Name Change Works for pilots
Arrange Social Security, state ID, FAA certificate, medical application, passport, employer, and travel accounts in one clear order.
Where a name mismatch shows up at work
- A pilot’s name can span an airman certificate, medical application, employer record, airport credential, passport, trusted-traveler account, and airline profile. A mismatch can surface at work or while traveling.
- 14 CFR 61.25 requires the certificate application to be accompanied by the airman certificate and a copy of a marriage license, court order, or other document verifying the change.
- FAA’s name-change guidance is described in search results as an in-person FSDO process for positive identification, but the official page returned HTTP 403 during direct verification. That detail remains visibly qualified.
- MedXPress has its own data-entry instruction: use the current name on a new application and disclose former names in the explanation fields described by the FAA.
- Travel documents and reservations create their own sequence. The name on the identification used for a trip needs to match the passenger name attached to that trip.
The board or record you also have to update
Federal Aviation Administration airman certification record
Under 14 CFR 61.25, bring or submit the airman certificate and a copy of the document verifying the name change. The regulation says those documents are returned after inspection.
The FAA’s indexed name-change page describes appearing in person at a Flight Standards District Office, Certificate Management Office, or International Field Office. Direct access was blocked, so verify the current appointment instructions with FAA before traveling.
For a later medical application, MedXPress instructions say to enter the current name and disclose former names in the specified explanation fields.
An issued medical certificate with an incorrect name less than 60 days after issuance is handled through the Aviation Medical Examiner under the published MedXPress instructions.
What to have ready
- The current airman certificate
- A copy of the marriage license, court order, or other document that verifies the name change under 14 CFR 61.25
- Photo identification and appointment material the FAA office currently requests, confirmed directly before the visit
| What | Value | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Documents | The current airman certificate; A copy of the marriage license, court order, or other document that verifies the name change under 14 CFR 61.25; Photo identification and appointment material the FAA office currently requests, confirmed directly before the visit | Official sources listed below | |
| Channel | FAA guidance identifies an in-person FSDO or related field office visit; its page blocks automated access, so we could not confirm the detail | Official sources listed below | |
| Fee | We could not verify this on the pages we checked. No fee was documented on the FAA sources checked. | — | — |
| Deadline | We could not verify this on the pages we checked. No general airman-certificate deadline was found. | — | — |
| Scope | Federal procedure; confirm the current office instructions before submitting | Official sources listed below |
What changes with Name Change Works
- Ordered checklist
Keep Social Security, state identification, FAA records, passport, airport credentials, employer systems, and reservations in an order that preserves usable matching identification.
- Filled SS-5
Begin with the filled Social Security form and write the Social Security number into the intentionally blank field after the file is yours.
- State form or state sheet
Use the state sheet for the driver license or ID task that sits between Social Security and other identity-dependent records.
- Notification letters
Produce letters for an employer, airport office, insurer, training provider, or FAA office you name. The FAA certificate procedure still requires its own documents and in-person step.
- Passport sheet
Use the passport sheet to select the applicable federal form and plan the document change around trips already booked under the current travel name.
Your first hour
- Answer the interview
Complete the interview with identity, state, passport, travel, employer, and organization information, including every aviation record owner that needs a letter.
- Buy and download your kit
Download the digital kit at the kit page and compare the government sequence with scheduled trips, certificate use, and any appointment lead time at the FAA office.
- Start with Social Security
Prepare Social Security first, then follow the state driver license or ID sheet while keeping travel reservations aligned with the identification that will be used.
- Handle the professional record
Read 14 CFR 61.25 and contact the relevant FAA field office to confirm the current in-person appointment and document process before making the trip.
What the kit costs
One payment includes the full digital kit: forms, letters, state guidance, and the ordered checklist. Digital is $49.
The digital kit is the purchase option currently shown on the pricing page.
If an agency bounces a form from the kit, Name Change Works will re-do it free for one year after purchase.
Questions and answers
What does 14 CFR 61.25 require for a pilot name change?
It requires the airman certificate and a copy of a marriage license, court order, or other document verifying the name change. The documents are returned after inspection.
Do I have to visit an FAA FSDO in person?
The FAA page indexed for this topic describes an in-person field-office visit, but it blocked direct verification. Confirm the current office and appointment process with FAA before traveling.
How should a former name appear in MedXPress?
FAA instructions say to use the current name on the application and disclose former names in the explanation fields they identify.
Will a notification letter replace the FAA certificate process?
No. A letter can notify an aviation organization you name, but the airman-certificate change follows 14 CFR 61.25 and current FAA office instructions.
Sources
- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-61/subpart-A/section-61.25 accessed
14 CFR 61.25 requires the airman certificate and a document verifying the name change and says the documents are returned after inspection.
- https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certification/name_change accessed
The FAA name-change page blocks automated access (HTTP 403), so we could not read its in-person FSDO summary; open the page yourself for that detail.
- https://medxpress.faa.gov/MedXPress/Help/Instructions.htm accessed
FAA MedXPress instructions describe how to enter a current name and former names on a medical application.
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