Part 107 Recurrent Training: How to Stay Current Every 24 Months
Last updated October 5, 2026
You do not have to retake the Part 107 knowledge test to keep flying. To act as remote pilot in command, you must have passed the initial knowledge test or completed recurrent training within the previous 24 calendar months, and recurrent training is an online course on the FAA Safety Team website, not a test at a testing center (14 CFR 107.65; FAA notice, April 5, 2021). The rule sets a currency requirement rather than a certificate expiration date, and you renew your currency by completing the training by the last day of your 24th calendar month.
The rules at a glance
| Fact | Answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The rule | Aeronautical knowledge recency | 14 CFR 107.65 |
| How often | Within the previous 24 calendar months | 14 CFR 107.65 |
| Ways to stay current | Pass the initial test, complete recurrent training, or (part 61 pilots with a current flight review) complete the part 61 pilot training | 14 CFR 107.65(a) to (c) |
| Recurrent knowledge test (UGR) | No longer offered since April 6, 2021 | FAA notice, April 5, 2021 |
| Where the recurrent training is | FAA Safety Team website, faasafety.gov | FAA notice, April 5, 2021; AC 107-2A, para 2.3.2 |
| Topics covered | The same 13 areas as the initial test | 14 CFR 107.73 |
| How the deadline is counted | To the last day of the 24th calendar month | AC 107-2A, figure 6-1 |
| Must carry when flying | Remote pilot certificate and identification | 14 CFR 107.7(a)(1) |
| If you lapse | You may not act as remote pilot in command until you are current again | 14 CFR 107.65; AC 107-2A, figure 6-1 |
Sources: 14 CFR part 107 (current eCFR text as of October 2026), Advisory Circular 107-2A (AC 107-2A, the FAA’s guidance on part 107, editorial update of May 2022), and the FAA Airman Testing Standards Branch notice Changes to Testing for a Remote Pilot Certificate with a Small Aircraft Rating (April 5, 2021).
What the 24-month rule actually says
The rule is 14 CFR 107.65, titled “Aeronautical knowledge recency.” You may not exercise the privileges of a remote pilot in command unless, within the previous 24 calendar months, you have done one of these three things (14 CFR 107.65):
- Passed an initial aeronautical knowledge test covering the areas in 107.73 (paragraph (a)).
- Completed recurrent training covering the areas in 107.73 (paragraph (b)).
- Completed the part 61 pilot training covering the areas in 107.74, if you hold a part 61 pilot certificate (other than a student pilot certificate) and meet the flight review requirements of 14 CFR 61.56 (paragraph (c)).
The same recency rule is built into 14 CFR 107.12: to act as remote pilot in command, or to fly the drone on your own, you need both the certificate and current status under 107.65 (14 CFR 107.12(a)(1) and (b)).
Recurrent training versus retaking the test
Before April 6, 2021, staying current meant passing a separate test, the Unmanned Aircraft Recurrent (UGR) knowledge test. The FAA dropped it from that date. Instead, “any person who holds a Remote Pilot Certificate” can take recurrent training, which the FAA put on the FAA Safety Team’s website starting April 6, 2021 (FAA notice, April 5, 2021). The AC lists the site as https://www.faasafety.gov (AC 107-2A, para 2.3.2).
So for most remote pilots there are two choices:
- Recurrent training (the simpler route). Online, on the FAA Safety Team website, with no testing center. It covers the same areas of knowledge as the initial test (14 CFR 107.73).
- Passing the initial knowledge test again. This also counts, because 107.65(a) accepts an initial test passed within the previous 24 calendar months. It means booking a testing center again, so the training is usually the simpler choice.
The 13 areas that the initial test and the recurrent training both cover are (14 CFR 107.73):
| Area | Area |
|---|---|
| Regulations: privileges, limitations, flight operation | Physiological effects of drugs and alcohol |
| Airspace classification, operating requirements, flight restrictions | Aeronautical decision-making and judgment |
| Weather sources and effects of weather on performance | Airport operations |
| Loading | Maintenance and preflight inspection |
| Emergency procedures | Operation at night |
| Crew resource management | Determining performance |
| Radio communication procedures |
The night topics matter. You may fly at night only if you completed an initial test or training under 107.65 after April 6, 2021, and the drone has anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles (14 CFR 107.29(a)). The recurrent training includes night physiology and night visual illusions (AC 107-2A, para 5.7.2.1).
If you want a refresher before the course, our Regulations and Operations topic pages walk through the same areas with practice questions.
Who must do what
| You are | To stay current, within each 24 calendar months | Source |
|---|---|---|
| A remote pilot certificate holder who is not a part 61 pilot | Complete recurrent training, or pass the initial knowledge test again | 14 CFR 107.65(a) and (b) |
| A part 61 pilot (not student pilot) with a current flight review under 61.56 | Complete the training covering 107.74, or use either option above | 14 CFR 107.65(a) to (c) |
| A part 61 pilot whose flight review is not current | The part 61 option does not apply; use recurrent training or the initial test | 14 CFR 107.65(c) |
| Someone flying under another pilot’s supervision | No currency needed, if a current remote pilot in command directly supervises and can take immediate control | 14 CFR 107.12(a)(2); AC 107-2A, para 5.2.2 |
The part 61 training covers 8 areas instead of 13. It leaves out airspace, weather sources, radio procedures, drugs and alcohol, decision-making and airport operations (compare 14 CFR 107.73 with 107.74; AC 107-2A, para 6.7.1.1).
How the 24 calendar months are counted
“Calendar months” means the deadline is the last day of the month, not the same date two years later. The FAA’s example: pass the initial test on September 13, 2020, and recurrent training must be completed no later than September 30, 2022 (AC 107-2A, figure 6-1).
Two more points from the same figure:
- Finishing early resets the clock from the month you finish. If you complete recurrent training before your deadline, your next deadline is the end of the 24th calendar month after the month you completed it (AC 107-2A, figure 6-1).
- Finishing late leaves a gap. If you miss the end of the month, you may not use your certificate’s privileges from the first day of the next month until the day you complete the training, and your next deadline counts from the month you finish (AC 107-2A, figure 6-1).
How to stay current, step by step
- Find your deadline. Take the month you passed the initial test (or last completed recurrent training), add 24 months, and go to the last day of that month (14 CFR 107.65; AC 107-2A, figure 6-1).
- Put a reminder a month or two before it. You can do the training early. The new 24 months then start from the month you finish, so you give up only the unused part of your old period (AC 107-2A, figure 6-1).
- Do the recurrent training online. It is on the FAA Safety Team website, faasafety.gov (FAA notice, April 5, 2021; AC 107-2A, para 2.3.2). Follow the instructions on that site to find the part 107 recurrent course and complete it.
- Keep your record of completion. Save or print whatever proof of completion the course gives you. (This is our suggestion, not a written rule; see the next section.)
- Work out your new deadline from the month you finished, and set the next reminder.
If you are a part 61 pilot with a current flight review, step 3 can instead be the part 61 training covering the 107.74 areas, which the AC says can be taken online at faasafety.gov (AC 107-2A, para 6.8.1).
What to carry as proof
When you fly as remote pilot in command, the rule requires you to have your remote pilot certificate and identification in your physical possession and readily accessible (14 CFR 107.7(a)(1)). You must show them on request to the FAA, the NTSB, any federal, state or local law enforcement officer, or the TSA (14 CFR 107.7(a)(2)). You must also make available to the FAA, on request, any document, record or report the regulations require you to keep (14 CFR 107.7(a)(3)).
Part 107 does not list the recurrent training completion record among the items you must carry. But 107.65 requires the test or training to be accomplished “in a manner acceptable to the Administrator,” and the record of completion is the simplest way to show when you did it. Keeping a copy on your phone or in your flight kit is sensible.
What happens if you lapse
- You may not act as remote pilot in command until you are current again (14 CFR 107.65; 14 CFR 107.12(b)).
- You may not fly the drone on your own either. You can manipulate the controls only under the direct supervision of a current remote pilot in command who can take immediate, direct control (14 CFR 107.12(a); AC 107-2A, para 5.2.2).
- You do not need to retest. Completing recurrent training makes you current again, and the FAA’s own example shows a late pilot simply completing the training, after which the next 24 months count from that month (14 CFR 107.65(b); AC 107-2A, figure 6-1).
Try one: an original practice question
You passed the Part 107 initial knowledge test on February 20, 2025. You completed recurrent training early, on June 3, 2026. What is the last day you can act as remote pilot in command before you must complete recurrent training again?
- A. February 28, 2027
- B. June 3, 2028
- C. June 30, 2028
Answer: C. Under 14 CFR 107.65, what counts is the most recent test or training “within the previous 24 calendar months.” Completing training early starts a new 24 calendar months from the month you finished, running to the end of the month (AC 107-2A, figure 6-1). Option A counts from the original test; option B forgets the calendar-month rule.
The test format and passing score are in our guide to the Part 107 test format and passing score.
Common questions
Does my Part 107 certificate expire?
The regulation sets a currency rule rather than an expiration date. You must have passed the initial test or completed recurrent training within the previous 24 calendar months to act as remote pilot in command (14 CFR 107.65).
Do I need to retake the Part 107 test every two years?
No. Since April 6, 2021, recurrent training on the FAA Safety Team website replaces the old recurrent test (FAA notice, April 5, 2021). Passing the initial test again also counts, but it is not required (14 CFR 107.65(a) and (b)).
My currency lapsed. Do I have to start over?
No. Complete recurrent training and you are current again; you just may not act as remote pilot in command in the gap (14 CFR 107.65(b); AC 107-2A, figure 6-1).
I am a private pilot. Which training do I take?
If you hold a part 61 certificate (not student pilot) and your flight review under 61.56 is current, you can complete the training covering the 107.74 areas. If your flight review is not current, use recurrent training or the initial test (14 CFR 107.65).