Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Requirements for All Students
Centennial Aviation Academy is required by federal law to verify the citizenship and/or legal status of all students who receive flight training. Please see below for requirements for US Citizens and Non-US Citizens. Non-US Citizens MUST receive TSA training approval prior to starting flight training.
US Citizens
Students who are citizens of the United States must provide proof of citizenship by showing one or more of the following:
Valid, unexpired U.S. passport. (and CAA also requires another form of ID showing proof of address in addition to the passport)
Original birth certificate of the United States, American Samoa, or Swains Island AND government-issued picture ID.
Original certification of birth abroad with raised seal (Form FS-545 or DS-1350) AND government-issued picture ID.
Original certificate of U.S. citizenship with raised seal (Form N-560 or N-561), or a Certificate of Repatriation (Form N-581), AND government-issued picture ID.
Original U.S. Naturalization Certificate with raised seal (Form N-550 or N-570) AND a government-issued picture ID.
US Citizens - You’re all set!
Non-US Citizens
NOTE: This process is not required for Commercial, CFI or ATP applicants if student is a current FAA Private Pilot or Commercial Pilot Certificate holder.
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Verify that you have an appropriate visa. The TSA will deny flight training requests from candidates who are present in the U.S. illegally or who do not have an appropriate visa for flight training. Moreover, taking flight training without an appropriate visa could be a violation of your immigration status and could result in your arrest and removal from the United States (Note: Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) of the United States are not required to have a visa)
If you have questions pertaining to your visa status or the appropriate visas for flight training, please contact your local Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services at (800) 375-5283 or www.uscis.gov or the State Department Consular Affairs Office for assistance. -
The average turnaround from the start of the application to final approval usually takes anywhere from 30-90 days. TSA Flight Training Approval is valid for 365 days from the date of authorization. If you are seeking to reapply for approval, please renew your training authorization at least 45-60 days before your original approval expires. For online application issues, please contact the FTSP help Desk at (571) 203-8470 or afsp.help@dhs.gov. Someone always answers the phone directly and they are actually very helpful.
Visit the TSA FTSP website at https://www.fts.tsa.dhs.gov/home/candidateregistration
Complete the request for a username and password. After completing the request, TSA will e-mail you a user ID and password.
Return to the TSA Flight Training website at https://www.fts.tsa.dhs.gov/home
Log in to the website on the top right by entering your user ID and Password.
Complete the FTSP Foreign Student Application - which has 8 steps:
When reaching the following fields on the application, please follow the below instructions:
School Name/State: Centennial Aviation Academy/GA
Student Identification # from school: Leave this field blank
Course ID #: enter 101
Class Name: select Category 3 from drop-down box
For Jet Students, select Category 1
Aircraft Type: enter PIPER PA28, Cessna CE172
For Multi-Engine Students enter Beechcraft BE76
For Jet Students, enter your aircraft make/model
Estimated Start Date: Enter a start date that approximates the date provided by CAA. This can be an estimate, however; you will not be able to start before the commencement date listed.
Estimated End Date: Enter the estimated ending date (no more than one year from the Estimated Start Date)
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Centennial Aviation will receive a request to approve your application from the TSA. As long as you have completed the above application and contacted us, the application/request should be approved.
Once approved, the TSA will ask for a $130 payment to process your application and check for any errors.
The TSA will then send you instructions for the fingerprinting and security threat assessment process.
NOTE: You must pre-pay for the fingerprinting process (fingerprinting fee is in addition to the $130 already paid to TSA)
Once the TSA has received all the required docuements and fees, they will forward your final approval to CAA with an “all-clear” to begin training.
As a part of your approval, CAA is required (at a minimum) to keep copies of the following:
Picture to be uploaded to the TSA within 7 days of your approval
Full Name, Gender, Date of Birth, Address, Phone Number, Email, TSA ID Number, Country of Birth, Countries of Citizenship, Requested Training Dates & Type & Location, and U.S. Pilot Certificate Number
Passport & Visa, TSA Approval Letter, Receipt from Application Fee