Aliens (From AOPA)
This applies to aliens who are receiving flight training inside or outside the United States for an U.S. airman certificate.
- Candidate Notifies Flight School. The flight training candidate should provide advanced notice to the flight school that he or she intends to start flight training.
- Flight School Registers. After the candidate notifies the flight school of their intent to start flight training, the flight school needs to register online with TSA at https://www.flightschoolcandidates.gov/fsindex.html. After accessing the AFSP provider Web page, scroll down the page to select "new account." After registering, for flight schools in the United States, a user ID will be immediately provided and a password will be sent later via e-mail. For flight schools outside the United States, follow the instructions provided at the provider registration Web page.
- Candidate Creates Login. The candidate is required to create a login account at https://www.flightschoolcandidates.gov. A user ID is provided immediately after submitting the required information, and a password is sent via e-mail. (Time may vary on receiving the password — possibly 24 to 48 hours.)
- Candidate Applies for Training.
After receiving his or her password, the candidate will be instructed
to change it. The candidate then logs into the TSA student registration
page at https://www.flightschoolcandidates.gov and continues the application process.
The candidate will be required to submit the following information:
- Background Information. Full name, gender, current address and five-year address history, date and country of birth, and citizenship information.
- TSA Identification Number. The TSA identification number is not given to the candidate. Rather, it is an internal designator only seen by TSA.
- Passport and Visa Information. Foreign applicants are required to have a passport. A candidate may either scan his or her complete passport and submit it to TSA electronically, or copy his or her complete passport and fax it to TSA using the fax number provided on the AFSP Web site.
- Training Details. Basic information including the name of the school, course name, course description and ID number, type of aircraft, pilot certificate or rating sought, and the start and end dates for the flight training. If the flight school is already registered with TSA, it might be helpful if the candidate brings his or visa and passport and registers at the flight school. This will allow the flight school to upload the required documents to TSA and also to make copies for the flight school's record-keeping requirements. Upon completion of the application, the candidate will be prompted to click on the "validate and submit" icon. If any errors appear in the application, the candidate will be instructed to make any necessary corrections or complete any missing information. After making any changes, the candidate clicks on "submit application." Furthermore, after submitting the application, and for the application to proceed further, the candidate must select "I agree" or "I disagree" after reviewing important information regarding his or her application. The candidate training request status is available on the AFSP candidate home page at https://www.flightschoolcandidates.gov. Each training request the candidate has entered into the system is listed in the Current Flight Training Applications section of the AFSP home page after login.
- Fingerprints. Free fingerprinting forms are available by calling the American Association of Airport Executives at 703/797-2550. (AAAE has reported that it is not issuing fingerprinting forms to candidates, only flight schools and instructors.) Flight schools may opt to receive the fingerprinting forms via express or overnight mail for a charge. Additionally, a prepaid return envelope for returning the forms to AAAE may also be provided for a charge.
A candidate's fingerprints must be collected by or under the supervision of one of the following:
- A U.S. federal, state, or local law enforcement agency.
- U.S. government personnel at a U.S. embassy or consulate that possesses appropriate fingerprint collection equipment and personnel certified to capture fingerprints.
- Another entity approved by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or TSA, including airports that possess appropriate fingerprint collection equipment and personnel certified to capture fingerprints.
A list of domestic and international fingerprinting locations is available at www.tsc-csc.com/printoffices/. The prints can be taken either electronically or by the provided forms. After they are completed, the prints are sent back to AAAE (an address is provided on the fingerprinting forms), who then forwards a copy to TSA. Additional instructions can be found on TSA's Web site at https://www.flightschoolcandidates.gov/fp_instr.html. *Note: Any candidate who has previously submitted fingerprints and received confirmation of fingerprint receipt for a prior AFSP training request is not required to resubmit fingerprints. If possible, TSA will use the fingerprints on file for that candidate.
- $130 Application Processing Fee. The fee must be paid by credit card on the TSA's Web site. (Candidates now have a maximum of 10 attempts at paying the processing fee. After the tenth failure, the training request is canceled by TSA's system, and the candidate must submit a new training request. Please verify that your credit card is valid before attempting to pay the processing fee).
- Photo. The student should have his or her photo
taken by the flight school when he or she arrives at the flight school
for the first day of flight training. The flight school will be
required to upload this same photo, not one copied from the candidate's
passport or other identification, to TSA's Web site or have it faxed to
TSA at 703/542-1221. For guidance on taking and uploading the photo of
the candidate, please see the frequently asked questions section below.
- Draft — Candidate has started to enter request, but it has not yet been submitted. Next step: Candidate (or provider for Category 4) selects the "Validate and Submit Application" icon and corrects errors prior to submitting the request.
- Submitted — The request has been fully submitted. Next step (Category 1-3): Provider logs into Web site to validate or deny the request.
- Provider Accepted — Provider accepted the candidate's request. Next step: Candidate pays the $130 AFSP fee online. Once the fee has been received by TSA, an authorized agent fingerprints the candidate.
- Provider Rejected — Provider rejected the candidate's request. Next step: Candidate contacts the provider to inquire about denial of request.
- Preliminary Approval Granted — Preliminary approval has been granted to the candidate.
- Fingerprints Received — TSA has received the candidate's fingerprints. Next step: Category 1 candidates — up to 30 calendar days to receive approval; Category 2 candidates — up to five business days to receive approval; Category 3 and 4 candidates will not receive this status.
- Final Approval Granted — Candidate has been granted final approval for the training request. Next step: Training must commence within 180 days of final approval.
- Final Approval Rejected — Candidate has been denied training.
- Insufficient Information — Candidate has submitted a training request with incomplete or inaccurate information. Candidates should then carefully follow the e-mail instructions given to edit and resubmit the training request.
- Illegible Passport/Security Document Received
— Candidate's passport or airman certificate has either not been
received by the AFSP or the copy sent was unreadable. Candidate should
resend the documents via e-mail to AFSP.help@dhs.gov or fax them to 703/542-1221. Be sure to include the training request ID number with the resubmission to ensure proper filing.
Further questions about the status of your flight training request should be directed to TSA by e-mail to AFSP.Help@dhs.gov.
- Flight School Acknowledges Training Request. The flight school will be sent an e-mail from TSA requesting confirmation of the candidate's training request after the candidate's request has been submitted.
- Candidate Instructed to Pay Fee. Once the flight school confirms the candidate's request, the candidate will be e-mailed instructions to pay the $130 processing fee (credit card only). Candidates now have a maximum of 10 attempts at paying the processing fee. After the tenth failure, the training request is canceled by TSA's system, and the candidate must submit a new training request. Please verify that your credit card is valid before attempting to pay the processing fee.
- Flight School and Candidate Receive Preliminary TSA Decision. Upon receiving the payment, TSA e-mails both the candidate and the flight school an e-mail with the subject "Preliminary Approval." THIS DOES NOT GRANT YOU PERMISSION TO RECEIVE TRAINING. This e-mail confirms the application and fee have been received by TSA, but they still need to receive the candidate's fingerprints. If the preliminary decision is not received within seven business days, contact the TSA Help Desk at 703/542-1222.
- Candidate Instructed to Submit Fingerprints.
If the preliminary decision is favorable, candidates will receive an
e-mail from AFSP with a subject "Fingerprint Instructions" when a
successful payment has been verified. Although you may receive a
notification from Pay.Gov for a successful payment, your training
request will not be processed by AFSP until the payment is verified by
TSA and you have been sent the "Fingerprint Instructions" e-mail. If
the decision is not favorable, the candidate will be provided details
regarding any information that may be missing from their registration.
For more details on how to get fingerprints taken, click here.
*Note — Any candidate who has previously submitted fingerprints and
received confirmation of fingerprint receipt for a prior AFSP training
request is not required to resubmit fingerprints. If possible, TSA will
use the fingerprints on file for that candidate.
Notice: Effective April 17, 2006, if a candidate submits/submitted fingerprints prior to paying for his/her training request and receiving the official Alien Flight Student Program (AFSP) fingerprinting instructions, the fingerprints are invalid, and the associated training request(s) will be canceled. The fingerprints will NOT be applied to any current or future training request. Both the candidate and the provider will receive an e-mail notifying them that the fingerprints are invalid, the training request(s) is/are canceled, and what steps need to be taken to resolve the problem to complete processing through the AFSP. - Flight School and Candidate Receive TSA Confirmation. Prior to beginning any flight training, both the candidate and the flight training provider will receive an e-mail with the subject "Permission to Initiate Training/Fingerprint Receipt" when all of the required information has been received and verified by TSA. This e-mail needs to be received by the candidate before training is started.
- Flight School Takes Photo. The flight school takes a photo of the candidate when he or she arrives for the first day of flight training. The flight school will be required to upload this same photo, not one copied from the candidate's passport or other identification, to TSA's Web site or have it faxed to TSA at 703/542-1221. For guidance on taking and uploading the photo of the candidate, please see the FAQ section below.
- Final Determination Is Made by TSA. TSA will make a final determination as to the candidate's eligibility to receive flight training (training may have already started) and will notify the flight school and candidate of its decision.
