(818) 399-9905 · Open 9 AM–9 PM, 7 Days a Week · ★★★★★ 4.9 · 500+ Reviews · Van Nuys Airport
If you are not a U.S. citizen, federal law requires you to clear a TSA security screening before beginning most flight training in the United States. This guide explains exactly how the TSA flight training security process works in 2026 — who needs it, who is exempt, what it costs, and how our team at Van Nuys Airport walks you through every step.
Since 2004, the Transportation Security Administration has required every non-U.S. citizen — including green-card holders, visa holders, and visitors — to pass a security threat assessment before starting flight training toward a U.S. pilot certificate or rating. In 2024 the TSA modernized this system as the Flight Training Security Program (FTSP), which replaced the older Alien Flight Student Program. The screening applies to training toward a Private Pilot Certificate, Instrument Rating, Multi-Engine Rating, and other initial FAA airman certificates, whether the training happens inside or outside the United States.
The good news: the process is entirely online, the fee is modest, and most of our international students in Los Angeles receive approval in under two weeks. You do not need TSA approval for everything, either. You are exempt if:
Here is the full sequence from first contact to first lesson. Follow it in order — submitting fingerprints early or paying before your request is acknowledged can invalidate your application and cost you weeks.
Contact our Van Nuys team before you touch the TSA portal. Your application must name your flight training provider and course, and we must acknowledge the request on our end. We invite students to complete the registration in our office so we can upload documents together and keep the required copies on file.
Register on the TSA Flight Training Security Program website (fts.tsa.dhs.gov). You will verify your email, set a password, and enter your biographic and passport details. Allow 24–48 hours for account activation emails.
Enter your course details — for example, Private Pilot or Instrument Rating — and select our school as your provider. Validate and submit the request; it will then appear in your list of active applications.
TSA emails us to confirm that you really are training with us. We acknowledge the same day whenever possible — one of the advantages of applying alongside our staff.
Once acknowledged, you will receive payment instructions by email. The security threat assessment fee (roughly $130 per training request) is paid by card online. Keep the receipt.
After payment clears you will receive official fingerprint instructions. Do not fingerprint before that email arrives, or your prints will be rejected. If you completed fingerprints for a previous request, TSA can usually reuse them under the same account.
Most of our students hear back within 7 days. Once approved, you have 180 days to begin training and 365 days to complete it. On your first lesson day we photograph you at the school and upload the photo to TSA — then it is straight to the flight line.
Hundreds of international students have earned licenses with us at Van Nuys Airport, and the TSA paperwork has never stopped a motivated pilot. Our front desk processes these applications week in and week out, so nothing about the portal surprises us.
Sit down with a real person at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Suite D3, and we will register your account together, upload your passport and visa documents correctly the first time, acknowledge your training request the moment TSA sends it, and point you to the nearest approved fingerprinting location in Los Angeles. While you wait for approval, you can legally begin ground school and take a discovery flight — both are exempt from the requirement, so your training momentum never stalls.
Wondering what comes after approval? Read our complete guide on how to become a pilot in California, or review our transparent course pricing and financing options.
Bring your passport to Van Nuys Airport and let our team handle the TSA portal with you — then get in the air. Open 9 AM–9 PM, seven days a week.
Real students, real first flights, real ratings — straight from Google and Yelp.
The fastest way to know if the left seat is for you is to stand on the flight line. Book a free consultation — or reach us whichever way you like.
Tour the school, meet your instructors, sit in the cockpit, and leave with a personal training plan and exact pricing. Your Discovery Flight fee is credited toward training when you enroll within 24 hours.
One minute, a few details, fast answers from a real person on our team.
