# third-class medical certificate — How long medical certificates last for pilots, commercial drivers and merchant mariners — by class, age and service type

For third-class medical certificate, occupation / regulator is pilot (FAA); age / service condition is Age 40 or older; operation / activity covered is a recreational pilot certificate, a private pilot certificate, a flight instructor certificate (when acting as pilot in command or a required pilot flight crewmember in operations other than glider or balloon), a student pilot certificate, or a sport pilot certificate (when not using a U.S. driver's license as medical qualification); valid for is 24th month after the month of the date of examination shown on the medical certificate; citation is 14 CFR 61.23, recorded from its source on 2026-08-11.

- **Occupation / regulator:** pilot (FAA) _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Certificate and class:** third-class medical certificate _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Age / service condition:** Age 40 or older _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Operation / activity covered:** a recreational pilot certificate, a private pilot certificate, a flight instructor certificate (when acting as pilot in command or a required pilot flight crewmember in operations other than glider or balloon), a student pilot certificate, or a sport pilot certificate (when not using a U.S. driver's license as medical qualification) _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Valid for:** 24th month after the month of the date of examination shown on the medical certificate _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Citation:** 14 CFR 61.23 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> (3) A third-class medical certificate | (i) Under age 40 | a recreational pilot certificate, a private pilot certificate, a flight instructor certificate (when acting as pilot in command or a required pilot flight crewmember in operations other than glider or balloon), a student pilot certificate, or a sport pilot certificate (when not using a U.S. driver's license as medical qualification) | 60th month after the month of the date of examination shown on the medical certificate. | | (ii) Age 40 or older | a recreational pilot certificate, a private pilot certificate, a flight instructor certificate (when acting as pilot in command or a required pilot flight crewmember in operations other than glider or balloon), a student pilot certificate, or a sport pilot certificate (when not using a U.S. driver's license as medical qualification) | 24th month after the month of the date of examination shown on the medical certificate.

## Source

- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-61/subpart-A/section-61.23

Last verified: 2026-08-11. Review by: 2027-08-11.
Part of [How long medical certificates last for pilots, commercial drivers and merchant mariners — by class, age and service type](https://referencesource.org/medical-certificate-validity-by-occupation/).