Convert a Foreign Pilot Licence to an Indian CPL: DGCA Guide

Who needs a DGCA licence conversion

Every year many Indian students do their CPL training in the USA, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia or Europe because of weather, aircraft availability or shorter waiting lists. A licence from the FAA, Transport Canada, CAA New Zealand, SACAA or an EASA authority lets you fly as a commercial pilot in that country, but it does not by itself let you fly an Indian registered aircraft or join an Indian airline. For that you need an Indian CPL, and the route for someone who already holds a foreign licence is called conversion.

DGCA does not treat conversion as a shortcut around Indian standards. The governing CAR says the applicant must meet the Schedule II standards of the Aircraft Rules for age, educational qualification, medical fitness and flying experience. What conversion saves you is repeating the whole training course and most of the theory papers. You still have to prove everything else in India.

Rules checked: October 2026. The main document is CAR Section 7 (Flight Crew Standards, Training and Licensing), Series G, Part I, Issue II, titled Requirements for Issue of Indian Licences and Aircraft Ratings to Pilots Holding Licences and Aircraft Ratings Issued by Contracting States. The latest revision we could confirm is Revision 4 dated 9 September 2019. The Aircraft Rules, 1937 continue to apply under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024 while new rules under that Act are being finalised. If new rules or a revised CAR are notified, the details below may change, so check the current CAR on the DGCA website before you plan.

Basic eligibility and flying experience

Under the CAR you need a valid pilot licence issued by another ICAO Contracting State. DGCA may verify your licence and documents directly with the foreign aviation authority and with the training institute, so whatever you submit must match their records exactly.

You must also meet the Indian CPL standards in Schedule II. The DGCA application form for issue or conversion of a CPL (Aeroplane) asks for your Class 10 and Class 12 marksheets and certificates, and the exam eligibility CAR requires 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics for the Indian CPL. If you studied abroad or through an open board, keep an equivalence or verification certificate ready.

Flying experience is counted from the date your application is submitted to DGCA. The checklist on the DGCA application form lists the following. Treat these as the figures to verify in the current CAR and form, because older forms are still circulating online.

• Total flying time of 200 hours, including 100 hours as pilot in command (PIC).
• PIC cross-country of 20 hours for CPL, or 50 hours if you also want an instrument rating.
• Instrument time of 10 hours for CPL (not more than 5 on a simulator), or 40 hours with IR (not more than 20 on a simulator).
• One PIC cross-country of at least 300 nautical miles with full-stop landings at two different aerodromes.
• In the 6 months before applying: at least 15 hours PIC, plus 5 hours night PIC with 10 night take-offs and landings, and 5 hours instrument time if you want IR.
• If your foreign authority issued the licence with fewer hours than India requires, the CAR says the shortfall must be completed in the issuing state or in India. The form also asks for the foreign flying school's approval where flying was done after licence issue or the licence was issued with less than 200 hours.

DGCA exams you must clear for conversion

This is where conversion candidates save the most effort. CAR Section 7 Series G Part I (para 4.2.2) and the exam eligibility CAR, Section 7 Series B Part I (para 5.1), both say a foreign CPL holder takes two theory papers conducted by DGCA's Central Examination Organisation (CEO): Air Regulations, and a composite paper covering Air Navigation and Aviation Meteorology. The DGCA eGCA process manual also allows separate Air Navigation and Meteorology papers in place of the composite.

Technical General is not required for conversion; the DGCA application form marks it as not required. Technical Specific is the one to watch. The form asks for the technical specific result from the contracting state for each aircraft type on your licence, and if your aircraft rating is not current (see the next section) you must pass the DGCA Technical Specific exam on that type in India. The CAR also lists a practical signals test (signal reception at 6/8 words per minute on the form).

To sit these papers you need a Computer Number from CEO, which every DGCA exam candidate needs, and a foreign licence for the respective category. Foreign nationals and OCI or PIO holders also need security clearance. The exam eligibility CAR says theory passes count for five years for the issue of a CPL. Exam schedules, booking and results are on DGCA Pariksha and eGCA.

• How and when to give DGCA exams

Rating currency, skill tests and flight checks in India

The CAR requires your aircraft rating to be current. Current means either at least 10 hours as PIC on the type in the preceding 24 months (50 percent of co-pilot or dual time can count), or a flight review, check ride, flight test or skill test on the type in the preceding 24 months. These must have been done in the state that issued your licence. If your rating is not current, you must pass the DGCA Technical Specific exam on the type and complete endorsement training followed by skill tests in India before applying.

Separately, para 4.2.4 of the CAR says you must demonstrate competency on the type to the satisfaction of a DGCA approved examiner in India, and refers to Flight Crew Licensing Circular 01 of 2012 for how this is done. The DGCA application form lists these skill tests, which must be flown in India in the 6 months before you submit, on the same aircraft type, after passing the written exam for that type, and signed in original by an approved examiner:

• General flying test by day, on the DGCA approved proforma.
• General flying test by night.
• Cross-country test of 250 nautical miles by day with one full-stop landing at another aerodrome.
• Cross-country test of 120 nautical miles by night without landing elsewhere.
• Instrument rating test, only if you want an IR on the Indian licence.
• In practice you will do these at a DGCA approved flying training organisation in India. The CAR and form do not fix how many training hours you will need before the tests; that depends on how current you are, so ask the FTO for a written plan before paying.

Medical, RTR(A), FRTOL and English proficiency

• Medical: the DGCA eGCA process manual says you must hold a valid Class 1 medical assessment and lists Indian or foreign as acceptable at application. The application form also asks for a self-attested valid Class 1 assessment. Since you will be flying and working under an Indian licence, plan for an Indian Class 1 assessment from a DGCA approved medical examiner early, as a failed or delayed medical can stall everything else. Check CAR Section 7 Series C for current medical rules.
• RTR(A): the CAR requires a Certificate of Proficiency in radio telephony under the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Rules, and the form says RTR(A) is needed before the flight crew licence is issued. The exam was historically run by WPC under the Ministry of Communications; media reports in 2025 said DGCA would take it over. Check the current RTR arrangement on the DGCA website before booking.
• FRTOL: once you hold RTR(A), DGCA issues the Flight Radio Telephone Operator's Licence. The eGCA manual lists a valid FRTOL or FRTOL(R) as a prerequisite for the conversion application.
• English: CAR Section 7 Series G Part III (Rev 1, 20 March 2024) requires at least ICAO Operational Level 4. Clause 4.7 says Level 4 or above endorsed on your foreign licence may be accepted at conversion, subject to verification. Otherwise you test with a DGCA approved English proficiency organisation in India. Level 4 has to be re-evaluated every 3 years and Level 5 every 6 years.

Applying on eGCA: steps and documents

Licensing applications are made on eGCA, DGCA's online portal. DGCA's process manual for Conversion of CPL with or without extension of aircraft rating and IR says the date of submission is the date the whole process, including payment and DGCA's receipt of originals, is complete. If DGCA raises a shortfall you get an SMS or email and reply with documents through the License Request details screen. The manual lists the eGCA support cell at 1800-11-3422 and egcasupport@dgca.nic.in.

The steps first, then the documents to keep ready, drawn from the DGCA manual and application form checklist:

• Register on eGCA to get your eGCA ID, and check that your basic details, CEO results, medical and licence records are correct. Fix errors through the records update option first.
• Fill in the electronic logbook so the portal can calculate your flying experience and currency.
• Open Services, choose Conversion of CPL, read the instructions and user manual, and complete the form: rating, flying experience, RTR, foreign licence and rating details, foreign medical, foreign training institute and passport details.
• Pay the fee through Bharatkosh and save the receipt. Track the status under License Request details.
• Originals to be sent to DGCA as per the checklist: logbooks, foreign licence, RTR, foreign medical, the statements required by the checklist and any other DGCA licence you hold.
• Verification of your foreign licence and medical from the issuing authority.
• Class 10 and 12 certificates with verification, passport copy, photographs, and character and antecedent verification.
• Certified statements of PIC cross-country, instrument time, night PIC and landings, the 300 nm cross-country, and the last 6 months of flying, plus skill test reports from India.
• Accident or incident details with a clearance certificate if applicable. The fee is as per the current DGCA fee schedule; check it on eGCA.

Realistic timeline and common pitfalls

DGCA does not publish a fixed processing time for conversion, so be wary of anyone promising one. What you can control is the order of work. Start foreign licence verification and logbook certification before you leave the country where you trained, book the medical and the two theory papers early, and only start the Indian skill tests when your documents are almost complete, because those tests and the 6-month recency figures are counted back from your DGCA submission date. Students commonly plan for several months from landing in India to licence issue, and longer if verification from abroad is slow.

Common pitfalls:

• Logbook discrepancies: totals that do not add up, cuttings or overwriting, missing examiner signatures on skill test entries, or hours that differ from the foreign authority's records. The form asks for an original, certified logbook without cuttings.
• Hour classification: counting dual time as PIC, simulator time beyond the allowed limit, or cross-country flights that do not meet the Indian definition. Check each category against the CAR.
• Foreign licence validity: the CAR requires a valid foreign licence. An expired medical, lapsed flight review or missing ELP endorsement abroad can turn a simple application into extra training in India.
• Recency running out: the skill tests and 6-month figures can expire while you wait for an exam result or a verification letter.
• Wrong exam: some websites still say you must clear every CPL paper. The CAR lists Air Regulations and the composite paper, plus Technical Specific where applicable.
• Relying on outdated checklists: old PDFs and forum posts circulate widely. Use the current CAR and the eGCA user manual.

Conversion versus training in India

Training abroad and converting means fewer DGCA theory papers, but you add foreign living costs, verification from another country and a second round of flying in India for the skill tests. Training at a DGCA approved FTO in India means all five CPL papers plus RTR(A), but your hours, checks and logbook are already in the Indian format and there is no foreign verification step.

Neither route is automatically cheaper or faster. Compare the full cost including conversion flying in India, the time your recency stays valid, and the likely queue at Indian FTOs for skill test slots. Whichever route you choose, the DGCA theory standard you are tested on is the same, so plan your Air Regulations preparation early.

• DGCA CPL exam preparation on CPLGrid

Frequently asked questions

• Do I have to write all DGCA CPL papers to convert a foreign CPL? No. The CAR lists Air Regulations and a composite Air Navigation and Meteorology paper, plus the DGCA Technical Specific exam if your aircraft rating is not current. Technical General is not required for conversion.
• Can I do the skill tests abroad? The CAR requires competency to be shown to a DGCA approved examiner in India, and the application form lists day and night general flying tests and day and night cross-country tests conducted in India within the last 6 months. Confirm the current position in the CAR before planning.
• Is my FAA or EASA English proficiency endorsement accepted? CAR Section 7 Series G Part III says ICAO Level 4 or above endorsed on a foreign licence may be accepted at conversion, subject to verification. Otherwise you test in India with an approved organisation.
• My foreign licence was issued with fewer than 200 hours. Can I still convert? Yes, but the CAR says the shortfall against Indian Schedule II requirements must be made up in the issuing state or in India, and DGCA asks for the flying school's approval details.
• How long do DGCA exam passes stay valid for conversion? The exam eligibility CAR says theory passes count for five years for the issue of a CPL. Check the current CAR, as this has been revised before.
• Which document governs conversion? CAR Section 7, Series G, Part I, read with Schedule II of the Aircraft Rules, 1937 and CAR Section 7 Series B Part I for exams. The latest revision we confirmed was Revision 4 of 9 September 2019, checked in October 2026.

Useful resources

Look up CAR Section 7 Series G Part I, Series G Part III and Series B Part I in the CAR section of the DGCA portal and make sure you are reading the latest revision.

• DGCA eGCA portal (applications, CARs, user manuals)
• DGCA Pariksha (CEO exam portal)
• How and when to give DGCA exams
• DGCA CPL exam preparation on CPLGrid