Converting a foreign pilot licence into an Indian one is governed by DGCA CAR Section 7, Series ‘G’, Part I. Most of it is paperwork you can assemble at any time. One clause is a deadline, and it is the one candidates read too late: your rating must be current, meaning at least 10 hours as Pilot-in-Command in the 24 months before the date of application.
Key facts
- Your rating must be current: at least 10 hours as Pilot-in-Command in the 24 months before the date of application.Sourced: CAR Section 7, Series B, Part I
- The Indian theory papers are sat in India, and a cleared CPL or ATPL paper is valid five years.Sourced: CAR Section 7, Series B, Part I
- Conversion waives none of the examination requirements; the papers are the step most likely to add months.Sourced: CAR Section 7, Series B, Part I
On this page
The checklist
| Requirement | What the CAR states | When to handle it |
|---|---|---|
| Currency | Rating “current” for the type — at least 10 hours as Pilot-in-Command in the preceding 24 months | Track from the day you stop flying |
| Written examinations | Conducted by DGCA’s Central Examination Organisation | As early as possible — longest lead time |
| Skill test | Competency demonstrated to a DGCA-approved examiner in India | After the papers, in India |
| Medical fitness | Per Schedule II, Aircraft Rules 1937 | Early — a disqualifying finding is cheaper to learn now |
| Licence validity | Foreign licence and supporting documents within their laid-down validity period | Check before applying |
| Documents | As required under Schedule II, Aircraft Rules 1937 | Assemble in advance |
Source: DGCA CAR Section 7, Series ‘G’, Part I, Issue II, Revision 4, dated 9 September 2019 (effective 1 July 2019).
Which licences this covers
The CAR names pilot licences for microlights, gliders, balloons, light sport aircraft and gyroplanes, plus the Private Pilot Licence, Commercial Pilot Licence and Airline Transport Pilot Licence — each for aeroplanes or helicopters. In practice the common case is a CPL earned abroad, on an FAA or EASA licence, being converted for commercial use in India.
Why currency is the clause that bites
Everything else on the checklist waits for you. Currency does not.
The sequence that goes wrong is ordinary: finish training abroad, return to India, spend months on paperwork, exams and scheduling — and somewhere in that gap the 24-month window closes on your last 10 hours of Pilot-in-Command time. Re-establishing currency then means flying again, usually abroad, usually at the price you were trying to stop paying.
Two practical consequences:
- Know your date. Work out when your PIC hours fall outside 24 months, and treat that as the deadline the whole conversion runs against.
- Do the papers first, not last. They are Indian papers sat in India, a cleared CPL or ATPL paper is valid five years, and they are the step most likely to add months. Clearing them before or during your time abroad takes the longest pole out of the timeline.
What conversion does not waive
- It does not waive the DGCA written examinations. Hours abroad are not a substitute.
- It does not waive the skill test with a DGCA-approved examiner in India.
- It does not waive Indian medical requirements under Schedule II.
- It does not revive an expired foreign licence — documents must be within validity.
Order of operations
- Establish your currency date from your logbook. Everything else is scheduled against it.
- Get a computer number if you do not hold one — see the computer number guide. It gates every paper.
- Sit the written papers. Earliest possible, valid five years once cleared.
- Complete the Indian medical under Schedule II.
- Assemble documents per Schedule II and confirm the foreign licence is within validity.
- Book the skill test with a DGCA-approved examiner.
Frequently asked questions
What does DGCA require to convert a foreign pilot licence?
Under CAR Section 7, Series G, Part I: the rating on the foreign licence must be current for the type of aircraft, written examinations must be passed through DGCA's Central Examination Organisation, competency must be demonstrated to a DGCA-approved examiner in India, medical fitness must meet Schedule II of the Aircraft Rules 1937, and the foreign licence and supporting documents must be within their validity.
What counts as "current" on the foreign licence?
The CAR defines it as having flying experience of at least 10 hours as Pilot-in-Command in the twenty-four months preceding the date of application, for the type of aircraft.
Which foreign licences can be converted?
Pilot licences for microlights, gliders, balloons, light sport aircraft and gyroplanes, and the Private Pilot Licence, Commercial Pilot Licence and Airline Transport Pilot Licence, each for aeroplanes or helicopters.
Do I still have to pass Indian exams if I trained abroad?
Yes. Conversion requires written examinations conducted by DGCA's Central Examination Organisation. Flight hours logged abroad do not substitute for them.
When should I sit the Indian papers if I am training abroad?
As early as you can. A cleared CPL or ATPL paper is valid for five years, and the papers are the longest lead-time item in a conversion. Clearing them before or during training abroad removes the step most likely to stall you.
Does conversion have a shortcut if my licence is from the USA or Europe?
CAR Section 7, Series G, Part I sets the same requirements regardless of the issuing country. If someone offers you a faster route, ask which clause permits it.
Related
- How DGCA conversion works
- Training in the USA and what it means for India
- Glossary: PIC, CAR, FTO and the rest
The CAR is revised periodically. Verify the current text on dgca.gov.in before acting on any of this.
More: the FAQ for short sourced answers, the glossary for the terms, and our editorial policy for how these figures are checked.
- DGCA Conversion
- Foreign Licence
- FAA to DGCA
- CPL Conversion
Sources
Every figure above traces to one of these documents. Where a claim could not be sourced, the page says so instead of repeating it.
- CAR Section 7, Series B, Part I
Related reading
- Licences & EligibilityATPL Eligibility in India: Why It Is Not a First LicenceAn Airline Transport Pilot Licence is not a starting point. DGCA states an ATPL applicant should already hold an Indian Commercial Pilot Licence, with a separate route for defence personnel, and that an ATPL is not issued on a single-engine aircraft. Both facts change how you plan the hours.
- Licences & EligibilityCPL Eligibility After 12th: What DGCA Actually RequiresTo appear for DGCA Commercial Pilot Licence theory papers you need a computer number and a pass in 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics. Not Chemistry. There is no maximum age. Two rules, and both are stated wrongly across most of this vertical.
- Licences & EligibilityDGCA Pilot Licence Eligibility for Foreign Nationals and NRIs: What the Rules Actually SayTL;DR: DGCA's own Pariksha FAQ never states that a fresh CPL or ATPL applicant must be an Indian citizen. It describes a security clearance process for Foreign National candidates registering for a computer number, and a separate Association of Indian Universities equivalency requirement for anyone whose 10+2 is from a foreign or international board.