Preparing for your FAA medical
A practical guide to getting ready for your Aviation Medical Examiner appointment.
- Based on official FAA guidance
- Checked by Crosscheck 14 October 2026
- Not affiliated with the FAA
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Getting ready, step by step
What to do before you book, how to apply in MedXPress, what to bring, and what happens at the appointment. Jump to any part.
Plans
The FAA tools are free. A plan keeps your medical, your records and your preparation in one place.
Free
$0
- Check a medication
- Check a condition
- Find an examiner
- The FAA guide and Help
- Your medical tracker
Crosscheck Plus
$35.99
Regular price: $39.99first year, then $39.99 a year- My FAA Medical and My MedXPress Profile
- Crosscheck Fill-in for MedXPress
- Get ready for my exam
- My doctor visits and My medications
- My documents: 100 documents, 1 GB of storage
- Your own reminders
Crosscheck Pro
$62.99
Regular price: $69.99first year, then $69.99 a year- Everything in Plus
- Certification Assistant
- My documents: 500 documents, 5 GB of storage
Before you schedule
Before you schedule your AME appointment
A little preparation can help you understand what to expect.
Review your medical history
If you have a current or past condition or take medication, the FAA highly recommends researching its certification requirements in the Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners.
FAA source: Review your medical history
It is highly recommended that if you have any current or past medical condition(s) or take medication(s), you research the requirements for medical certification in the Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners .
Identify possible additional requirements
The FAA's Guide is written for examiners, but it can help you and your doctors collect what the FAA and your examiner will need. Pilot advocates and your examiner can also help.
FAA source: Identify possible additional requirements
The Guide is written for physicians (AMEs) but contains valuable information to help you and your care providers collect information the FAA and AME will need. Pilot advocates and your AME can also help.
Find an Aviation Medical Examiner
An AME is a physician trained to perform FAA exams. The exam must be within 60 days of submitting MedXPress, so book early.
FAA source: Find an Aviation Medical Examiner
An AME is a physician with specific training in how to perform FAA exams. … AMEs can be found at Designee Locator . … You need to complete the AME exam within 60 days of submitting the application, so contact a local AME for an appointment as soon as possible.
Pilot advocates and your examiner can also help with questions about a condition. Crosscheck's examiner finder lists the FAA's examiners; it does not say which ones specialize in a condition.
MedXPress
Complete your FAA MedXPress application
MedXPress is the FAA's online application for a medical certificate. You complete it before your exam.
- 1
Create your account
First-time users request an account with their name and email address.
FAA source: Create your account
First-time users should go to the request account page and complete the form. You will be asked to supply your name and e-mail address.
- 2
Answer the medical questions and submit
The application asks a series of medical questions. When they are done, you submit it.
FAA source: Answer the medical questions and submit
Once you have created an account, you will answer a series of medical questions and submit your application through MedXPress .
- 3
Keep your confirmation number
Submitting gives you a confirmation number. Your examiner needs it to open your application.
FAA source: Keep your confirmation number
Upon successful submission of your electronic application, you will be given a confirmation number. Your AME will be able to access your application using this number. … Your AME will NOT be able to access your application without the confirmation number.
- 4
Print or save a copy
Print or save a copy for your examiner, and keep one yourself.
FAA source: Print or save a copy
After submission, print or save a copy of your application for your Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) who will need the confirmation number from the application. We recommend you also retain a copy for future reference.
An application not submitted within 30 days of being created is removed. Once it is submitted, the examination must take place within 60 days or the application is deleted.
FAA source: MedXPress
If your application is not submitted within 30 days of creation, it will be removed from the system. After your application is submitted, your medical examination must occur within 60 days or your application will be deleted.
Crosscheck Fill-in
Make MedXPress easier with Crosscheck Fill-in
A browser add-on, separate from the FAA, that types the answers you saved in Crosscheck into your own MedXPress application.
- It fills one page at a time and stops at Declarations, so you can check everything.
- It never signs or submits your application. You do that on the FAA's site.
- It never chooses an answer for you, and it never enters your Social Security number.
What to bring
What to bring to your AME appointment
The FAA's pages name two things every applicant needs at the exam.
Your MedXPress confirmation number
From the application you submitted. Without it, your examiner cannot open your application.
FAA source: Your MedXPress confirmation number
Take your confirmation number with you when you arrive for your exam. Your AME will NOT be able to access your application without the confirmation number.
A government-issued identification card
The examiner's office checks it to verify who you are.
FAA source: A government-issued identification card
They will need to see a government issued identification card to verify who you are.
Additional documentation may be required depending on your medical history, medications, or certification requirements. Follow the applicable FAA instructions and any directions from your AME.
If you have a current or past condition or take medication, the FAA's pilot page says to bring copies of the medical records it describes.
FAA source: Records, when they apply
The day of the exam: Bring your MedXPress confirmation number and copies of any medical records (#3 above).
If you have a condition
If you have a medical condition
Some conditions require additional preparation or FAA review. Requirements depend on the condition.
For some conditions, the examiner may be able to issue at the exam with the right documents. For others, or when documents are missing, the exam is deferred to the FAA.
FAA source: Requirements depend on the condition
For some conditions, your AME may be able to issue a medical certificate immediately if you have the correct documentation at the time of your exam. … For some conditions, or if missing required documentation, the AME must defer the examination to the FAA for review and/or further investigation.
Depending on the condition, certification may follow one of these routes:
Understanding the FAA medical certification process
Check a condition
Look up a medical condition and review the FAA's published certification guidance.
Certification Assistant
Prepare with the Certification Assistant
Crosscheck's Certification Assistant helps you identify and organize published FAA requirements for supported medical conditions.
High blood pressure
Hypertension
New case · First class
Your certification plan
0 of 2 ready
1 Dec 2026
Things to prepare
- 1Not started
Progress note
Within 90 days before the examEvery year
- 2Not started
Your blood pressure medications
It does not decide eligibility, predict what the FAA or an examiner will decide, or replace your examiner. It submits nothing to the FAA, and it is not medical advice.
What to expect
What to expect at your AME appointment
The general shape of the visit. Not every exam goes the same way.
- 1
Arrival and identification
The office imports your application with your confirmation number and checks your ID.
FAA source: Arrival and identification
Upon arrival, your AME or AME office staff will ask for your MedXPress confirmation number to import your application. They will need to see a government issued identification card to verify who you are.
- 2
Review of your medical history
The examiner personally reviews your medical history with you.
FAA source: Review of your medical history
Your AME must personally review your medical history with you, review the tasks performed by office staff,
- 3
The examination
Vitals, eyes, hearing, a urine test, an EKG if required, and the physical exam.
FAA source: The examination
Your AME and/or their staff will collect your vitals (height, weight, pulse, blood pressure, etc.); test your eyes (visual acuity/depth perception/color vision); perform an audiogram (hearing test) and EKG if required; and collect and test a urine sample. … and perform the actual physical examination. … Hearing will be tested with either a spoken voice test or audiometry.
- 4
The outcome
The examiner may issue the certificate, or defer the exam to the FAA for review. In very rare cases, an examiner can deny.
FAA source: The outcome
If required documentation is present, has been positively reviewed by the AME, and everything in the examination meets the FAA medical standards set forth in 14 C.F.R. part 67, the AME will issue you a medical certificate. … For some conditions, or if missing required documentation, the AME must defer the examination to the FAA for review and/or further investigation. … In very rare cases, an AME can deny for a specifically disqualifying condition as delineated in 14 C.F.R. part 67.
If your certificate is issued
The examiner issues it if any required documentation is present and has been positively reviewed, and everything in the examination meets the FAA's medical standards.
FAA source: The outcome
If required documentation is present, has been positively reviewed by the AME, and everything in the examination meets the FAA medical standards set forth in 14 C.F.R. part 67, the AME will issue you a medical certificate. … For some conditions, or if missing required documentation, the AME must defer the examination to the FAA for review and/or further investigation. … In very rare cases, an AME can deny for a specifically disqualifying condition as delineated in 14 C.F.R. part 67.
If your exam is deferred
A deferral sends your exam to the FAA for review; it is not a denial. The FAA writes to you, and most letters list items to provide, mostly medical records.
FAA source: If your exam is deferred
If the AME defers your examination, you will receive a letter from the FAA. Most letters will list items you need to provide to the FAA (most will be medical records) regarding your condition(s) or medication(s).
Ready for your FAA medical?
Every applicant
What the FAA's pages say you need
- Your MedXPress confirmation number
- A government-issued identification card
- Your exam within 60 days of submitting MedXPress; after that, the FAA deletes the application
Recommended
Good preparation
- Review your medical history and medications
- Check whether additional FAA requirements apply to you
Official FAA sources
Where Crosscheck's wording and the FAA's differ, the FAA's document is the one that counts.
- How do I get a Medical Certificate and what to expect during the AME examinationFAA date 14 May 2026 · Checked by Crosscheck 14 October 2026
- Frequently Asked Questions – MedXPressFAA date not stated · Checked by Crosscheck 14 October 2026
This reports what the FAA has published. It is not medical advice, and it does not say how the FAA or an examiner will decide a case.