Important Policy Memorandums
- Policy Memorandum Regarding Yellow Fever Vaccine (PDF)
- Policy Memorandum Regarding Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) Evaluations of Airmen and Air Traffic Control Specialists (ATCS) with a History of COVID-19 (PDF)
Vaccines
The COVID-19 public health emergency has driven extraordinary global efforts to develop an effective and safe vaccine. The vaccines produced by Pfizer and BioNTech, Moderna, and the Janssen Single-Dose COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, have been made available to the American public under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). After careful review of available data regarding safety profiles, the FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine (AAM) adopts the following policy as both safe and operationally responsive to this unique situation:
Holders of FAA-issued Airman Medical Certificates or Medical Clearances may receive the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine; however, a 48-hour no fly/no safety related duty interval must be observed after each dose.
Individuals holding an Airman Medical Certificate or Medical Clearance should be reminded that they are prohibited from performing flight crewmember duties or air traffic control duties if they do not meet medical certification requirements, including those related to adverse events from medications that render them unable to perform such duties.
AAM will monitor the patient response to each vaccine and may adjust this policy as necessary to ensure aviation safety. Additional vaccines will each be evaluated as EUAs are issued.
Medical Certificates
- Contact the Aerospace Medical Certification Division
- How to obtain a Medical Certificate
- FAA MedXPress (online FAA Form 8500-8 application)
- Pilot Information - Over-the-Counter Medications
- Questions and Answers
- Request a Copy of Your Medical Certificate
- Locate an AME
- Locate a HIMS (Human Intervention Motivation Study) AME: MS Word, PDF
HIMS AMEs are trained in evaluating airmen for substance- or alcohol-related conditions or other mental conditions. HIMS AMEs can provide sponsorship and monitoring for such conditions when required by the FAA for medical certification purposes.
Aviation Medical Examiners
- Aviation Medical Examiner Home Page
- Aerospace Medical Certification Subsystem (AMCS) Online Support
- Aviation Medical Examiner Training
- Federal Air Surgeon's Medical Bulletin
- Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners
- Regional Flight Surgeon Contact Information
- When Your Pilots Use MedXPress …