How to Convert a Foreign CPL to a DGCA Licence

Which DGCA papers must a converting pilot write?#

Four theory papers, each at 70 per cent: Air Navigation, Air Regulation, Aviation Meteorology and Technical General. A foreign licence does not exempt you from Indian theory.

Air Regulation is the paper that catches most returning pilots. You already fly commercially, so the temptation is to skim it. The examiner tests the Indian rule, not the ICAO principle you trained on, and the Aircraft Rules 1937 do not appear in an FAA or EASA syllabus.

You still need an approved DGCA computer number before you can book any of these papers, exactly like a first-time candidate. Apply for it before you start the document work, because the two processes can run in parallel.

What are the four conversion steps?#

The sequence is fixed by what depends on what. Document verification unlocks nothing you cannot start in parallel, so begin the computer number and the theory study on day one.

1. 1Document verification on eGCA. Submit your foreign CPL or ATPL with ratings, a certified logbook, a flight experience summary covering total, cross-country, night and instrument hours, an authentication letter from the issuing authority, and English proficiency evidence. Allow four to six weeks.
2. 2Clear the DGCA theory papers. Book and pass the four required subjects on DGCA Pariksha at 70 per cent each, Rs 2,500 per paper. One to three months depending on session dates.
3. 3Meet Indian medical and radio requirements. Obtain a DGCA Class 1 medical from an approved Indian aeromedical centre and clear RTR(A). A foreign medical is not accepted in place of the Indian assessment.
4. 4Complete the skill test. Fly a check with a designated examiner at a DGCA-approved organisation, after any additional training needed to meet Indian hour sub-minima. Two to four weeks once current.

What flight experience does DGCA look for?#

The headline figure is 200 hours total time for a CPL, but the sub-minima matter more during conversion than the total. Pilots who trained on a syllabus with different cross-country or instrument requirements often find they are short in one category despite comfortably exceeding 200 hours.

Exact sub-minima come from Schedule II of the Aircraft Rules 1937. Have your logbook audited against them before you submit, because a shortfall discovered late means additional flying in India at Indian rates of roughly Rs 28,000 per hour.

What does conversion cost?#

Between Rs 7.5 lakh and Rs 15 lakh in total. The spread is almost entirely about whether your logbook already meets the Indian sub-minima.

How long does the whole process take?#

Four to eight months. The DGCA examination calendar is usually the bottleneck, not the paperwork.

• Document verification and authentication: 4 to 6 weeks
• Theory papers: 1 to 3 months, driven by DGCA session dates
• Skill test: 2 to 4 weeks once you are current, longer if additional training is needed
• Final eGCA processing: 8 to 12 weeks
• Realistic total: 4 to 8 months

There are twelve DGCA sittings in 2026 - four regular sessions and eight OLODE sessions - so book theory papers as early as your computer number allows rather than waiting until document verification finishes.

What trips up converting pilots most often?#

Five recurring problems, and four of them are avoidable with a week of preparation before you start.

How do you keep currency during the paperwork months?#

Four to eight months is long enough for handling skills to fade and long enough for a recency requirement to lapse. The skill test is not a formality, and an examiner can tell within one circuit whether you have flown recently.

1. 1Book a few hours a month at a local club. Even short sorties keep the scan and the radio work alive at a fraction of what remedial training costs later.
2. 2Study Indian procedures while you fly. Use each sortie to practise Indian phraseology and local airspace procedure rather than the pattern you trained on.
3. 3Time the skill test to your paper results. Do not book a check until the theory is cleared and the medical is in hand, or you may have to repeat it.
4. 4Keep the logbook audit-ready throughout. Categorised hours updated after every flight, so nothing has to be reconstructed under time pressure.

Conversion versus training in India from scratch#

If you already hold a foreign CPL, conversion is far cheaper than starting again. If you are still deciding where to train, the comparison is closer than it looks.