International Clients

International Students & Pilots

EFA welcomes foreign nationals to come for flight training or aircraft rental. Once you have decided that you would like to start flight training or rent an aircraft at EFA, please take a look at the steps below that we have established to make your introduction to EFA as smooth as possible. There is a separate section for Rental Pilots after the Flight Training section below.

Flight Training Students: International Student Application Process:

At EFA, we aim to make the application process as simple as possible. This process is outlined below:

1) Application: Fill out our simple Student Application (a PDF document) - this confirms your commitment to EFA for training. Please make sure to check ALL of the levels of flight training you would like to accomplish during your stay. If requested, we can estimate the cost of training for each certificate. Fax the student application back to us at: 1-781-274-6719.

2) Student Visa: Any non-US citizen or green card holder will need to apply for a student visa to be able to take flight training at our school. EFA is authorized to assist with M-1 student visa applications as we are registered with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. The type of visa you will apply for is an M-1 visa, which is specifically for students. We will ask you for detailed information regarding your contact information, citizenship status, financial status and other details. Once we have this information, we will complete and send an I-20 form for you, which you will need to have with you when you apply for your visa. Accompanying the form will be the steps to take to make sure you have everything you need when you apply for your visa at the US Embassy or Consulate in your country. The M-1 visa application process has costs associated with it, please be sure to be aware of these costs when you get started.  Click here to download the I20 Form

A few requirements to remember:

    1) You must be able to provide verification that you have the ability to pay for your tuition and living expenses while in the USA. You may be asked for this at the US Consulate or Embassy when you apply for your visa.2) You must be proficient in English

3) TSA Application: (you can start this process now or when you arrive in the USA)
All non-US citizens who are planning to enroll in a flight training program (Private, Instrument, and Multi-engine only) are required to register with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). All other training (Commercial, Certified Flight Instructor, Airline Transport Pilot, Unusual Attitude, Aerobatics, etc.) can be conducted without TSA approval. The application fee is US$130.00, payable directly on-line with TSA. This process is completed on the TSA’s website. To complete the TSA process, you will also need to get fingerprints taken. If you are currently in the USA, you may get your finger�s printed at a Massachusetts State Police office (the office in the town of Concord can do it).

If you are currently outside the USA, fingerprinting services are now available at the following locations outside of the United States:

  • FSI and TAM Linhas Aereas, Sao Paolo, Brazil
  • FSI Canada Limited, Dorval Quebec, Canada
  • Flight Safety International SARL, Le Bourget, France
  • Saudi Aramco, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
  • Emirates-CAE SimuFlite, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  • Flight Safety International, Farnborough Hampshire, United Kingdom

If there are no locations in your country to get fingerprints taken, you may get them here in the USA at a state police office locally after you arrive. Go to this website for information: http://www.asc-csc.com/printoffices/ on where fingerprinting may be accomplished. Before you fill in any application for any fingerprinting location, please give the location a call to verify process.

Complete TSA registratoin instructions may be found in this document (click on the document name to go to this page): Guidelines.pdf. This document will give you instructions on how to register at the Alien Flight Student Program.

4) Short Term Housing: If you will not be staying with friends or family, may we suggest a few options for short term housing options. (these prices are subject to change)

Pilots with Foreign Pilot�s License

If you will be visiting the USA and would like to rent an aircraft at EFA, we can help. There are a few items that you will need to complete before flying in the USA.

1) You will need to apply for a US Certificate based on your foreign pilot�s license.

2) Contact the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) a minimum of 90 days prior to the day you intend to receive your US Certificate based on your foreign license. For complete information, please go to this site:

http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certification/foreign_license_verification/

Here you will find an application to fill in to verify your foreign license. Fax or send the completed application and required attachments to the head FAA office in Oklahoma City.

3) On the application, question #4, be sure to list the address below as the address you would like the verification sent to (this Lexington office is only a few minutes from our airport):

    Federal Aviation Administration
    One Cranberry Hill
    Fourth Floor, Suite 402
    Lexington, Massachusetts 02421
    Phone: (781) 274-7130 Fax: (781) 274-6725

You will apply for your US license at this office. Please contact them directly by phone of fax to obtain the application you need to complete the process.

4) When you arrive at EFA, you will need to bring the documents you received from the FAA and your foreign license and medical certificate.

5) Sign up for a standard EFA checkout in the aircraft you want to rent. For details on what a checkout entails for each aircraft, please go to this link:

http://executiveflyers.com/Checkout_Procedures.pdf

6) Once you are checked out in an aircraft, you are all set to rent!