How to Renew Part 107: 2026 Step-by-Step Guide

If you passed your Part 107 exam a couple of years ago, you might be wondering whether your drone license has “expired.” The good news is that it hasn’t. Your Remote Pilot Certificate itself doesn’t expire. What lapses is your aeronautical knowledge recency, which is the FAA’s way of saying you have to prove you’re up to date every 24 calendar months. Here’s exactly how to renew Part 107 in 2026, step by step.

Does a Part 107 Certificate Expire?

No. A Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate has no expiration date printed on it. But under 14 CFR 107.65, you can’t act as a remote pilot in command under Part 107 unless you’ve completed the required recurrent training (or passed an initial knowledge test) within the previous 24 calendar months. So “renewing” really means “getting current again.”

Calendar months matter. If you passed your test on March 3, 2025, your recency runs through the end of March 2027, not March 3.

What Changed: No More In-Person Recurrent Test

Before April 2021, remote pilots had to go back to a testing center and pay for a recurrent knowledge test. The FAA replaced that with free online training. Today, according to the FAA’s Become a Drone Pilot page, certificate holders “must complete an online recurrent training every 24 calendar months.” There’s no recurrent test to schedule and no fee.

Which Course Should You Take?

The FAA lists two free recurrent courses:

• ALC-677, Part 107 Small UAS Recurrent: for anyone who holds a Part 107 remote pilot certificate, regardless of whether their recency has already lapsed. This is the course most drone pilots need.
• ALC-515, Part 107 Small UAS Recurrent: for Part 107 remote pilots who are also certificated pilots under Part 61 with a current flight review.

If you’re not a manned-aircraft pilot, go with ALC-677.

How to Renew Part 107: Step by Step

Step 1: Log in or create a FAASafety.gov account

Go to FAASafety.gov and sign in. If you don’t have an account, registration is free. Use your legal name exactly as it appears on your Remote Pilot Certificate, because that name prints on your completion certificate.

Step 2: Enroll in ALC-677

Open the ALC-677 course page and click Enroll in Course. The course is organized into an introduction, the “Part 107 sUAS Recurrent – Non-61 Pilots” module, resources, a glossary and a review.

Step 3: Work through the modules

The content refreshes the same knowledge areas as the original exam, and it covers newer rules too, such as operations at night, over people and over moving vehicles. You can stop and come back later. Your progress is saved.

Step 4: Pass the end-of-course exam

Each section ends with knowledge check questions. If you miss one, you can review and try again. It’s open-book and self-paced, so take your time.

Step 5: Print or save your completion certificate

Once you finish, go to My Courses in your FAASafety.gov account, find the completed course and download the certificate of completion. Save it as a PDF and print a copy. That certificate is your proof of recency.

Step 6: Carry both documents when you fly

Under 14 CFR 107.7, you must present your Remote Pilot Certificate and proof of current aeronautical knowledge to the FAA or law enforcement if they ask. Keep your plastic certificate (or temporary certificate) and your ALC-677 completion certificate with you on every Part 107 flight. A photo on your phone works for convenience, but a printed copy won’t die when your battery does.

Step 7: Set a reminder for 24 months out

Put a reminder on your calendar a couple of months before your new deadline. It’s easy to forget, and flying commercially with lapsed recency is a violation.

You Do Not Need IACRA

This trips a lot of pilots up. Renewing your recency does not involve IACRA, a new Form 8710-13 or a new plastic card. You keep the same certificate number for life. IACRA only comes into play for your first certificate, a replacement card or changes such as a new name or address on your record.

What If My Part 107 Recency Already Lapsed?

Don’t panic, and don’t retake the initial exam. ALC-677 is open to any Part 107 certificate holder “regardless of aeronautical knowledge recency,” so you take the same free course to get current again. The only catch is that you can’t fly under Part 107 until you’ve finished it. That means no paid jobs, no flights for your business, nothing beyond recreational flying under the Recreational Flyer rules (which require the TRUST test).

Part 61 Pilots

If you hold a manned pilot certificate under Part 61 and have a current flight review, you can stay current through ALC-515 instead. Part 61 pilots getting a remote pilot certificate for the first time use ALC-451 and then validate their identity with a FSDO, DPE, ACR or CFI. That initial process is different from recurrent training.

Renewal vs. Getting Your First Certificate

If you’ve never held a Part 107, the online course won’t get you a certificate. First-time pilots still have to pass the in-person Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG) knowledge test at an FAA-approved testing center. Our step-by-step Part 107 license guide and drone license cost breakdown walk through that process. The Drone U Part 107 course prepares you to pass the first time.

Staying Sharp Beyond the Minimum

The recurrent course keeps you legal, but it won’t make you a better pilot. Rules keep changing, from Remote ID to new airspace restrictions near critical infrastructure (see our Section 2209 update). Your renewal is a good time to brush up on airspace, sectional charts and weather. The Drone U Part 107 course is a solid refresher if it’s been a while.

Part 107 Renewal FAQ

How much does it cost to renew a Part 107?

Nothing. ALC-677 is free on FAASafety.gov.

How long does the recurrent training take?

Most pilots finish in a few hours. It’s self-paced, so you can split it across several sittings.

How often do I need to renew? (How to renew 107 on schedule)

Every 24 calendar months, counted from the month you passed your initial test or last finished recurrent training.

Do I get a new Remote Pilot Certificate after renewing?

No. You keep your existing certificate. The completion certificate from FAASafety.gov is your proof that you’re current.

Can I take the recurrent training early?

Yes. Your new 24-calendar-month window starts from the month you complete it.

Who do I contact with questions?

The FAA UAS Support Center at [email protected].

Sources: FAASafety.gov ALC-677 course overview; FAA, Become a Certificated Remote Pilot; 14 CFR Part 107.

0