The U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 2247, the Airmen Certificate Accessibility Act, a bill from Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., that would allow pilots and other certificate holders to present either a physical certificate or a digital version when asked to show their credentials during a Federal Aviation Administration inspection.
The bill applies to FAA-issued airman certificates, including medical certificates, and says a digital airman certificate could be presented from an electronic device or, where internet access is available, through a cloud-based system. It also directs the FAA to establish methods for authentication and verification and to issue a final rule implementing the change by Nov. 30, 2028.
Burchett said the measure to allow digital airman certificates is intended to update certification requirements to reflect current technology.
“Technology has advanced, and aviation regulations should reflect that,” Burchett said. “If passengers can have their boarding passes on their phones, pilots should be able to digitally carry copies of certification documents. My bill will give pilots the flexibility to safely and securely present their credentials in a way that matches today’s digital world.”
The House approved H.R. 2247 alongside several other aviation measures, including H.R. 3410 to allow civil domestic supersonic flight over land, H.R. 6267, which would direct the Government Accountability Office to examine obstacles to wider use of digital documentation for aircraft parts, and H.R. 6427, which would give general aviation airports added flexibility for some construction projects.
NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said the package of bills addresses issues that industry groups have been raising for years.
“Taken together, the bills promote innovation in aircraft development, efficiency through increased use of digitization and investment in aviation infrastructure,” Bolen said.
Without some comment on the status of this bill in the Senate, this article doesn’t tell me anything.
If it’s OK with the Department of Motor Vehicles and the state highway patrol it should be OK with the FAA. Every time I get pulled over for a DUI the cop lets me show him my license, registration, and insurance on my iPhone, and then adds the charge of driving while holding an iPhone.
Keeping one’s pilot license in a wallet is somehow a problem? Which way is up? Mindlessness!!!
What the article doesn’t say is whether Congress allocated the funds or just issued another unfunded mandate. Congress can “direct” the FAA all they want but if they don’t give the FAA the funding to do the work the FAA can’t do a thing. That’s why the 2004 Congressional mandate for the FAA to put pilots’ photos on their pilot certificates remains unaccomplished – Congress made the mandate but never allocated the money, and 22 years later we still need an independent photo ID to go with our Airman Certificates.
What’s a wallet, is it the same as a google wallet?
Why does it feel like this is being treated as some sort of bold new initiative, and why did it require the House to get involved?
Electronic Personnel Licences (EPLs) are not new—this is an ICAO‑driven modernization initiative that has been underway for years. China was the first country to implement electronic pilot licences, and India became the second when it launched its EPL system in February 2025. My understanding is that Canada is also in the process of transitioning toward an electronic licensing system, in line with ICAO’s recommended direction.
As for our existing plastic cards, it’s honestly puzzling that the same country that put a man on the moon in the 1960s couldn’t figure out how to print a pilot licence with a photo on it some 60 years later.
Problem with putting the pilot’s picture on the plastic certificates was that the proposal would have required getting updated photo every few years just like your state issued drivers license. That would have required an additional government department along with the charges ($) involved to cover the addition cost to process those renewed pictures. I’m happy enough with the current rules which require pilots to have a government issued picture ID along with the pilot certificate. Last thing pilots need is another mandate which does nothing but increase costs to cover processing.