BasicMed vs a third-class medical: requirements and limits compared

Who can use BasicMed

• You need a valid U.S. driver’s license and must comply with any medical restrictions on it. 14 CFR 61.113(i) 14 CFR 61.23(c)(3)(i)(A)
• You must have held an FAA medical certificate at some point after July 14, 2006. Your most recent one may be expired and may have been a special issuance, but it cannot have been suspended or revoked. 14 CFR 61.23(c)(3)(i)(B) 14 CFR 61.23(c)(3)(ii)
• Your most recent medical application cannot have been completed and denied, and your most recent special issuance authorization cannot have been withdrawn. 14 CFR 61.23(c)(3)(iii) 14 CFR 61.23(c)(3)(iv)
• If you have been diagnosed with a condition that may affect your ability to fly, you must be under the care of a state-licensed physician for it when you fly. 14 CFR 61.23(c)(3)(i)(E)
• Certain diagnoses — including psychosis, bipolar disorder, epilepsy, a heart attack or a heart valve replacement — first require the FAA special issuance process. 14 CFR 68.9(a)

What the BasicMed exam and course involve

Before the exam you fill in your section of the FAA checklist and give it to the physician, who examines every item on it, discusses your medications and signs it. 14 CFR 68.5 14 CFR 68.7 The online course covers medical self-assessment, warning signs of serious conditions and the effects of medications. When you finish, you receive a certificate of completion to keep with your logbook and you authorize a check of the National Driver Register. 14 CFR 68.3

The third-class medical

Private, recreational and student pilots need at least a third-class medical unless they fly under BasicMed, and so does a candidate taking the private pilot practical test in an aircraft. 14 CFR 61.23(a)(3) It expires at the end of the last day of the 60th month after the month of the exam if you were under 40, or the 24th month if you were 40 or older. 14 CFR 61.23(d) Commercial pilot privileges in an airplane need at least a second-class medical, so neither option covers them. 14 CFR 61.23(a)(2)(ii)

Common mistakes

• Using the original 2017 limits. Older material says 6 occupants and 6,000 pounds; the current rule, amended in November 2024 (Amdt. 61-158), allows aircraft authorized for up to 7 occupants and 12,500 pounds, with no more than 6 passengers on board. 14 CFR 61.113(i)(1)
• Mixing up the two BasicMed cycles. The online course is every 24 calendar months and the physician exam is every 48 calendar months. 14 CFR 61.23(c)(3)(i)(C) 14 CFR 61.23(c)(3)(i)(D)
• Assuming a brand-new student can start on BasicMed. It requires an FAA medical certificate held at some point after July 14, 2006, so someone who has never had one needs an FAA medical first. 14 CFR 61.23(c)(3)(i)(B)
• Confusing occupants with passengers. The aircraft may be authorized for up to 7 occupants, but no more than 6 passengers may be on board. 14 CFR 61.113(i)(1)

Quick answers

Learn it properly

• Lesson: Medical Eligibility: Medical Certificates and BasicMed
• Lesson: Certificates, Medicals and Staying Current
• Regulation: 14 CFR 61.23, full text and study notes
• Regulation: 14 CFR 61.113, full text and study notes
• Regulation: 14 CFR Part 68 on the eCFR ↗

Sources

14 CFR (2025 annual edition, as hosted on this site; current text on the eCFR) and the Aeronautical Information Manual (Basic, with Changes 1 and 2). Checked 2026-09-27.

14 CFR 67.4(b) 14 CFR 61.23(d) 14 CFR 61.23(c)(3) 14 CFR 61.113(i) 14 CFR 61.23(c)(3)(i)(D) 14 CFR 68.5 14 CFR 61.23(c)(3)(i)(C) 14 CFR 61.3(c) 14 CFR 61.23(c)(3)(i)(B) 14 CFR 61.23(a)(3) 14 CFR 61.113(i)(1) 14 CFR 61.113(i)(2) 14 CFR 61.113(i)(3) 14 CFR 61.23(c)(3)(i)(A) 14 CFR 61.23(c)(3)(ii) 14 CFR 61.23(c)(3)(iii) 14 CFR 61.23(c)(3)(iv) 14 CFR 61.23(c)(3)(i)(E) 14 CFR 68.9(a) 14 CFR 68.7 14 CFR 68.3 14 CFR 61.23(a)(2)(ii)