Validating a Colombian (Aerocivil) Pilot License with the FAA: Requirements and Steps

Alpha Aviation Group trains international students, with a focus on Latin America, as FAA pilots in Miami, Florida, with hands-on flight training at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE), within the greater Miami metropolitan area. A question that comes up often among Colombian pilots is how to “convert” an Aerocivil license to fly under U.S. rules. The short answer: that kind of process, as it exists for some other professional credentials, isn’t how FAA regulations handle this. What does exist is a specific mechanism — 14 CFR §61.75 — that allows the FAA to issue a U.S. private pilot certificate based on your valid Colombian license, without having to repeat the entire training process from scratch.

This article explains, using official FAA sources, what this mechanism covers, what it doesn’t, and what administrative and in-person steps it involves. This is general regulatory information, not immigration or legal advice. Immigration and visa matters always require review by a qualified immigration attorney or accredited representative; Alpha Aviation does not provide legal advice on these topics, and anything related to your status in the United States should go through that kind of specialized review, not through this article.

What does “validating” an Aerocivil license with the FAA actually mean?

It isn’t a conversion in the sense of having a credential recognized as equivalent: it’s the issuance of a brand-new U.S. private pilot certificate, based on your existing foreign license. The legal basis is 14 CFR Part 61, specifically §61.75.

This path applies because Colombia is a signatory State to the Chicago Convention (ICAO), and the rule specifically requires that the license come from “a contracting State to the Convention on International Civil Aviation.” The certificate issued by the FAA under this mechanism also stays tied to your original Aerocivil license: it must list the license number and the country of issuance. In other words, it’s not a standalone document — it depends on your Colombian license remaining valid. If Aerocivil suspends, revokes, or lets your license lapse, the derived privilege in the U.S. is lost as well.

What does §61.75 require to issue the certificate?

The core requirements are: your Aerocivil license must be valid and at private pilot level or higher; you must not be under a revocation or suspension order; you must not already hold an FAA certificate (other than a student certificate); you need a valid medical certificate under Part 67 or a medical license from the country that issued your foreign license; and you must be able to read, speak, write, and understand English.

One important detail: this certificate only carries private pilot privileges, even if your Colombian license is commercial. Aircraft ratings listed on your Aerocivil license can transfer to your U.S. certificate, but only with private pilot privileges, not commercial. If your Colombian license includes an instrument rating, the applicable written exam to add it isn’t the standard U.S. pilot exam — it’s the “Instrument Foreign Pilot” (IFP) exam, which the FAA identifies as a separate test.

Can the whole process be completed online?

No. While part of the paperwork is handled administratively, FAA guidance from its local offices (FSDOs) clarifies that converting or validating a foreign license requires an in-person appointment with a Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE); virtual appointments aren’t allowed for this process. Depending on your case, the path can be purely administrative, require only a knowledge test, or require both a knowledge test and a practical test (checkride).

This means that even if you meet every requirement on paper, you’ll need to schedule an in-person appointment as part of the process. For students already training in the United States, this usually fits naturally into the training calendar, but it’s worth planning ahead for it.

How do you move from this private certificate to commercial privileges?

The certificate issued under §61.75 carries private pilot privileges, but it serves as a stepping stone. The regulatory path to commercial privileges from there is 14 CFR §61.123(h), which allows you to apply for an unrestricted U.S. commercial pilot certificate based on your §61.75 certificate. Later on, that same path also opens the door to applying for an ATP certificate under §61.153(d)(3).

For that “unrestricted” commercial certificate, the ordinary requirements under Part 61 generally apply: minimum age of 18, functional English, an endorsement from an authorized instructor, passing the knowledge test on the areas covered in §61.125, meeting the applicable aeronautical experience under §61.129, and passing the practical test (checkride). This is the same framework described on the FAA’s page on how to become a pilot, adapted for someone who already holds a foreign license as a starting point.

It’s worth clarifying something that often causes confusion: there’s no bilateral license-recognition agreement specifically between Colombia and the United States (the kind the FAA does maintain with select partners). That’s why the applicable path for a Colombian pilot is the general §61.75 route, not a special bilateral procedure.

What does this mean for a Colombian pilot who wants to train in Miami, Florida?

In practice, many Colombian students choose to build their license path directly under FAA Part 61 in Miami, Florida, instead of — or in addition to — processing §61.75 based on their Aerocivil license. Alpha Aviation Group trains international students, with a focus on Latin America, under FAA Part 61, with hands-on flight training at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE), within the greater Miami metropolitan area, and bilingual support in English and Spanish.

If you already hold an Aerocivil license and flight hours, it’s worth talking with admissions about how your prior experience fits into your license plan in the United States — whether through the §61.75 path or by starting the FAA process directly. You can review details on the Commercial Pilot License (CPL) and compare scope with the article on FAA vs. EASA: which license path fits if you’re coming from Latin America.

How much does this process cost, and how long does it take?

This article doesn’t set exact cost or timeline figures, because they depend on your specific situation (whether your Aerocivil license is current, DPE appointment availability, and whether you need to add ratings). To get a sense of the approximate investment for training under Part 61 in Miami, Florida, you can review the guide on FAA pilot training cost in Miami by level, and for an overview of the program, FAA Part 61 training in Miami for Latin American students.

If you hold an Aerocivil license and want to understand which path makes sense for you — processing §61.75, moving straight into a commercial certificate under Part 61, or combining both — the best next step is to talk it through with admissions. For any visa or immigration question tied to your specific case, remember that those require review by a qualified immigration attorney or accredited representative, not general articles. You can contact admissions or browse all programs at Alpha Aviation Group to see how your prior experience fits into a training plan in Miami, Florida.