Convert your DGCA licence to UK CAA
Holding a DGCA pilot licence and moving to the United Kingdom? Here's the full picture of converting to a UK CAA licence — the paperwork, exams, flight test, medical and English requirements at PPL, CPL and ATPL level, with links to UK CAA's official pages. Every requirement below is set by UK CAA, the authority issuing your new licence.
Starting from a DGCA licence
Every conversion begins on your side of it. Before the UK CAA will credit anything you hold, it wants the licence confirmed as genuine and current by the authority that issued it — the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Ask for that early: it is outside your control, and it is the step that most often holds everything else up.
What DGCA licences are called
- 1.SPL — Student Pilot Licence
- 2.PPL — Private Pilot Licence
- 3.CPL — Commercial Pilot Licence
- 4.ATPL — Airline Transport Pilot Licence
The medical you hold now
A DGCA Class 2 medical to begin, and a Class 1 for a commercial licence — from a DGCA-authorised examiner. UK CAA will set its own medical standard — it is listed at each level below — and a certificate from DGCA does not automatically carry across.
Still training? 33 flight schools in India — and why it is worth deciding where you will work first.
The UK CAA requirements, level by level
Everything UK CAA requires of a DGCA licence holder — application, theory exams, flight test, medical and English — at each licence level, grounded in UK CAA's official pages (linked below).
PPL — Private Pilot Licence
- Application & verification
- The UK CAA verifies the authenticity of your third-country licence before issuing a UK Part-FCL PPL.
- Theory exams
- Meet the UK Part-FCL theory requirements for the PPL.
- Flight test
- Pass a UK Part-FCL PPL skill test (Annex I) with a UK CAA-certified examiner.
- Medical
- Hold at least a valid UK Part-MED Class 2 medical.
- English proficiency
- Meet FCL.055 ELP (no credit for non-EASA ICAO ELP) and hold a UK FRTOL.
CPL — Commercial Pilot Licence
- Application & verification
- Apply on form SRG1183, plus a third-country verification on form SRG2142.
- Theory exams
- Meet the UK Part-FCL CPL theory requirements; foreign exam credits are generally not given.
- Flight test
- Pass the UK Part-FCL CPL (and IR) skill test; hold a UK FRTOL before the skill test.
- Medical
- Hold a valid UK Part-MED Class 1 medical.
- English proficiency
- Meet FCL.055 ELP — no credit for non-EASA ICAO ELP.
ATPL — Airline Transport Pilot Licence
- Application & verification
- Apply on form SRG1183, plus third-country verification on SRG2142.
- Theory exams
- Meet the UK Part-FCL ATPL theory requirements.
- Flight test
- Pass the required UK skill test(s); hold a UK FRTOL beforehand.
- Medical
- Hold a valid UK Part-MED Class 1 medical.
- English proficiency
- Meet FCL.055 ELP — no credit for non-EASA ICAO ELP.
Requirements change — always confirm the current rules with UK CAA before you start. Official links below.
Planning your UK CAA conversion
Start the UK CAA application early
Application and licence verification is the slowest step and everything else queues behind it. Apply on form SRG1183, plus a third-country verification on form SRG2142.
Book the medical early
The medical gates your exams and skill test, and it's where surprises surface. Sitting it early means you find out about any issues before you've paid for training or test slots. For UK CAA commercial privileges: Hold a valid UK Part-MED Class 1 medical.
Keep your current licence and medical valid
Verification is done against a valid licence, and some routes stay tied to it after issue — letting it lapse mid-conversion can stall or unwind the process.
Confirm fees on UK CAA's official pages
You'll typically pay separately for the application, each theory exam, the medical examination and the skill test. Amounts change — use the official links on this page for current fee schedules.
You'll need your hours in UK CAA format
UK CAA wants your experience presented the way it recognises it. AvLog is a free logbook laid out to UK CAA Part-FCL — it totals PIC, night, instrument, cross-country and time on type, and checks your recency against UK CAA's own rules. No sign-up, opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers.
Get the free UK CAA logbookWork through it step by step
AvLink's interactive converter turns this guide into your own checklist for any licence and country pair — tick off each requirement as you go, and see the United Kingdom roles you'd qualify for on the other side.
Open the interactive converterOfficial UK CAA sources
DGCA → UK CAA: frequently asked questions
Do I have to retake theory exams to convert my DGCA licence to UK CAA?
For a commercial licence: Meet the UK Part-FCL CPL theory requirements; foreign exam credits are generally not given. PPL and ATPL theory requirements differ — see the level-by-level breakdown on this page.
Do I need a flight test (skill test) for a UK CAA commercial licence?
Pass the UK Part-FCL CPL (and IR) skill test; hold a UK FRTOL before the skill test. Requirements at PPL and ATPL level are listed above.
What medical do I need to convert to a UK CAA licence?
For commercial privileges: Hold a valid UK Part-MED Class 1 medical. For private privileges: Hold at least a valid UK Part-MED Class 2 medical.
Does my ICAO English proficiency transfer to UK CAA?
Meet FCL.055 ELP — no credit for non-EASA ICAO ELP.
How do I apply to convert my DGCA licence to UK CAA?
Apply on form SRG1183, plus a third-country verification on form SRG2142. The official UK CAA pages linked on this page cover the current forms and process.
While your conversion is underway
Get the United Kingdom roles that match your licence — emailed weekly
Conversions take months. Line up the seat while you work through the UK CAA requirements: tell us your hours and ratings once, and we'll send the roles you actually qualify for as they post.
Free forever for pilots. Unsubscribe from any email in one click.
Want this mapped for your licence?
A DGCA → UK CAA plan, written around your hours
Which of the requirements above you still have to meet, which your DGCA licence exempts you from, what your logged hours already cover, and the order to do it in — with a realistic cost and timeline.