EASA SEP rating revalidation: 12 hours or a proficiency check
Checked against the sources below on 29 October 2026. How these guides are written
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An EASA SEP or TMG class rating is valid for 2 years under FCL.740(a)(1). FCL.740.A(b)(1) gives two ways to revalidate it: pass a proficiency check with an examiner within the 3 months before expiry, or, within the 12 months before expiry, fly 12 hours in the class, including 6 hours as PIC, 12 takeoffs and 12 landings, and at least 1 hour of refresher training with an FI or CRI. A pass in any class or type check or skill test replaces that hour.
- Validity
- 2 years for single-pilot single-engine class ratings
- From the expiry date, or the check date if early
- FCL.740(a)(1)
- Revalidation by check
- Proficiency check in the class with an examiner (Appendix 9)
- 3 months before expiry
- FCL.740.A(b)(1)(i)
- Revalidation by experience: hours
- 12 h in the class, including 6 h as PIC
- 12 months before expiry
- FCL.740.A(b)(1)(ii)(A)
- Takeoffs and landings
- 12 takeoffs and 12 landings
- 12 months before expiry
- FCL.740.A(b)(1)(ii)(B)
- Refresher training
- At least 1 h with an FI or CRI, unless you passed a check, skill test, EBT assessment or assessment of competence in any class or type
- 12 months before expiry
- FCL.740.A(b)(1)(ii)(C)
- Licence endorsement
- Instructor enters the new expiry date, if authorised by your authority
- After the training flight, all criteria met
- FCL.945
- Renewal after expiry
- Assessment (instructor allowed if expired 3 years or less), refresher if needed, proficiency check
- Any time after expiry
- FCL.740(b)
How long an EASA SEP rating lasts
FCL.740(a)(1) sets class and type ratings at 1 year, "except for single-pilot single-engine class ratings for which the validity period shall be 2 years, unless otherwise determined in the OSD". SEP (land and sea) and TMG ratings therefore run for 2 years.
The single-engine turboprop class is single-pilot single-engine too, so it also lasts 2 years, but FCL.740.A(b)(3) gives it one route only: a proficiency check with an examiner "within the 3 months preceding the expiry date of the rating". Revalidation by experience applies to SEP and TMG ratings.
Revalidation by experience, line by line
FCL.740.A(b)(1)(ii) asks you to "within the 12 months preceding the expiry date of the rating, complete 12 hours of flight time in the relevant class, including the following: (A) 6 hours as PIC; (B) 12 take-offs and 12 landings; (C) refresher training of at least 1 hour of total flight time with and to the satisfaction of a flight instructor (FI) or a class rating instructor (CRI)".
Count the 12 months back from the rating's expiry date, not from today. With a rating expiring on 31 August 2027, flights from 1 September 2026 onwards count. The refresher hour sits inside the 12 hours ("including the following"), and dual time with the instructor counts toward the 12.
If you hold both SEP land and TMG ratings, FCL.740.A(b)(2) lets you meet the requirements "in either class or a combination of those classes, and achieve revalidation of both ratings". SEP land with SEP sea works differently under (b)(4): you may combine the classes, but "at least 1 hour of the required PIC time and 6 of the required 12 take-offs and 12 landings shall be completed in each class".
The hour with an instructor, and who signs your licence
The instructor "shall select those flight exercises that allow the applicant to refresh their competence in safely operating the aircraft and applying normal, abnormal and emergency procedures". AMC1 FCL.740.A(b)(1)(ii)(C) (ED Decision 2025/002/R) asks for a briefing on threat and error management with emphasis on adverse weather and unintentional IMC, navigation technique and stall recovery, and for flight exercises including simulated loss or partial loss of engine power and different stall scenarios. GM2 FCL.740.A recommends a safety awareness briefing of at least 15 minutes.
You skip the hour if you have passed, in any class or type of aeroplane, "(1) a class or type rating proficiency check; (2) a skill test; (3) an EBT practical assessment; (4) an assessment of competence". A pilot with a current MEP or airline type rating check is therefore exempt.
FCL.945 has the instructor endorse "the applicant's licence with the new expiry date of the rating" after the training flight, but only when all the other revalidation criteria are met and "if specifically authorised for that purpose by the competent authority responsible for the applicant's licence". If your instructor holds no such authorisation, follow your authority's own process for entering the new date.
Revalidation by proficiency check instead
FCL.740.A(b)(1)(i) lets you "within the 3 months preceding the expiry date of the rating, pass a proficiency check in the relevant class in accordance with Appendix 9 to this Part with an examiner". Pilots who fly too little to reach 12 hours often take this route.
Under FCL.740.A(b)(5) the check can be combined with the proficiency check for a BIR. Under FCL.740.A(c), a pilot who fails any section before expiry may not use the rating until passing.
If your SEP rating has expired
Once the expiry date passes, revalidation by experience is no longer available and FCL.740(b) renewal applies. You need an assessment, any refresher training it finds necessary, and a proficiency check under Appendix 9.
For a non-high-performance SEP or TMG rating, the assessment can be done at a DTO or an ATO, and "at a DTO, at an ATO or with an instructor, if the rating expired no more than 3 years ago" (FCL.740(b)(1)(ii) and (iii)). AMC1 FCL.740(b) has the assessor weigh your experience, the time since you last flew the class and whether you hold another current rating.
Mistakes pilots make
- Counting 12 months back from the day you fly with the instructor. FCL.740.A(b)(1)(ii) counts the 12 months before the rating's expiry date.
- Leaving out the instructor hour without an exemption. Only a pass in a class or type check, skill test, EBT practical assessment or assessment of competence removes it.
- Letting the rating expire and then trying to revalidate by experience. After expiry it is renewal, which needs a proficiency check.
- Assuming any FI can sign the new date into the licence. FCL.945 requires the instructor to be authorised by the authority that holds your licence.
- Combining SEP land and sea time without the minimum in each class: 1 hour of the PIC time and 6 takeoffs and 6 landings in each (FCL.740.A(b)(4)).
What Off Chocks tracks
- Off Chocks does not run the FCL.740.A(b)(1)(ii) test or track the instructor hour. Set the Logbook date filter to the 12 months before your expiry date and the aircraft filter to your SEP aircraft; the Totals row then shows block, PIC and landings for those flights. Takeoffs are counted on each flight but are not in the Totals row.
- Add the class rating in Credentials with its expiry date for a reminder before it lapses (30 days by default for a rating, adjustable).
- The Currency page counts FCL.060 recency (3 takeoffs and 3 landings in 90 days) for the class, which is a separate rule from revalidation.
Common questions
- How long is an EASA SEP class rating valid?
- 2 years. FCL.740(a)(1) sets 2 years for single-pilot single-engine class ratings unless the OSD says otherwise.
- Does the hour with the instructor count toward the 12 hours?
- Yes. FCL.740.A(b)(1)(ii) asks for 12 hours "including" the refresher training, so the instructor hour is part of the 12.
- Do I need the instructor flight if I passed an MEP or type rating check?
- No. A pass in a class or type rating proficiency check, skill test, EBT practical assessment or assessment of competence in any class or type exempts you (FCL.740.A(b)(1)(ii)(C)).
- Can I revalidate by experience after my SEP rating has expired?
- No. Revalidation happens before expiry. An expired rating needs renewal under FCL.740(b): an assessment, any refresher training and a proficiency check.
- Does TMG time count toward SEP revalidation?
- If you hold both ratings, yes. FCL.740.A(b)(2) lets you meet the requirements in either class or a mix and revalidate both.
- Who can sign the new expiry date into my licence?
- An instructor authorised for that purpose by your licensing authority, after the training flight and once you meet all the other criteria (FCL.945). Otherwise follow your authority's procedure.
Sources
- EASA Easy Access Rules for Aircrew, October 2026 revision: FCL.740.A Revalidation of class and type ratings, aeroplanes, with AMC1 FCL.740.A(b)(1)(ii)(C) and GM2
- EASA Easy Access Rules for Aircrew, October 2026 revision: FCL.740 Validity and renewal of class and type ratings
- EASA Easy Access Rules for Aircrew, October 2026 revision: FCL.945 Obligations for instructors
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.