Pilots and other FAA-certified airmen would be able to present digital copies of their certificates — on a phone or through a cloud-based system — during FAA inspections, rather than carrying the original paper document. The FAA would have until November 2028 to finalize rules for how digital certificates are authenticated and verified. The bill is the Senate version of identical House legislation and would affect anyone holding a pilot license, medical certificate, or drone operator credential.
Congressional Summary
Airmen Certificate Accessibility ActThis bill allows a pilot to present a digital copy of certain certificates (e.g., an airman certificate or a medical certificate) when required to present such documentation by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector.Under current FAA regulations, a pilot must present for inspection a physical copy of an airman certificate and other paperwork upon a request from the FAA; a federal, state, or local law enforcement officer; or an authorized representative of the Transportation Security Administration or the National Transportation Safety Board. This bill allows a pilot to present a certificate such as an airman certificate or a medical certificate to an FAA inspector as (1) a physical certificate, or (2) a digital copy stored on an electronic device or cloud storage platform.The FAA must update current regulations to implement this change.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2026-03-26
- Date Added
- 2026-04-16