This page provides guidance for applicants for a UK Part 66 Aircraft Maintenance Licence (AML).
Pre-requisites
In order to apply for an AML, you will be required to demonstrate by examination a level of knowledge in the appropriate subject modules in accordance with UK Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014, Annex III, Appendix I. The examinations should be conducted either by an approved Part 147 training organisation appropriately approved in accordance with Annex IV (Part-147) or by the UK CAA.
Please note the EU/EASA Certificates of Recognition (CofR) may continue to be acceptable for inclusion on an UK Part-66 licence dependant on the date of issue:
- Any EASA Certificate of Recognition issued by an EU Part 147 MTOA (with a Form 11 dated during the two-year saving legislation period) - will be acceptable in support of UK Part 66 Licence. The course start date cannot exceed more than three years at the time of applying for the type rating.
- Any EASA Certificate of recognition issued by an EU Part 147 MTOA dated after 01 January 2023 will not be acceptable in support of a UK Part 66 Licence.
The EU/EASA Organisation approval certificate valid at the time the course was completed along with the CofR must be submitted to support applications.
You must provide the following amount of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft in compliance with UK Acceptable Means of Compliance (AMC) 66.A.30(e) in a form and manner acceptable to the UK CAA, signed by the appropriate signatory.
An acceptable format for demonstration of experience can be any of the following:
- Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Logbook (CAP741)
- Type Rating Record of Experience (SRG1007)
- or any other format agreed with the UK CAA
For category A, subcategories B1.2, B1.4 and category B3
Applicants for these categories or sub-categories will need to demonstrate one of the following experience requirements.
- Three years of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft, if the applicant has no previous relevant technical training.
- Two years of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft and completion of training considered relevant by us, as a skilled worker, in a technical trade.
- One year of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft and completion of an approved Part 147 basic training course.
For category B2 and subcategories B1.1 and B1.3
Applicants for these categories or sub-categories will need to demonstrate one of the following experience requirements.
- Five years of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft if the applicant has no previous relevant technical training.
- Three years of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft and completion of training considered relevant by us, as a skilled worker, in a technical trade.
- Two years of practical maintenance experience on operating aircraft and completion of an approved Part 147 basic training course.
For Category B2L
Applicants for Category B2L will need to demonstrate one of the following experience requirements.
Three years of practical maintenance experience in operating aircraft, covering the corresponding system rating(s), if the applicant has no previous relevant technical training.
Two years of practical maintenance experience in operating aircraft, covering the corresponding system rating(s), and completion of training, considered relevant by us, as a skilled worker in a technical trade.
One year of practical maintenance experience in operating aircraft, covering the corresponding system rating(s), and completion of a Part-147 approved basic training course. For the addition of (a) new system rating(s) to an existing B2L licence, 3 months of practical maintenance experience relevant to the new system rating(s) shall be required for each system rating added.
For Category L
Applicants for Category L will need to demonstrate one of the following experience requirements.
- Two years of practical maintenance experience in operating aircraft covering a representative cross section of maintenance activities in the corresponding subcategory.
- As a derogation from point above, one year of practical maintenance experience in operating aircraft covering a representative cross section of maintenance activities in the corresponding subcategory, subject to the introduction of the limitation provided for in point 66.A.45(h)(ii)(3).
For Category C
Applicants for Category C will need to demonstrate one of the following experience requirements.
With respect to complex motor-powered aircraft:
- Three years of experience exercising category B1.1, B1.3 or B2 privileges on complex motor-powered aircraft or as support staff according to point 145.A.35, or a combination of both.
- Five years of experience exercising category B1.2 or B1.4 privileges on complex motor-powered aircraft or as support staff according to point 145.A.35, or a combination of both.
With respect to other than complex motor-powered aircraft:
Three years of experience exercising category B1 or B2 privileges on other than complex motor-powered aircraft or as support staff according to point 145.A.35, or a combination of both:
For category C obtained through the academic route:
An applicant holding an academic degree in a technical discipline, from a university or other higher educational institution recognised by us, three years of experience working in a civil aircraft maintenance environment on a representative selection of tasks directly associated with aircraft maintenance including six months of observation of base maintenance tasks.
The above experience requirement should be practical involving a representative cross section of maintenance tasks on operating aircraft specific to the category to be applied for.
You must complete any training course, basic knowledge examinations and relevant practical maintenance experience within the 10 years preceding the application for an Aircraft Maintenance Licence.
The recommendation document will need to be completed by a Quality Manager or the immediate senior person within the Quality Department of your current employer, or the organisation where the experience is gained.
How do I apply?
Once all of the requirements have been met, please complete:
- SRG 1014 (if applying using a paper form)
or - Online application
The application, supporting documents and original licence should be posted to the address below:
Civil Aviation Authority
Aviation House
Licensing Assessment Team
Beehive Ring Road
Crawley
West Sussex
RH6 0YR
Please note if you are applying for a change of name and or nationality you will be required to supply evidence in support of your request, for example, change of name deed poll/marriage certificate/valid passport.
How much does it cost?
The fee of £410.00 per Category/Sub-Category applied for.
If you are applying for any other additional services, the appropriate fee will also apply.
An additional fee will be payable if you wish your documents to be returned by secure courier.
Full details are available in the current Scheme of Charges (Personnel licensing).
Applications and documents posted from outside the UK
When submitting applications or documentation via post/courier to the UK please ensure that you complete the import declaration on any package in the correct manner.
Please ensure that you enter the “Value” of the package content as zero/nil. Otherwise, this will generate import duties in the UK which will be re-charged to you.”
While there is a fee for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) application process, this does not represent an importation value of the package content. Therefore, the application fee should not be stated on the import declaration form that a candidate completes when posting supporting documents to CAA UK.
Refunds – rejected or withdrawn applications
There have been a number of applications received from Aircraft Maintenance Licence (AML) applicants applying for issue of an AML or for additional privileges to be added to an existing AML which have been rejected by us due to, for example, lack of experience criteria. This has resulted in the us refunding 100% of the application charge paid even though our time has been incurred to review the application in order to reach the rejection decision.
We are required to recover its costs from those that have caused those costs to be incurred. Therefore, for applications received from 15 September 2016, we will deduct £218 to recover the average costs of its application review, in respect of those applications that we have rejected or where the applicant has withdrawn his/her application before we have completed its review.
This deduction is associated with applications in respect of AML activities under the UK Official Record Series 5, Personnel Licensing Scheme of Charges. This action is in line with the CAA Charges Waiver and Refund Policy.
What do I need to send with my application?
- Application for Initial Issue, Amendment or Renewal of an Engineer Licence (Form 19).
- Certified true copy of your valid passport or UK Driving Licence certified by an appropriate person.
- Certified true copies or originals of the appropriate Exam Certificates completed for the category/sub-category applied for certified by your Quality Manager.
- Certified true copy or originals of UK/EASA approved Part 147 Basic Training Course Certificate (if claiming a reduction on the experience requirement).
- Most recent EU/EASA Organisation's approval certificate.
- Certified true copies or originals of the logbook/worksheets showing the evidence of the practical maintenance experience gained.
- Certified true copies or original documents of the required National Aviation Authority documents.
- The Recommendation attachment ensuring that it has been completed by your Quality Manager in support of your application (the recommendation can also be completed by: Part 145/147, FAR 145, CAMO, CAO, UK Part 66 Engineer licence holder).
- If applying for change of name and or nationality a certified true copy by your Quality Manager of the supporting document, for example, your valid passport/change of name deed poll/marriage certificate.
Since 28 September 2012, where practical experience is gained outside of a Part-145 or Part-CAMO approved maintenance organisation, the applicant is required to submit confirmation from the National Aviation Authority responsible for the maintenance organisation concerned, that the organisation is appropriately approved under the national regulation for the maintenance activities stated and that the signatory in Form 19 section 07 is a member of that maintenance organisation.
Please note we reserve the right to ask any applicant to provide the original documents to support any application for the initial issue, renewal or change to a UK Part 66 licence.
What else do I need to know?
To ensure you complete your application correctly, please refer to the following associated rules, regulations and forms to support you with your application:
- Recommendation attachment
- UK Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014
- Scheme of Charges (Personnel licensing)
- CAA Refund Policy
Certified true copies of documents
Postholders of a Part 145/147/MG/CAMO/CAO Organisation or another Part-66 licence holder can act as certifiers for all documents.
Postholders of a Part 145/147/MG/CAMO/CAO Organisation or another Part-66 licence holder or Official bodies such as the Post Office or solicitors who provide this service can act as certifiers for ID Documents (Passport or full UK driving licence).
Instructions for the certifier of your ID Documents are as follows:
- Insert on the copy to be enclosed with the application: 'I have seen the original document and I certify that this is a complete and accurate copy of the original'.
- Insert signature and date.
- Certifiers name must be printed in block capitals.
- Must include position or capacity, for example, Head of a Part 145/147 Organisation.
How long will it take for my application to be processed?
Processing time
Our Service Level Agreement (SLA) for the initial assessment of all applications is 10 working days. Where the application requires assessment by a surveyor, the SLA is 31 working days. This includes 20 working days for the technical assessment of the application, plus an additional day for issue and despatch of the licence.
Where an application is placed on hold, the working days to process the application will be counted from the date of receipt of the requested additional information. Should the application be placed on hold by a surveyor, the new SLA for the application will be 21 working days.
For a small number of applications, a licensing officer may require additional guidance which requires a referral to be made to a technical officer. The technical officer will review the case within five working days, however if further advice is needed this will be reviewed at a bi-weekly complex case review session. In such cases the application will take longer to process than our standard turnaround times.
If you are dissatisfied by the service provided to you by us, or wish to raise a complaint regarding a member of staff, our complaints process is detailed on our dedicated complaints webpage.
Due to high application volumes, we are currently experiencing a backlog of applications to be processed, which is also impacting the response times for correspondence. Initial assessments of applications are currently taking 15 working days, with technical assessments completed within 50 working days.
What happens next?
- The assessment of your application is completed by a Licensing Officer and technical standards surveyor.
- Following an acceptable assessment the Licence is then processed, signed and dispatched to the individual.
- We will contact you if we have any queries regarding your application and may keep your application pending for 30 working days awaiting any additional documentation to be submitted.
- A refund fee may be charged if the assessment results in the rejection of your application. This will also be applied if you choose to cancel your application.
How long is it valid for?
The UK Part 66 Aircraft Maintenance Licence is valid for five years from the date of issue.
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