FAA vs EASA Pilot Licence: The Differences, and How to Convert Each Way

Same aeroplanes, same physics, two very different rulebooks. The FAA issues certificates with one written test each and a checkride; EASA issues licences with a block of theory exams — thirteen for the ATPL — and a skill test. The FAA needs 1,500 hours for an airline First Officer; Europe hires on a frozen ATPL at a few hundred. Neither licence is valid on the other side’s register without conversion. Here is how the two systems differ and what converting costs in each direction.

The comparison at a glance

Theory: one written vs thirteen exams

An FAA pilot sits one knowledge test per certificate: 60 questions for private, 100 for commercial, 125 for ATP, each in a single sitting. The material is the FAA handbooks and 14 CFR. A European ATPL student sits thirteen subjects — Air Law, Aircraft General Knowledge, Instrumentation, Mass and Balance, Performance, Flight Planning, Human Performance, Meteorology, General Navigation, Radio Navigation, Operational Procedures, Principles of Flight, Communications — in up to six sittings within 18 months, each subject a separate exam of one to three hours. The EASA syllabus goes deeper in performance, navigation and meteorology; the FAA tests go deeper in US regulations, airspace and weather products. Neither is harder in the abstract; the EASA route is longer.

Hours: the 1,500 wall vs the frozen ATPL

Since 2013 every US Part 121 First Officer needs an ATP, and the ATP needs 1,500 hours (750–1,250 under the R-ATP). Americans therefore build time — instructing, Part 135, banner towing — for two or three years before the first airline job. Europe has no such rule: a frozen ATPL (CPL, multi-engine IR, all thirteen exams) is employable, and the airline sets the floor — none at Air France, 70 hours at Aegean, 500 at KLM and SAS. The consequence: a European sits in an A320 at 250 hours; an American of equal skill is still instructing. See the hours requirements table.

Medicals, English and age

The FAA First Class medical (12 months under 40, 6 months over) and the EASA Class 1 (12 months under 40, 6 months over 60 or in single-pilot commercial ops) are broadly equivalent and neither accepts the other. The FAA marks “English proficient” on the certificate; EASA endorses an ICAO language level that must be renewed (level 4 every 4 years, level 5 every 6, level 6 for life). Ages: FAA private 17, commercial 18, ATP 23 (21 R-ATP); EASA PPL 17, CPL 18, ATPL 21. Both retire airline pilots at 65.

Converting EASA to FAA

• Private privileges only: 14 CFR 61.75 issues a US private pilot certificate on the basis of a foreign licence — no test, but it depends on the foreign licence staying valid and carries no commercial privileges. Useful for renting a Cessna in Florida, not for a career.
• Commercial and ATP: full FAA process. FAA medical, the FAA knowledge test for the certificate (ATP-CTP first for the ATM), and the practical test. Your EASA hours count toward the 1,500; your EASA theory does not replace the FAA written. Expect a few weeks and a few thousand dollars if you already have the hours, plus a US work authorisation before any airline will look at you.
• Instrument rating: an FAA instrument rating can be added to a 61.75 certificate by passing the instrument knowledge test (the foreign IR must be valid); for a stand-alone FAA IR, the practical test applies.

Converting FAA to EASA

• The rulebook: Regulation (EU) 2020/723 governs conversion of third-country licences. Credits depend on experience, and some routes have been simplified by the EU–US bilateral agreement on pilot licensing for private-level privileges; check the national authority you will apply to, because implementation varies.
• Theory: for a CPL or ATPL you sit the EASA theory exams — all thirteen for the ATPL — at an approved training organisation, after a bridging course. This is the slow, expensive part: 6–12 months of study.
• Flying: a skill test for the CPL and the IR with an EASA examiner, after whatever training the ATO requires; a Class 1 medical from an EASA aeromedical centre; ICAO English endorsement.
• Experienced ATP holders: an FAA ATP with 1,500 hours including 500 multi-pilot may be credited toward the EASA ATPL skill test, but the theory exams still stand. Airlines in Europe also want the right to work in the EU/EEA, which no licence conversion gives you.

Which to train under

Train where you have the right to work: no conversion is as hard as a visa. If you have both, the FAA route is cheaper to the licence and slower to the airline seat; the EASA route is longer in the classroom and faster to the right-hand seat of a jet. A European who wants to fly in the US needs a green card before anything else; an American who wants to fly in Europe needs an EU passport or residence permit and then thirteen exams. For the airlines themselves, see USA and Canada and Europe on the jobs board.

Common questions

Is an FAA licence valid in Europe? Not for flying EU-registered aircraft commercially. An FAA certificate can be converted to an EASA licence under Regulation (EU) 2020/723: EASA Class 1 medical, the EASA theory exams (thirteen for the ATPL), bridging training and a skill test. Private-level privileges have simplified routes under the EU–US bilateral.

Is an EASA licence valid in the USA? For private privileges, a 14 CFR 61.75 certificate can be issued on the basis of the EASA licence without a test. For commercial or ATP privileges you take the FAA knowledge test (ATP-CTP first for the ATM) and the practical test; your hours count, your theory does not.

Which is harder, FAA or EASA? EASA theory is longer and deeper: thirteen ATPL exams versus one 125-question ATP written. FAA practical standards and the 1,500-hour ATP requirement make the US route slower to an airline job. Costs to a frozen ATPL and to an FAA CFI are similar; the American then earns while building time.

Can I fly for a US airline with an EASA ATPL? Only after converting to an FAA ATP (knowledge and practical tests, ATP-CTP) and, above all, with unrestricted US work authorisation. No US airline sponsors pilot visas.

How long does it take to convert FAA to EASA? Typically 6 to 12 months, most of it the thirteen ATPL theory exams after a bridging course, plus the CPL and IR skill tests and the Class 1 medical. Budget €8,000–15,000 depending on the training organisation and how much flying it requires.