UAG | POST-EXAMDrone Authority | Part 107 next steps
Your passing score starts the FAA application process. Keep the AKTR, complete Form 8710-13 in IACRA, clear TSA vetting, and wait for an issued temporary or permanent certificate before acting as the certificated remote pilot in command.
Passing is a milestone, not the certificate.
The AKTR is not operating authority, and a submitted application is not an issued credential. Wait for the temporary or permanent Remote Pilot Certificate before you act as the certificated remote PIC.
Score report to certificate
There is no practical test for this first-time remote pilot path, but there is still an application, identity and security review, and issuance step between the exam room and the flight line.
Your Airman Knowledge Test Report is the record of your UAG result. Keep the original and save a clear scan. It documents the score and gives you the test information needed if the electronic record or your personal details must be checked.
The AKTR proves the exam result. It is not a Remote Pilot Certificate.
The FAA says the knowledge test may take up to 48 hours from the test date to appear in IACRA. When prompted, use the 17-digit Knowledge Test Exam ID. If the record is not available right away, recheck the ID and wait through the full transfer window before troubleshooting.
A missing record during this window does not mean the passing score was lost.
Sign in to IACRA, choose Start New Application, follow the path below, and complete the prompts. Associate the 17-digit exam record, review every field, sign electronically, and submit the application for processing.
A submitted Form 8710-13 is still a pending application. It is not yet a certificate.
The application proceeds through the TSA security background check. Watch the email address connected to IACRA, including its spam folder. The FAA sends a confirmation after the check is complete.
The temporary certificate does not become available before this check is completed.
After the TSA check, use the instructions in the FAA confirmation email to sign in to IACRA and print the temporary Remote Pilot Certificate. Check that it is legible and that the identifying details are correct. Keep a protected copy with your operating records.
The FAA post-exam FAQ states that the temporary certificate is valid for 120 days.
The FAA mails the permanent Remote Pilot Certificate after its remaining internal processing is complete. Keep your mailing address current and continue using the valid temporary certificate until the permanent card arrives.
The FAA post-exam FAQ says the permanent certificate is mailed within the temporary certificate's 120-day period.
At every operation
The FAA requires the Remote Pilot Certificate to be easily accessible during all UAS operations. Carry the valid temporary certificate until the permanent card arrives, then keep the card available whenever you operate.
Certificate to first launch
The certificate answers who may act as remote PIC. It does not automatically clear the aircraft, airspace, ground location, contract, or conditions for a specific job.
Work from the aircraft outward: aircraft, signal, airspace, ground access, client, then launch conditions.
Aircraft
Register each aircraft you will operate under Part 107 through FAA DroneZone, mark it with the assigned registration number, and keep the registration certificate available. A pilot certificate and an aircraft registration are separate records.
Review registration rulesReady when
The aircraft, registration marking, and registration record all match.
Aircraft
Confirm how the aircraft complies with Remote ID before launch. Verify the built-in Standard Remote ID function or an approved broadcast module is working as intended, and make sure the registration information reflects the aircraft and Remote ID setup.
Check Remote ID optionsReady when
Remote ID status is confirmed before the propellers start.
Airspace
Identify the airspace class and current restrictions for the exact location, altitude, and time. Check NOTAMs and TFRs. Obtain LAANC or another FAA authorization when the operation in controlled airspace requires it, and stay within every authorization condition.
Review airspace and LAANCReady when
The airspace decision and any authorization cover this place, altitude, and time.
Ground access
FAA airspace approval does not grant permission to use the ground. Check applicable state and local rules, then obtain the property owner or site manager's permission for takeoff, landing, and on-site access. Confirm any park, campus, event, or facility restrictions separately.
Check local flying contextReady when
You can lawfully access the site and have permission to launch and recover there.
Business
A Remote Pilot Certificate is not insurance or a client agreement. Confirm the coverage limits and certificate of insurance the client or site requires. Put deliverables, usage rights, schedule, weather delays, permissions, exclusions, acceptance, reshoots, and payment terms in writing before the mission.
Plan commercial insuranceReady when
Required coverage is active and the client has accepted a written scope.
Launch
Recheck weather, airspace, NOTAMs, TFRs, people, vehicles, obstacles, and site conditions close to launch. Inspect the aircraft, batteries, propellers, controls, and Remote ID status. Brief crew roles, lost-link behavior, emergency areas, and clear abort triggers.
Use the preflight checklistReady when
Current conditions remain inside the rules, authorization, aircraft limits, and your risk threshold.
Currency
The Remote Pilot Certificate does not carry a routine expiration date, but you must maintain aeronautical knowledge recency to exercise Part 107 privileges. Put the 24-calendar-month deadline on your calendar and retain each FAA recurrent-course completion record.
Calculate the recurrent deadlineReady when
Your recurrent deadline is recorded and the free FAA course path is bookmarked.
First operating record
Capture the site, aircraft, crew, weather, airspace, hazards, contingencies, preflight checks, and flight log in one working record before the first client operation.
Open the operations plannerPrimary sources
FAA instructions and IACRA screens can change. Use these official pages to confirm the current path and timing.
Post-exam questions
No. A passing score alone is not a Remote Pilot Certificate and does not, by itself, authorize you to act as the remote pilot in command under Part 107. Complete Form 8710-13 in IACRA and wait until the FAA issues a temporary or permanent certificate before acting as the certificated remote PIC.
The FAA says it may take up to 48 hours from the test date for the knowledge test to appear in IACRA. Keep the AKTR and use the 17-digit Knowledge Test Exam ID when IACRA prompts you to associate the test.
After choosing Start New Application, select Application Type Pilot, Certifications Remote Pilot, then complete Other Path Information and choose Start Application. Follow the prompts, associate the knowledge test, sign electronically, and submit.
The temporary certificate follows completion of the TSA security background check. The FAA sends a confirmation email with instructions for printing it from IACRA. A submitted application is not a temporary certificate.
The FAA post-exam FAQ states that the temporary certificate is valid for 120 days and that the permanent Remote Pilot Certificate is mailed within that period.
Yes. The FAA requires the Remote Pilot Certificate to be easily accessible during all UAS operations. Keep the valid temporary certificate or permanent card available whenever you operate.
No. The operating stack can also include aircraft registration, Remote ID compliance, airspace authorization, current restriction checks, local launch permission, insurance and client requirements, and a complete preflight. The exact stack depends on the aircraft, site, airspace, and mission.