Aeromedical examination: the complete 2026 guide (Class 1, Class 2, LAPL)

badge Which certificate for which licence?

The medical certificate is not a single examination: it is linked to the licence you are aiming for. The broader the privileges (passenger transport, commercial flight), the higher the medical standard.

Source: EASA Part-MED, Annex IV to Regulation (EU) 1178/2011. Class 1 includes the privileges of Class 2 and LAPL; Class 2 includes those of the LAPL. If you hold a valid Class 1, you therefore do not need a separate certificate to fly privately.

event_available Validity: how long does my certificate last?

This is the most frequently asked question on forums, and the source of costly mistakes. The durations depend on your age on the day of the examination and the class. Figures from the EASA Part-MED regulatory text (MED.A.045).

* A Class 2 or LAPL certificate issued before the age of 40 ceases to be valid once the age of 42 is reached (the 60-month duration is therefore "capped" at the 42nd birthday).

Revalidation or renewal: the nuance that costs dearly

The same principles of revalidation (within the 45-day period preceding expiry) and renewal (outside this window, thus before or after) apply:

What separates a revalidation from a renewal is not the length of the expiry: it is the 45-day period (MED.A.045 b) and c)1)). The thresholds (less than 2 years, from 2 to 5 years, more than 5 years) intervene within the renewal and determine the content of the examination (MED.A.045 c)2)).

The 45-day period cuts both ways. An examination taken within the 45-day period preceding expiry revalidates the certificate from the expiry date (MED.A.045 b) and a)5)). Taken earlier, it falls outside this window: the examination switches to a renewal (MED.A.045 c)1)) and the new validity starts from the examination date. The cautious pilot who does it three months beforehand gives themselves three months less.

A renewal, including after more than five years of expiry, can be carried out by an AeMC or by an AME, for Class 1 as well as Class 2 (MED.A.040 c)1)). One exception: in Class 1, holders who have reached 60 years of age and are engaged in single-pilot HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) generally fall under an AeMC. Past five years of expiry of the certificate and not five years since the last examination, the confusion is frequent, the examination requirements of the initial issue apply (MED.A.045 c)2) iii)): the examination is as comprehensive as an initial issue examination, but the regulation does not impose the centre. In practice, some AMEs prefer to refer to an AeMC: check with yours.

personal_injury Between two examinations: when your medical fitness may cease

Between two examinations, your medical fitness may cease without any paper indicating it. MED.A.020 a): you shall not exercise the privileges of your licence at any time if you are aware of any decrease in your medical fitness, if you take any prescribed or non-prescribed medication, or if you receive any medical, surgical or other treatment. MED.A.020 b): you must seek aeromedical advice without undue delay and before exercising the privileges in the event of a surgical operation or invasive procedure, the regular use of medication, a significant personal injury, a significant illness, pregnancy, admission to a hospital or medical clinic, or the need for correcting lenses for the first time.

stethoscope How does the examination take place?

The examination is a general medical check-up enhanced with "flight factor" oriented tests. For a Class 2 / LAPL, generally allow one hour. The doctor begins with a medical history questionnaire that you fill out together, then performs a physical examination.

Typical examinations (Class 2 / LAPL): check for abnormalities in the eyes and ears, heart, lungs, abdomen, and limbs; mobility, balance, and coordination; and, if necessary, additional tests such as a blood test or an ECG.

In Class 2, the urine test, vision examination, and hearing test are mandatory at every examination MED.B.035 a): "Each aeromedical examination shall include a urine test." MED.B.080 a)1): "The hearing of the applicant shall be tested at all examinations." MED.B.070 a)2) i): standard ophthalmological examination at the initial issue examination and at all revalidation and renewal examinations. The regime "where the doctor deems it necessary" does exist, but it is specific to the LAPL (MED.B.095 d)).

Not to be confused: in Class 2, this "hearing test" is conversational the doctor checks that you can hear a normal voice. Pure-tone audiometry (the "audiogram" itself) is only required if you hold or are aiming for an instrument rating (IR/BIR); in Class 1, it is systematic (MED.B.080). Its periodicity is set by the text: at the initial issue examination, then every 5 years up to 40 years, every 2 years up to 60 years, and annually thereafter (MED.B.080 a)1) i)): the same rule applies to Class 2 combined with an IR/BIR rating.

For the LAPL, the standard is deliberately lighter: clinical examination, blood pressure measurement, urine test, vision and hearing assessment at the initial issue examination; re-evaluations for those under 50 can be lighter and focus on the medical history.

Three possible outcomes to the examination:

public Where to take your examination, and who decides? (Belgium, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg)

The EASA certificate is the same everywhere, but each country has its own authority, its centres, and its official list of authorised aeromedical examiners. This is precisely where French-speaking pilots get lost, here is the circuit for the four countries. In all cases, the safest reflex is to start from the official list of your national authority (link in the sources at the bottom of the page): the authorised doctors are listed there, up to date.

payments How much does it cost?

The examination is not reimbursed by health insurance: it is a cost to anticipate. Observed orders of magnitude (to be confirmed on a case-by-case basis with the practitioner, fees are free):

As an example in France, one authorised doctor charges €55 for a Class 2 or LAPL examination and €40 for a certificate of non-contraindication, other practitioners charging between €70 and €90; other sources place Class 2 rather around €70-100. In Belgium, some AMEs apply a fixed price per examination regardless of the class, including all standard tests carried out in the practice: any external tests remain separate. In Switzerland, no prices are published: ask the centre for a quote.

paragliding What about microlights? A separate regime, varying by country

It is a constant source of confusion, and the framework is not the same from one French-speaking country to another, hence the value of a European point of view that American websites cannot give you. A transversal rule emerges: the microlight medical becomes stricter as you go from France to Switzerland, from "any doctor" to "mandatory AME".

• France: the lightest. Microlights do not fall under the EASA aeromedical examination. In France, no regulatory text imposes a medical certificate for the microlight pilot licence and certificate in private flying. The amended order of 31 July 1981, which sets these conditions in its §4.5, contains none, and its §2.3, devoted to physical and mental fitness, ends with: "None of the terms of this paragraph concerns the microlight pilot licence." The certificate of non-contraindication (CMNCI) known to French microlight pilots is a condition of the FFPLUM federal licence, not a State obligation. Commercial activity, however, is regulated. The "OPS-ULM" order of 17 February 2025 requires, for carrying a person on board for remuneration (§7.7.7) as for local commercial flights (§5.2.2 c)), that a pilot aged 40 or over holds a medical certificate of absence of contraindication to the practice of a commercial activity in a microlight, or one of the certificates of Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011. Since the order of 16 March 2026 (in force on 1 April 2026), the validity grid is in Appendix C, III: less than five years if the pilot is under 60; less than two years if under 70; less than one year from 70. Appendix C, I specifies that this examination is carried out by any medical doctor. Good to know: the microlight certificate, once obtained, is permanent. The "valid 24 months" sometimes read concerns the theoretical certificate (time limit to obtain the certificate after the written exam), not the certificate itself: a frequent confusion that we take care not to reproduce.
• Belgium, stricter than in France. To fly a microlight, you must demonstrate your fitness to an authorised aeromedical examiner (AME) and hold a Class 1, 2 or LAPL certificate. Paramotoring requires a national Class 4, or a European Class 1/2. The Belgian microlight therefore does not escape the aeromedical examiner, unlike the French microlight. (Source: DGTA / mobilit.belgium.be, microlight and paramotor medical certificate pages.)
• Luxembourg: a national route. The DAC issues a national microlight licence; the accepted medical is a Part-MED (EASA) or national certificate. Microlights therefore have their own medical route, distinct from Part-MED AMEs alone. (Source: DAC / guichet.public.lu.)
• Switzerland: the most demanding, and no true light microlight regime. "Classic" microlights remain outside the national framework; only Ecolights registered HB can fly, under a Swiss UL licence (backed by EASA licences) with a LAPL or Class 2 level medical, issued by an AME. Foreign microlights only enter Swiss airspace with a special permission (AIC 003/2022; official FOCA list of admitted types). In Switzerland, you are therefore at the EASA licence level, not a lightened microlight level. (Source: FOCA/BAZL.)

checklist Preparing for your examination: the checklist

Practical common-sense advice, confirmed by practitioners:

1. 01

   Be honest on the medical questionnaire. The doctor is your ally, not your opponent: an omission discovered later is much more problematic.

2. 02

   Bring your documents: ID, glasses/lenses + their prescription, prescriptions and recent test results if you are undergoing treatment.

3. 03

   Avoid alcohol the day before and excessive coffee in the morning: it can distort blood pressure and ECG.

4. 04

   Report any medication or supplement taken recently. Some treatments can influence blood pressure, ECG tracing, or urine tests. The right reflex is not to stop a treatment on your own before the examination, but to talk to the AME about it: it is precisely their job to take it into account. If in doubt about a regular treatment, ask the question before D-day.

5. 05

   For an initial Class 1, anticipate: make an appointment several weeks in advance and do it before committing to significant training costs.

(Detailed guide in the "Preparing for your medical examination" sub-page.)

help Frequently asked questions

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