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 can take a new check ride for an additional rating or certificate while operating on a temporary pilot certificate.
The FAA states that it is not necessary to wait for a permanent certificate to be issued before pursuing further flight training or check rides.
It is crucial that the temporary certificate remains valid and has not expired at the time of the subsequent check ride, otherwise, the pilot is ineligible.

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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?

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Answer: According to the FAA, you do not have to wait for your pilot certificate (commercial) to be, as you say, out of temporary status before you take your next check ride.

Designated Pilot Examiners (DPEs) contacted for this piece noted that it’s not uncommon for an applicant to take a check ride while still flying on a paper “temporary” certificate. Per cFAR 61.17, “a temporary pilot, flight instructor, or ground instructor certificate or rating is issued for up to 120 days, at which time a permanent certificate will be issued to a person whom the Administrator finds qualified under this part.”

However, if the temporary certificate has expired, and you don’t have the permanent certificate in your possession, you do not hold a valid certificate. Therefore, you are not eligible to take the check ride.

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