Your airline may or may not offer it; many pilots tell us theirs does not. The FSDO does it for free, but scheduling can take weeks to months. A DPE charges a fee and can usually do it within days. The same three options apply to an SOE limitation on a type rating, and the ICAO PIC line.
| Your airline | FSDO | Daytona DPE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Usually none, if offered | Free | $200 flat |
| Typical wait | Depends on the carrier; often not offered | Weeks to months | 3–7 business days |
| Format | Training department | Usually in person | 20-minute video call |
| SOE + ICAO line too | Varies | Yes | Same appointment, same fee |
| Check my eligibility — free → |
1. Your airline
Some airlines have check airmen or aircrew program designees who can process certificate actions, and it is always worth asking your training department first. But the most common thing R-ATP applicants tell me is that their regional will not do the removal, or the SOE removal, or any limitation removal. Training departments are built around the type ratings and checks the operation needs, and a removal on a certificate you already hold is not one of them.
Pilots have their own theories about why, and one comes up often: an unrestricted ATP makes you a more attractive hire everywhere else. I will leave that one with you. What matters is simpler: the certificate is yours, not your employer’s, and 61.160(g) entitles you to the unrestricted certificate once you meet 61.159 and are 23. You do not need anyone’s permission to have it processed.
2. The FSDO
Your local Flight Standards District Office can process the removal, and it costs nothing. If you are near one and not in a hurry, it is a perfectly good option.
The catch is the calendar, and it is not anyone being difficult. FSDO inspectors carry surveillance of operators, accident and incident work, certification projects and a long list of other obligations. Individual airman certificate actions fit in around all of that, so an appointment commonly takes weeks and sometimes months to land, and it usually means a visit to the office.
3. A designated pilot examiner
A DPE is authorized to process the removal and sets their own fee. With Daytona DPE, restricted ATP (R-ATP) removal is $200 flat and done by video:
- Submit the form; your document page opens with the checklist.
- Upload your certificate, ID and logbook pages; they are reviewed before you pay.
- Once you qualify, pay by card and pick a time, with at least 24 hours’ notice for FAA DMS oversight.
- A 20-minute video call: identity, logbook against 61.159, IACRA signed, unrestricted temporary certificate issued on the call.
Most pilots go from first contact to the unrestricted temporary certificate in 3 to 7 business days, and most of that is gathering logbook pages. If the review finds you short, there is no charge.
R-ATP plus an SOE? Do them together.
If you also hold a type rating that reads “subject to pilot in command limitations” and you have the 25 hours under 61.64(g), both come off in one appointment for one fee. The same goes for the ICAO PIC line some ATP certificates carry. Choose “Restricted-ATP to ATP + SOE Removal” on the form and the checklist covers both. More: type-rating SOE removal and the ICAO PIC line.
Not sure you are there yet?
The R-ATP calculator checks your logbook totals against 61.159 and tells you which column is short. Cross-country is the usual one: every restricted ATP was issued against a 200-hour cross-country allowance, and the unrestricted certificate needs 500. The full walk-through is hit 1,500 hours on a restricted ATP: what to do next.
Skip the wait.
R-ATP restriction removed by video, worldwide, $200 flat. Add the SOE or ICAO line to the same call.
Start my R-ATP removal →