Flying as a Non-U.S. Citizen

You do not have to be a U.S. citizen to learn to fly. Most people who are neither U.S. citizens nor U.S. nationals must complete TSA screening before covered flight training begins.

The current TSA program is the Flight Training Security Program (FTSP). It was formerly called the Alien Flight Student Program (AFSP). FTSP eligibility and immigration authorization are separate. A TSA Determination of Eligibility does not change what your visa or immigration status permits.

What to do

  1. Confirm that your immigration status permits the training you plan to take. MIT students and scholars should ask the MIT International Students Office before enrolling. If flight training is the main reason you are coming to the United States, a student visa may be required. Vocational study generally uses the M visa category, and a school must be SEVP-certified to issue the required Form I-20.
  2. Choose a flight training provider and tell them you are an FTSP candidate. Flight schools and individual flight instructors are flight training providers under the rule. The provider must use the FTSP Portal to verify your eligibility and report your training event to TSA.
  3. Apply through the TSA FTSP Portal. Create your candidate account at fts.tsa.dhs.gov. The application requires biographic and biometric information, identity documents, and the applicable fee. TSA also performs an immigration check and an FBI fingerprint-based records check. Follow the portal’s instructions for fingerprints and immigration documents, select your provider, and complete every TSA request. TSA states that it processes complete applications within 30 days.
  4. Wait until your provider confirms that you may begin. Your provider must verify a valid TSA Determination of Eligibility and notify TSA about the proposed training event. The regulation allows a provider to begin after 30 days from TSA’s acknowledgement, or after five business days for candidates TSA confirms are eligible for expedited processing. Ground instruction and a qualifying discovery flight used only to demonstrate a provider’s program are outside the FTSP definition of flight training. Ask the provider before assuming that any flight is exempt.
  5. Get the FAA credentials needed before solo flight. You do not need a student pilot certificate merely to take lessons with an instructor, but you need one before solo. Apply through IACRA, usually with your instructor. For ordinary student solo flight in an airplane, you also normally need at least a third-class FAA medical certificate. Medical exceptions exist for operations such as gliders, balloons, and qualifying sport-pilot privileges, so confirm the requirement for your training path.
  6. Keep your records current. A TSA Determination of Eligibility can remain valid for up to five years, but it ends sooner if your authorization to remain in the United States expires, you are convicted of a disqualifying offense, or TSA determines that you pose a security threat. Upload renewed immigration documents through the portal when required, and stop training if your eligibility expires.

Training covered by FTSP

FTSP generally covers instruction in fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft and FAA-recognized aircraft simulators when the instruction develops a new skill, leads to a certificate or type rating, or maintains a certificate or rating through recurrent training. The rule excludes ground training, balloons, gliders, ultralights, unmanned aircraft, and certain other activities. Your provider must decide how the rule applies to a specific lesson.

Helpful resources

Reviewed September 22, 2026. Federal rules can change, and immigration requirements depend on individual circumstances. TSA, FAA, Department of State, DHS, and MIT ISO guidance control.