Where to take your initial class 1 medical: centres, wait times and costs by country

The basic rule: initial = AeMC, subsequent visits = AME

Two words to know, because they do not mean the same thing: revalidation is the routine examination you take before your certificate expires; renewal is when it is already expired. On this page, "subsequent visits" covers both.

This is the point that many applicants discover late. The first class 1 (the "initial") can only be taken in an approved aeromedical centre (AeMC, Aeromedical Centre), a complete technical platform. An aeromedical examiner (AME) alone cannot issue it. However, once you have your class 1 in hand, subsequent visits are done with a class 1 approved AME: closer to home, and easier to organise. A caveat if you resume after a break: beyond five years without a valid certificate, the examination requirements of the initial apply again; this is point MED.A.045(c)(2) of the European regulation. A heavier examination, therefore. But beware of the shortcut: the regulation provides that a class 1 certificate can be renewed by an AeMC or by an AME (MED.A.040(c)(1)). It nowhere states that after five years you must return to a centre. It is your authority that will tell you where to take that specific examination: ask them before booking an appointment. Each authority publishes the official list of its AeMCs and AMEs, and you should always check there, as it evolves.

Où passer l'initial, pays par pays

🇧🇪 Belgique

L'initial se passe en centre aéromédical agréé. La Belgique en compte trois, tous les trois habilités classe 1 : d'après la liste officielle de la DGTA, mise à jour le 01/07/2026 : Attentia Aviation Medical (BE.MED.AeMC.001), CEMA-ECLG (002) et le CMA de l'hôpital militaire (003). Deux d'entre eux publient leur grille tarifaire : le CEMA le centre d'expertise de médecine aéronautique de Medex (SPF Santé publique), place Victor Horta 40/10 à 1060 Bruxelles, et le CMA, le centre de médecine aéronautique de l'Hôpital militaire, rue Bruyn 1, 1120 Bruxelles, le quartier de Neder-over-Heembeek. ⚠️ CEMA et Medex ne sont pas deux centres différents : le CEMA est le centre aéromédical de Medex la confusion est fréquente. Le troisième, Attentia Aviation Medical (Brussels Airport, building 26, 1930 Zaventem, ex-Brussels Aviation Medical Center, renommé le 1^er octobre 2025), est bien agréé sous le numéro BE.MED.AeMC.001 et couvre les classes 1, 2, 3, LAPL et CC. Il ne publie pas ses tarifs : demandez-les à la prise de rendez-vous. Avant de réserver là, vérifiez-le sur la liste de la DGTA, qui fait foi.

En Belgique, un test psychologique est obligatoire à la classe 1 initiale depuis le 1^er juillet 2019, et il se facture sur une ligne à part, à un prix différent d'un centre à l'autre. Ce qui est propre à la Belgique ici, c'est cette facturation séparée, n'en déduisez pas qu'ailleurs il n'existe rien d'équivalent : simplement, aucun autre pays de cette page ne publie de ligne dédiée. Côté coûts, ce que les deux grilles publient :

⚠️ Deux centres, deux grilles, ce tableau se lit colonne par colonne, jamais en travers. Le test psychologique est à 400 € au CEMA et à 300 € au CMA. Sur téléphone, faites défiler le tableau vers la droite pour voir la colonne CMA.

Tarifs relevés le 26/07/2026 sur les sites des deux centres. CEMA : grille « 2026, TVA comprise ». CMA : grille datée 2025, elle peut donc avoir bougé, demandez confirmation. ⚠️ Ne fusionnez pas les deux colonnes : le test psychologique est à 400 € au CEMA et à 300 € au CMA.

⚠️ Ces deux grilles ne sont pas le prix du marché. La classe 2 et la LAPL ne se passent pas qu'en centre : un AME agréé exerçant en cabinet peut les réaliser, et ses honoraires sont libres. Ils ne sont pas tous publics, mais certains le sont : un cabinet belge affiche 210 € TTC en prix fixe pour une classe 2, analyses de laboratoire externes non comprises, tarif relevé le 13/08/2026 sur son site. C'est près de 180 € de moins que la même visite dans un des deux centres. Un seul tarif public ne fait pas une moyenne : appelez deux ou trois AME de la liste officielle de la DGTA et comparez avant de réserver.

À titre de repère complémentaire, un médecin agréé belge (Dr Marc-André Polet, AME) indiquait en août 2026 les ordres de grandeur suivants en cabinet, honoraires libres et à confirmer au cas par cas : classe 2 initiale autour de 200 €, LAPL environ 150 €, visite d'entrée PNC (cabin crew) environ 150 €, et renouvellement de classe 1 à partir de 200 €, examens complémentaires en sus. Ce sont des indications de terrain, pas une grille publiée.

Les délais ne sont pas publiés, mais réputés longs : entre la demande de rendez-vous et la réception du résultat, un directeur d'école m'a indiqué en juillet 2026 compter près d'un an au total entre la demande de rendez-vous et la réception du résultat : un seul témoignage, aucun chiffre officiel.

🇫🇷 France

L'admission initiale classe 1 est réservée aux AeMC - sept selon la liste DGAC consultée le 26/07/2026, dont quatre seulement en métropole : Percy/Clamart, Roissy, Toulon et Toulouse-Blagnac. Les trois autres sont ultramarins (La Réunion, Nouvelle-Calédonie, Antilles-Guyane). Deux de ces centres publient une grille, et elles ne disent pas la même chose. Le CEMPN de Toulouse (centre d'expertise médicale du personnel navigant) affiche 810 € pour l'admission initiale. Le CEMPN de Toulon, à l'hôpital d'instruction des armées Sainte-Anne, affiche 460 € mais sur une ligne libellée « visite initiale PNT, classe 3 et parachutiste professionnel », qui n'emploie jamais le mot « classe 1 » : je ne peux pas vous affirmer que c'est exactement le même acte qu'à Toulouse, et je ne vais pas le supposer. Demandez-le au centre. Les deux grilles ont été relevées le 26/07/2026 et aucune des deux ne porte de date d'application. Percy publie aussi ses tarifs, par renvoi à une circulaire du service de santé des armées. Ce qu'il faut en retenir : il n'y a pas « un prix français ». Ne budgétez pas sur un seul chiffre, appelez le centre où vous irez. À noter aussi, Percy et Toulon sont des hôpitaux militaires ouverts au personnel navigant civil : vérifiez à l'appel ce qu'ils prennent en ce moment. Les visites suivantes, elles, peuvent se faire chez un AME classe 1. Aucun délai n'est publié, ni pour le rendez-vous en AeMC, ni pour l'instruction d'un dossier renvoyé au Pôle médical du personnel navigant. Anticipez.

Where to take the initial class 1, country by country

🇧🇪 Belgium

The initial is taken in an approved aeromedical centre. Belgium has three, all three class 1 approved: according to the official BCAA list, updated on 01/07/2026: Attentia Aviation Medical (BE.MED.AeMC.001), CEMA-ECLG (002) and the CMA of the Military Hospital (003). Two of them publish their pricing grid: the CEMA, the aeromedical expertise centre of Medex (FPS Public Health), place Victor Horta 40/10 in 1060 Brussels, and the CMA, the aeromedical centre of the Military Hospital, rue Bruyn 1, 1120 Brussels, in the Neder-over-Heembeek district. ⚠️ CEMA and Medex are not two different centres: CEMA is the aeromedical centre of Medex, the confusion is common. The third, Attentia Aviation Medical (Brussels Airport, building 26, 1930 Zaventem, formerly Brussels Aviation Medical Center, renamed on October 1, 2025), is indeed approved under the number BE.MED.AeMC.001 and covers classes 1, 2, 3, LAPL and CC. It does not publish its rates: ask for them when booking an appointment. Before booking there, check it on the BCAA list, which is authoritative.

In Belgium, a psychological test is mandatory for the initial class 1 since 1 July 2019, and it is invoiced on a separate line, at a different price from one centre to another. What is specific to Belgium here is this separate invoicing; do not deduce that elsewhere there is nothing equivalent: simply, no other country on this page publishes a dedicated line. Regarding costs, what the two grids publish:

⚠️ Two centres, two grids, this table is read column by column, never across. The psychological test is €400 at CEMA and €300 at CMA. On a phone, scroll the table to the right to see the CMA column.

🇫🇷 France

The AeMCs are the CEMPNs (Aeromedical Examination Centres). Their list and contact details are published by the DGAC (PDF updated on 17/04/2024, still the online version on 26/07/2026). Five centres: Percy (Clamart), Roissy, Toulouse-Blagnac, Toulon (HIA Sainte-Anne) and Bordeaux (HIA Robert Picqué). Some publish a pricing grid, others do not. On this page, I only list what the centres publish, not what candidates declare on forums. See the table below.

🇨🇭 Switzerland

The initial must be taken in an AeMC listed by the FOCA. Since the closure of the AeMC in Geneva, there are no centres left in French-speaking Switzerland. The two remaining AeMCs are in German-speaking Switzerland: the FAI (Fliegerärztliches Institut) of the Air Force in Dübendorf, and Swiss (Swiss Medical Services) in Kloten. None of them publish their rates online. It is generally necessary to budget around CHF 500 for the basic examination, but additional examinations (ophthalmology, cardiology, etc.) are billed extra and easily double this amount: ask for a detailed quote when making an appointment.

🇱🇺 Luxembourg

The DAC (Direction de l'Aviation Civile) publishes its list of centres and approved examiners. There is a single AeMC for the initial class 1 in Luxembourg: the Centre Aéromédical de la DAC, rue de Strasbourg in Luxembourg City. The price is not published.

🇪🇸 Spain

The Spanish authority: AESA (Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aérea; note, in French this acronym also designates the European agency, it is not the same thing), publishes the list of its approved aeromedical centres. Many candidates mention Spain for the speed of appointments: let's be clear, this is a reputation, not a data point. This list, dated June 11, 2026, is grouped by autonomous community and specifies that these centres cover all classes, including initial. It provides the contact details of each centre, but no rates and no wait times, and I have not found any elsewhere on the Spanish side. Before buying a ticket, call two or three centres on the list and get a date confirmed in writing.

Cost of the initial class 1, what is actually published

A precaution before reading this table: these amounts cannot be compared with each other. The Belgian totals include the psychological test; the French amounts do not say exactly what they cover. None of them include additional expert assessments, triggered on a case-by-case basis. Read each line as "what this particular centre publishes", not as "what a class 1 costs in this country".

Private practices and non-grid centres set their fees freely. These amounts concern the examination; they do not include any additional expert assessments, triggered on a case-by-case basis and billed extra. The Toulouse CEMPN grid prices 245 € for ophthalmology, ENT or colour vision expertise; it publishes nothing for cardiology, do not assume it is the same order of magnitude. Public data, subject to change, always check with the centre.

"Can I just go take it in Spain?"

Yes, it is legally possible. Medical certificates delivered according to the Part-MED (the medical section of the European regulation) are recognised by all EASA member states, as stated in Article MED.A.005. So taking an initial class 1 in Spain (or elsewhere in Europe) to avoid a six-month wait is an option. However, before doing so, two points are rarely explained on forums:

1. The SOLI transfer: Your medical file and your pilot licence must be managed by the same authority (State of Licence Issue, SOLI). If you take your medical examination in Spain, your medical file is opened in Spain (AESA). But if you are training in France, your licence will be issued in France (DGAC). You will therefore have to request a transfer of your medical file from Spain to France. This is the SOLI procedure. It takes time, several months, and some authorities charge for it. Until this transfer is finalised, the DGAC will not issue your licence. This is written in black and white by the DGAC (Guide to aircrew medical-administrative practices, November 2025, page 55, section 8.1.1): "the AeMC that declares an initial fitness must be able to link this fitness to a state of licence issue (SOLI) [...]. It acts on behalf of a competent authority and submits the medical file to the Medical Assessor of this competent authority." Then (page 56, section 8.2), they confirm the SOLI procedure for the transfer. You have been warned.
2. Unfitness abroad: The authority that issues the refusal is the one that manages your file. If you are deemed unfit in Spain, you will have to manage your appeal with the Spanish authority, in Spanish (or English if they accept it), with their own deadlines. See the page on medical appeals. You cannot just come back to France and act as if nothing happened: the refusal is recorded, and the DGAC will see it.

If you decide to do it anyway, the first rule of this page remains: see a local AME for a preliminary check before booking a flight to Madrid.

Where to find official centre lists

Never rely on a copied list: always go to the authority, because approvals change. The official entry points, clickable: DGAC, directory of AeMCs, version of 07/07/2026 (PDF) for France · BCAA, medical centres (AeMC) for Belgium · FOCA for Switzerland · DAC, list of aeromedical centres and approved examiners for Luxembourg · AESA, centros médicos aeronáuticos for Spain. Each publishes the up-to-date list of its AeMCs and AMEs.

Frequently asked questions

To go further

This page tells you where and how much. For the rest: the medical examination guide (classes, validity, age limits), preparing for your examination: the checklist, the psychological side, and if you get stuck, unfitness and appeals.