TSA has issued Title 49 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations Part 1552 that prohibits a flight school from providing flight training in an aircraft or flight training device to non-U.S. Citizens without proper authorization.
Previously, TSA approval was required for EACH training, provider, and for EACH course. Specifically, for a foreign student to enroll in any course at our school, a separate TSA approval was required for each course. However, this is no longer necessary; it is now sufficient to obtain approval once every five years from any provider for any course.
Under U.S. law and regulation, all non-U.S. citizens (including Green Card holders) seeking flight training must apply for a security threat assessment (STA) and receive a Determination of Eligibility (Final Approval) before you can take flight training. Determination of Eligibility is valid for up to five (5) years. Once you are granted a Determination of Eligibility, you must use FTSP portal to select one or more flight training providers for your flight training. The provider you select will work with you to schedule your training. You may train as often as you like without additional cost for the duration of your Determination of Eligibility.
TSA conducts continuous vetting during this five-year period and may suspend or cancel your Determination of Eligibility if your account information is not up to date, for example, if your visa or other immigration document expires. You must submit a new STA application every five (5) years.
Typically, it takes about 30 days to obtain the Determination of Eligibility, but this is not guaranteed. The TSA processes applications on an individual basis, and approval times can vary significantly for different applicants. It is recommended to start your application as early as possible and choose a training start date that allows for some flexibility in case of delays in the application process.
Under this ordinance, pilots must create and maintain a TSA account at https://www.fts.tsa.dhs.gov/. TSA will then determine whether the candidate is or is not a threat to aviation or national security and base their decision on the results of the extensive screening process.
Below you may find the instructions on how to obtain TSA clearance or download TSA Instruction 2024.
If you need any assistance with fingerprinting upon arrival to Fort Lauderdale, you can select “Florida Aviation Academy” as a provider, Richard Haughton, Email: Haughtonkeane@gmail.com from TSA Trusted Agents website in a domestic agents tab, and request an appointment for fingerprinting at SkyEagle facility (additional charge is applied for remote collection).
Keep your account information current. TSA conducts continuous vetting of persons who receive a Determination of Eligibility. If your personal information becomes out of date, or your qualifying documents expire, your Determination of Eligibility could be suspended or canceled.
