How long does it take to get a Part 107 license?
The real Part 107 timeline, from study and booking to the TSA check and card, with dated pilot reports and why the temporary certificate is what counts.
Someone in r/Part107 had a drone job lined up and a clock running: “job opportunity using my drone in about 2 to 3 weeks… Does this sound do-able?” If you’re in a similar spot, maybe with a boss who wants photos next month or a first client waiting, here’s the honest answer.
If you study for one to two weeks and can book a test soon, you could be legal to fly paid jobs about three weeks after you start. That’s our estimate from the steps below, not an FAA promise. The FAA says your test result can take up to 48 hours to reach IACRA, and pilots in 2026 reported printing their temporary certificate about three days after passing. You can work on that temporary certificate. The plastic card takes longer, often around five weeks in recent reports, but you don’t need to wait for it.
The whole timeline at a glance
| Step | Who controls it | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Get your FTN in IACRA | You | Same day |
| Set up your PSI account | You | Same day, but you need an authenticator app |
| Study | You | A few days to a month in pass stories we read |
| Book and take the test | You and test-center availability | Depends on your area |
| Result shows in IACRA | FAA | Up to 48 hours |
| Apply, TSA check, temporary certificate | FAA and TSA | About 3 days in two 2026 reports |
| Plastic card in the mail | FAA | 34 days and 5 weeks in two 2026 reports |
The first four rows are mostly in your hands, and that’s where most of the time goes. The last three are waiting.
Study time: what’s realistic
The pass stories we read ranged widely. One person booked the test 10 days out with no prior knowledge, to force themselves to study, and scored 93%. Another passed with 90% after five days of free resources. A third studied about four weeks, three casually and one focused, and scored 92%. Someone else worked through a course over about three weeks. These are individual stories, not averages, but they show that two weeks of steady work is a normal amount.
If time is short, be picky about topics. PSI’s current bulletin weights the test at 48% regulations, 25% operations, 20% airspace, 5% weather and 2% loading and performance. If you have a hard deadline, start with regulations and airspace.
Short daily sessions beat one long cram. Research on memory has found that spacing study out helps you remember longer, though those studies weren’t about aviation tests. Our Part 107 test tips from people who passed has a two-week plan built on those weights.
Getting a test slot
Do the account setup before you need it, because both steps can stall a same-day booking.
First, create an IACRA profile to get your FAA Tracking Number (FTN). You need it before you can register for the test. Enter your full legal name exactly as it appears on your ID. If you have no middle name, IACRA uses “NMN.”
Second, create your PSI account. PSI requires your FTN and an authenticator app for multi-factor sign-in, so install one on your phone first. PSI sets the test fee and shows it when you book.
When you pick a date, remember the reschedule rule: PSI only lets you cancel and rebook if it gets your notice 24 hours before the exam, and a voicemail doesn’t count. If you’re 14 or 15, you can take the test, but you have to be 16 to hold the certificate.
Test day to temporary certificate
The test is 60 scored questions plus 5 unscored ones, with two hours to finish, and you need 70% to pass. Arrive at least 15 minutes early, since a late arrival may not be admitted. Bring ID that shows your photo, date of birth, signature and residential address. A PO box doesn’t count, and missing ID is treated as a missed appointment.
After you pass, your result can take up to 48 hours to appear in IACRA. Then you apply for your certificate there. The TSA runs a security check, and when it’s done IACRA emails you instructions for printing your temporary certificate. In 2026 reports, one pilot passed on a Monday and had the temporary certificate on Thursday, and another said it was “available in 3 days.”
Your passing test report stays valid for 24 calendar months, so if life gets in the way you have time to apply, though you can’t fly for work until you do.
You can work on the temporary certificate
“Can I do jobs with a temporary certificate?” comes up constantly after people pass, and the answer is in the rule itself. 14 CFR 107.64 says a temporary certificate is issued for up to 120 calendar days and ends on its expiration date, when your permanent certificate arrives, or if the FAA denies or revokes it. Nothing in it limits paid work while it’s valid.
Print it and carry it with ID whenever you fly under Part 107.
The plastic card
The FAA doesn’t give first-time pilots a number of days for the card. It says the permanent certificate is mailed once its internal processing is complete. Two pilots in 2026 reported 34 days and five weeks.
The FAA does publish how far along it is. Its Airmen Certification page lists the issue date of the temporary certificates it’s currently processing into permanent ones. Check that page for today’s date instead of trusting any number in a blog post, this one included.
What slows people down
- Failing the test. You have to wait 14 calendar days before a retake, and bring your failed test report. For a tight deadline, this is the biggest risk, which is why a practice score comfortably above 70% is worth having first.
- Missing the 24-hour reschedule window. You lose the slot and rebook around test-center availability.
- The wrong ID. An ID with no residential address or with an old one can cost you the appointment.
- A name mismatch. If the name in IACRA doesn’t match your ID, it can cause errors later. For a legal name change, IACRA’s FAQ says an examiner can’t process it and you’ll need an in-person FSDO appointment with court documents. That FAQ is written for examiner-processed applications, so treat it as a possible delay rather than a certain one.
- No authenticator app when you sit down to book.
- The October 26, 2026 test change. From that date the test adds image-based questions from current sectional charts that aren’t in the printed supplement. It doesn’t change the timeline, but a failed attempt in mid-October means your retake falls under the new format. Our post on what changes on the Part 107 test on October 26 has the details.
- Taking the Part 61 route with a flight instructor. If you already hold a manned pilot certificate and use the online course path, a CFI can’t issue a temporary certificate, so you’d wait for the card. Use a FSDO, examiner or ACR if you want to fly right away.
Your fastest legal path, step by step
- Today: create your IACRA profile and FTN, install an authenticator app, and set up your PSI account.
- Take a practice test to see where you stand before you pick a date.
- Book a test date one to two weeks out, early enough that a 14-day retake would still fit your deadline.
- Study regulations and airspace first, in short daily sessions.
- Test day: correct ID, 15 minutes early.
- Within 48 hours, apply in IACRA.
- Print your temporary certificate when the TSA email arrives and start working.
If you do only one thing today besides the account setup, make it step 2. Take the free practice test: it’s 20 questions with a score by area, so you’ll see whether two weeks is realistic for you before you commit to a date.
If you’re earlier than this and still weighing whether to do it at all, how to become a drone pilot covers the whole path.