If your permanent FAA pilot certificate has not arrived, read the expiration date on your temporary certificate and contact the issuing examiner or responsible FAA office before that date. A delayed card does not extend the temporary document.

The Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, is the U.S. aviation authority. This guide helps pilots and flight-school staff organize a follow-up: find out whether the application was received, needs a correction or has already produced a card. That administrative answer is separate from whether the pilot has the document required for a planned flight.

Read the temporary certificate first

14 CFR 61.17 allows a temporary certificate to be issued for up to 120 days. It expires on the date printed on it, when the permanent certificate is received, or when the applicant receives notice that the certificate or rating sought is denied or revoked.

Record the issue date and expiration date from the document itself, along with its ratings and limitations. An upload date, school reminder or later email does not reset that period.

Before flying, identify the current document that supports the intended activity. Section 61.3(a) sets the certificate or authority and photo-identification requirements for a required pilot flight crewmember of a U.S. civil aircraft. An application-status screenshot is not one of those credentials.

A lost card needs a different follow-up from an unprocessed application. If the FAA confirms that a certificate was issued and lost, ask about a duplicate and the separate temporary authority under section 61.29(e). That authority may be carried for up to 60 days while the duplicate is pending, subject to suspension or revocation notice. The request includes the date the duplicate was requested. It is not an automatic extension of the original temporary certificate.

Find out where your application stands

The FAA Airmen Certification page, checked September 12, 2026, says it is processing permanent certificates for temporary certificates issued approximately July 29, 2026. That is a moving reference for the agency's workload, not a delivery promise for your application.

Use the live page, then ask about your own case. Prepare a small file containing:

  • A readable copy of the temporary certificate and its expiration date.
  • The application reference and FAA Tracking Number, or FTN, if available.
  • The issuing examiner's details and any correspondence about corrections.
  • The mailing address used in the application and any confirmed address change.

Have these ready; send only what the official channel requests. A school can help organize the information without distributing the pilot's complete identity file to everyone involved in scheduling.

For a submission or correction question, start with the issuing examiner or responsible Flight Standards District Office, the FAA's local office often called an FSDO. For permanent-certificate processing, use the Airmen Certification Branch contact page. Its published numbers are 866-878-2498 and 405-954-3261, with telephone assistance Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Central Time.

A short inquiry might say: “My application reference is X. My temporary certificate expires on Y, and the permanent card has not arrived. Has the application been received, is anything missing or incorrect, and has a card been issued or mailed?” This is a drafting aid, not an official form.

Record the reply, the date and the next action. A confirmation that the application was received does not also confirm that it is complete or that a card was mailed.

Use the correction route for your application

The IACRA FAQ explains different correction paths depending on whether the application is still with the applicant, under review or already submitted to the Registry. IACRA is the FAA's online certification application system.

If a submitted application or temporary certificate contains an error, involve the certifying officer. Editing a scan in your own folder does not correct the FAA record. Keep the confirmation of what was corrected, and compare any replacement document with the issue you raised.

For pilots using the FAA-EASA bilateral conversion route, AC 61-143 Change 1 provides specific guidance. EASA is the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. Paragraph 10.3.1.2 directs the applicant to the issuing examiner or FSDO when the temporary period has elapsed without receipt of the permanent certificate. Paragraph 10.3.2.1 identifies the address on Form 8710-1 as the mailing destination.

That circular expressly excludes the separate foreign-license route under section 61.75. Being a European pilot does not by itself identify which application procedure you used.

Keep the service agent separate from the card address

An agent for service receives official FAA documents on a person's behalf. The FAA USAS FAQ says designation is required when a person has a foreign address of record, has no U.S. physical address of record, and holds or applies for a covered credential, including those under Part 61. Nationality is not the test.

The FAQ gives April 2, 2025 for applicants and July 7, 2025 for existing holders. These are existing compliance dates, not new September 2026 deadlines. Designation is made through the USAS portal.

Check your recorded addresses and designation where applicable. Do not assume that appointing an agent updates the address for the permanent card, or that living abroad explains a delay. Ask the FAA what is actually missing from your case.

A follow-up that a colleague can understand

Consider a fictional pilot, Alex, whose temporary certificate is approaching its printed expiration date. The school has written only “certificate pending” in its booking notes.

Alex gathers the application reference and asks the issuing examiner about the file. Suppose the response identifies a correction that is still needed. Alex follows the official instructions and records when the corrected material was submitted.

The school now has a useful note: the document held, its expiration date, the correction requested and who will follow up. Submission alone does not establish a current credential for a later flight. When the permanent card arrives, the responsible person checks the corrected details and records receipt.

This suggested method organizes correspondence; it does not grant or extend flight privileges. The rules and FAA guidance above were rechecked September 12, 2026, including the eCFR text current through September 10. For the broader document-review question, read how to check certificate status today.