CASA Class 1 medical validity: Class 1, Class 2 and Basic Class 2
Checked against the sources below on 29 October 2026. How these guides are written
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Under CASR 67.205 a CASA Class 1 medical lasts up to 1 year, and a Class 2 up to 4 years if you are under 40 when it is issued or 2 years if you are 40 or older. The date printed on your certificate governs. Renew within 28 days before expiry and the new certificate starts on the old expiry date. A Basic Class 2 expires on the review date your doctor sets; a Class 5 self-declaration lasts 1 to 5 years by age.
- Class 1
- Up to 1 year
- From the day it comes into force
- 67.205(3)(a)
- Class 2, under 40
- Up to 4 years
- Age when the certificate is issued
- 67.205(3)(b)(i)
- Class 2, 40 or older
- Up to 2 years
- Age when the certificate is issued
- 67.205(3)(b)(ii)
- Renewal timing
- Last examination within 28 days before expiry
- New certificate starts on the old expiry date
- 67.205(1)(c)
- Basic Class 2
- Expiry set from the doctor's recommended next review date
- Exemption runs to 31 Jan 2028
- CASA EX11/25, section 4
- Class 5 self-declaration
- 5 years (16 to 39), 2 years (40 to 74, or with a conditional driver licence), 1 year (75 and over)
- From declaration
- CASA EX01/24; CASA medical page
How long each CASA medical certificate lasts
67.205(3) sets the maximum: a Class 1 "1 year after the day when the certificate comes into force", and a Class 2 "4 years" if "the person is less than 40 years old when the certificate is issued" or "2 years" if 40 or older. CASA's page words the Class 2 cut-off as your age on the day of the examination; the regulation uses the day of issue. CASA can set a shorter period, and the date on your certificate governs.
CASA's DAME Handbook (section 6.7) lists the examination frequency for an ATPL holder's Class 1 as "12-monthly until age 60, then 6-monthly" and for a CPL holder as "12-monthly". CASR 67.205 has no single-pilot passenger rule that shortens a Class 1. Extra tests (ECG, audiogram, fasting lipids and glucose, eye examination) depend on your age, history and class.
CASA says it generally grants a Class 2 at the same time as a Class 1, and the Class 2 may last longer. That matters: under 61.415(2) a CPL or ATPL holder with a current Class 2 can still exercise the licence for activities a PPL authorises after the Class 1 lapses.
Which class your licence needs
A CPL, MPL or ATPL needs a current Class 1 or a medical exemption (61.415(1)). CASA's CPL page says you need a Class 1 to attempt the CPL flight test, and with a Class 2 a CPL holder may fly commercially only without passengers in an aircraft under 8,618 kg MTOW, under exemption EX32/24.
A PPL needs a Class 1 or 2, with a recreational aviation medical practitioner's certificate (RAMPC) allowed in a recreational aircraft by day VFR (61.410). An RPL can use a Class 1 or 2 or a RAMPC (61.405). You must carry your Class 1 or 2 certificate on every flight (61.420(b)).
Renewing: MRS, your DAME and the 28-day rule
Apply in CASA's Medical Records System (MRS, through myCASA) and pay before your DAME appointment, then see a DAME. CASA emails you before expiry and quotes up to 20 days to process once it has the reports and the fee.
Under 67.205(1)(c), if your last examination is "28 or fewer days before" your current certificate is due to expire, the new one starts "the day when the current certificate is due to expire". Examined earlier, it starts on the examination day (67.205(1)(b)). Example: a Class 1 expiring 30 November 2026 renewed on 10 November runs from 30 November; renewed on 15 October it runs from 15 October.
A certificate a DAME issues lasts no more than 2 months (67.205(5)). A DAME can extend a CASA-issued certificate once, by up to 2 months (67.220), and CASA can extend by up to 1 year (67.215). If your certificate has expired, you can apply to a DAME for a new one within 3 months of expiry (67.225).
Basic Class 2, Class 5 and RAMPC
A Basic Class 2 is issued by CASA after any doctor who does commercial driver medicals assesses you against the Austroads commercial vehicle standard. Its expiry is set "on the basis of the recommended date of next review recorded on the person's most recent Fitness Report" (EX11/25, section 4), and EX11/25 is repealed at the end of 31 January 2028. CASA limits it to private day VFR below 10,000 ft, up to 5 passengers, piston engines, under 8,618 kg MTOW and no operational ratings.
The Class 5 medical self-declaration (CASA EX01/24) is done online for a $10 fee. CASA lists it as valid for 5 years from 16 to 39, 2 years from 40 to 74 or with a conditional private driver licence, and 1 year from 75, for private day VFR in aircraft of 2,000 kg or less with no more than 2 people on board. A RAMPC is current for 24 months, or 12 months once you are 65 (61.405(3)).
Under 67.265, a Class 1 holder with a medically significant condition that impairs the ability to exercise the licence and lasts more than 7 days must tell CASA or a DAME as soon as practicable; for Class 2 the trigger is 30 days. Your DAME and CASA decide fitness; this page gives the rules only.
Mistakes pilots make
- Renewing 6 weeks early and losing a month. Only an examination within 28 days of expiry keeps your old expiry date.
- Working out the expiry from the rule. 67.205 sets maximums; read the date on your certificate.
- Assuming a lapsed Class 1 grounds a CPL holder completely. A current Class 2 still covers private flying (61.415(2)).
- Expecting a Basic Class 2 or Class 5 to cover an instrument rating or night flying. Both are day VFR with no operational ratings.
- Leaving the certificate at home. 61.420(b) makes carrying it a condition of exercising the licence.
What Off Chocks tracks
- Credentials has a Medical section (Class 1, Class 2 and Recreational Medical presets, or any name you type) where you enter the expiry date from your certificate.
- Off Chocks shows the days left, flags the medical at 90 days and again at 30 days before expiry, and sends a reminder.
- It does not calculate a medical's expiry from your age, class or examination date, and it does not track the 28-day renewal window. Enter the date printed on the certificate.
Common questions
- How long is a CASA Class 1 medical valid?
- Up to 1 year from the day it comes into force (CASR 67.205(3)(a)). Use the expiry printed on your certificate.
- Is a Class 1 only 6 months after age 60 in Australia?
- CASR 67.205 sets up to 1 year at any age. CASA's DAME Handbook lists ATPL Class 1 examinations as 12-monthly until 60, then 6-monthly, so check the expiry on your certificate.
- When can I renew my medical without losing time?
- Within 28 days before expiry. The new certificate then starts on the old expiry date (67.205(1)(c)).
- Does Class 2 validity go by my age at the exam or at issue?
- The regulation uses your age when the certificate is issued: 4 years under 40, 2 years from 40 (67.205(3)(b)). CASA's web page refers to the examination day.
- Can I fly commercially on a Class 2 in Australia?
- CASA allows a CPL holder with a Class 2 to fly commercially without passengers under 8,618 kg MTOW, under exemption EX32/24. Carrying passengers commercially needs a Class 1.
- My medical has expired. What now?
- You can't use the licence privileges that need it. Within 3 months of expiry a DAME can issue a new certificate in some cases (67.225); otherwise apply through MRS and see a DAME.
Sources
- Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998, Compilation No. 103 (in force from 29 Sep 2026), Parts 61 and 67
- CASA: Classes 1 to 3 medical certificates (updated 17 Jun 2026)
- CASA: Basic Class 2, Class 5 medical self-declaration and RAMPC (updated 20 May 2026)
- CASA: The medical certification process
- CASA DAME Handbook 6.7: Periodic examinations requirements
- CASA EX11/25: Medical Certification (Basic Class 2 Medical Certificate) Exemption 2025
This is a plain-words summary to help you keep your own records, not legal advice. The regulation and your operator's procedures always take precedence.