next check ride while flying on a temporary certificate. But is that legal? [Credit: iStock]

Key Takeaways:

Pilots are permitted to take subsequent check rides and add new ratings or certificates while operating on a temporary airman certificate.
The temporary certificate must be valid and unexpired at the time of the new check ride; an expired temporary certificate makes the pilot ineligible.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Question: I recently earned my Airplane Single-Engine Land (ASEL) instrument rating and am working on my Commercial Single-Engine Land (CSEL) certificate with plans for the Commercial Multi-Engine Land (CMEL) add-on afterward. After passing my IR check ride with the temporary airman certificate in hand, it made me wonder if you are able to add on to a temporary certificate, or do you have to wait until the FAA processes it?

Asked another way, can I enroll in an accelerated CMEL add-on course that usually only takes a couple of weeks immediately after earning CSEL, or do I need to wait until the commercial certificate is out of the temporary status?