How much does an aviation medical cost? Published prices in the US, UK, Netherlands and Germany

Most private pilots pay for a medical, and few doctors make the price easy to compare. We read the published fees of 21 aviation medical examiners and practices on 2 November 2026: seven in the US, eight in the UK, four in the Netherlands and two in Germany, plus one magazine report. These are the ones that print a price, so they are not a survey of every doctor.

Short answer: an FAA third class medical cost $150 to $250 at the seven US examiners, with a median of $186. A UK Class 2 renewal cost £100 to £280, median £172.50, plus a CAA charge of £11.67. A Dutch class 2 renewal cost €215 to €240 with VAT, and a first Dutch class 2 €275 to €375.10. In Germany the totals we could read ran from about €150, class and VAT not stated, to €357 with VAT for a class 2. Under 40 that is about $37, £35 or €47 a year; at 50 or older in the UK and the Netherlands it is the whole price every year.

What does an FAA medical cost?

At the seven US examiners, a third class medical had a median of $186. Second class had a median of $195, and the basic price of a first class $200. Third and second class ran from $150 to $250, and first class from $175 to $250.

FAA medical: published prices at seven US examiners

Examiner	Class 1	Class 2	Class 3	ECG
Beloit Health System (Dr Klein)Roscoe, IL	$225	$186	$186	$75
Cambridge Health AllianceCambridge, MA	$200	$200	$175	$50
Cahaba Medical CareBirmingham, AL	$225	$200	$200	Included in class 1
Dr Guy CappuccinoMount Airy, MD	$175	$175	$175	$50
WVAMENot stated	$250	$250	$250	$100
Central PA AMEPennsylvania	$195	$195	$195	$55
Luminous Health and WellnessHumble, TX	$200	$150	$150	Included in class 1

Prices differ per doctor, so ask before you book. Ask about the ECG, and on a first exam about the colour vision test. Five of the seven list the ECG as an extra, from $50 to $100, and Cahaba Medical Care and Luminous Health include it in first class. High Mountain Health in Georgia prints a $125 up-front charge without a split per class or a total, so we left it out of the medians. We could not open the FAA's own pages, so this post gives no FAA statement on fees.

How long does an FAA medical last?

For private pilot operations under 14 CFR 61.23, a third class medical issued under age 40 runs until the end of the 60th month after the exam month. From age 40 it runs until the end of the 24th month. The rule shows the same periods for first and second class when you use them for private flying. Commercial operations need a shorter period: 12 months for second class at any age.

Does BasicMed cost less?

BasicMed replaces the FAA medical for many private flights, and its course is free. AOPA says of it: "The course is free of charge and you do not need to be an AOPA member." You also need that course in the past 24 calendar months and an exam by a State-licensed physician, the rule says, "during the 48 calendar months before acting as pilot in command". AOPA words the doctor's part as: "get a BasicMed specific exam by a state-licensed physician."

We found no published price for that exam, so ask your doctor. You must have held an FAA medical at some point after 14 July 2006, and a valid US driver's license, and BasicMed has limits: AOPA lists aircraft up to 12,500 pounds and seven occupants, no more than six passengers, 250 knots, and 18,000 feet. You cannot use BasicMed if your most recent FAA medical was denied, suspended or revoked, or a Special Issuance was withdrawn, until you get a new medical certificate, AOPA says.

What does a UK Class 2 medical cost?

At eight UK examiners a Class 2 renewal cost £100 to £280, with a median of £172.50. Six of them list a LAPL medical, from £100 to £300, median £162.50.

UK medical: published prices at eight examiners

Examiner	Class 2 renewal	First class 2	LAPL	ECG
Aeromedical Consulting UKBirmingham Airport, Harpenden	£252	Not listed apart	£300	£120
Aviation MedicalsManchester, Liverpool	£240	£295 with ECG	Not listed apart	£80
Pilot MedicalsHeathrow, London Bridge	£280	£360 with ECG	Priced individually	£360 total
Aviation Medical Services North EastNorth East England	£120	£135 with ECG	£120	£20
Kent Aviation MedicalsWoodchurch, Ashford	£165	£220 with ECG	£165	£100
Aviation Medicals WessexBH23 1DP	£180	£180 plus ECG	£180	£85
Meridian MedicalSeveral, including Seething	£160	£160 plus ECG	£160	£85
Dr Justin Carter (PilotMedical)Stockton on Tees	£100	£100 plus ECG	£100	£30

The CAA leaves the fee to the doctor: "This cost is not determined by us and will vary from AME to AME and according to the type of medical examination." It adds its own charge of "£11.67 for Class 2 initial, revalidation and renewal medicals". Its charges table has no LAPL row, so ask your examiner. Where an examiner prints one amount for a first Class 2 with an ECG, it was £135 to £360.

Do you need a medical in the UK at all?

Not always. Two other routes exist. For a LAPL certificate the CAA says "you may be able to have a certificate issued by your GP if they hold your entire NHS medical record and you have no significant medical history".

The second is the Pilot Medical Declaration. "The Pilot Medical Self-Declaration is a free service", the CAA says, and you make it online. It rests on the standard of a DVLA car licence, a list of conditions rules it out, and it lasts until age 70, then three years at a time. It has limits: "PMDs are not valid outside of UK airspace" unless the state you fly in gives permission, and holders of a UK Part-FCL PPL or LAPL are limited to LAPL privileges, with aircraft of 2,000 kg or less. Read the CAA's page for what applies to your licence.

What does a medical cost in the Netherlands and Germany?

Four Dutch practices publish prices, three of them dated 2026. With VAT, a first class 2 cost €275 to €375.10 and a renewal €215 to €240. A first LAPL medical cost less than a first class 2, from €210 to €250, and €200 to €230 at renewal. What is included differs, so read the notes in the table.

Dutch medical: published prices at four practices

Practice	First class 2	Class 2 renewal	First LAPL	LAPL renewal	Note
MedimHouten	€330	€240	€250	€230	ECG €70, audiogram €70
AirLein MedicalHilversum airfield	€300	€230	€230	€230	First class 2 includes the ECG
MeDataRotterdam	€275	€215	€210	€200	First class 2 without the optometrist
Sky Medical CenterEindhoven	€375.10	€235.95	€235.95	€211.75	Printed without VAT; 21% added here

Sky Medical Center also lists €116 before VAT for issuing a medical after review by the ILT, the Dutch regulator. We read that as a charge for cases the ILT assesses itself, not for every routine exam; ask your doctor.

In Germany few practices print a total. Doctors bill along the German medical fee scale (GOÄ), so the total follows the work done. These are the three sources with a total that we use, with Memmingen, Stadtsteinach and fliegermagazin as the links:

• Praxis Kureck-Wiedemann in Memmingen: "ca. 250 bis 300€" for class 2 plus 19% VAT, which makes €297.50 to €357, and €220 to €250 plus VAT for a LAPL.
• Praxis Olszewski & Kollegen in Stadtsteinach: about €150 to €200, depending on the work, with no class or VAT stated.
• A fliegermagazin author paid a little over €240 in Hamburg, in an article from April 2023, and wrote that some doctors charge under €200.

The Memmingen practice says some statutory health insurers pay on request, so ask yours before you assume either way.

What does a medical cost per year?

How often you pay matters as much as the price. In the UK and the Netherlands a Class 2 lasts up to 60 months under 40, 24 months from 40 to 49, and 12 months from 50; a certificate issued before 40 ends by your 42nd birthday, and one issued before 50 by your 51st. In the US a third class for private flying lasts 60 months under 40 and 24 months after that.

What a medical costs per year, by age

Certificate and age	Valid for	Per year
US third classUnder 40	$186 every 60 months	$37
US third class40 or older	$186 every 24 months	$93
UK Class 2Under 40	£173 every 60 months	£35
UK Class 240 to 49	£173 every 24 months	£86
UK Class 250 or older	£173 every 12 months	£173
Dutch class 2Under 40	€233 every 60 months	€47
Dutch class 240 to 49	€233 every 24 months	€116
Dutch class 250 or older	€233 every 12 months	€233

So the same exam at a median UK price is about £35 a year at 35, £86 at 45 and £173 at 55. A US private pilot pays about $37 and then $93, and never the yearly step, because the third class stays at 24 months. A LAPL in the UK also stays at 24 months from age 40, which is why it can be the cheaper certificate later in life if your flying fits it.

Timing helps too. Under the UK and EASA rules, an exam in the last 45 days keeps your expiry date. The Dutch ILT says: "If you have the examination within 45 days before the expiry date, the expiry date will stay the same." Go earlier and you lose time.

What this means for a club

A medical is a small line next to the cost of a licence or the hourly rate of a club aircraft. What it can do is ground a member: a club can ask for one when you join, and an operator can ask for one before you rent. Put the expiry date in your calendar, and have the exam inside that 45-day window.

Prices and rules change. Each price is from the page linked in its table or text, read on 2 November 2026; check it with the doctor before you book.