The short answer

That line is §61.160(h), and it is a different limitation from the §61.167 restriction — a certificate can carry one, the other, or both. It comes off when you present satisfactory evidence of having met the ICAO requirements and otherwise meet §61.159. No checkride. If you are clearing both lines, they are handled in the same appointment.

Where the line comes from — §61.160(h)

§61.160(h) says an applicant who meets the aeronautical experience requirements of paragraphs (a), (b), (c) or (d) is issued the ATP certificate with the limitation “Holder does not meet the pilot in command aeronautical experience requirements of ICAO” — as prescribed under Article 39 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation — if the applicant does not meet the ICAO requirements in Annex 1, Personnel Licensing.

In plain terms: the reduced-minimums pathways that let you hold an ATP early are a United States rule. ICAO’s Annex 1 standard is a separate one, and until your experience satisfies it too, the FAA is required to say so on the face of the certificate so other states know what they are looking at.

It is not the same thing as the §61.167 restriction

This is the point most people get wrong, and it matters because the two lines are removed against different tests. “Restricted in accordance with 14 CFR 61.167” is §61.160(g) and limits what you may do domestically — no PIC in part 121, in §91.1053(a)(2)(i) fractional or §135.243(a)(1) operations. The ICAO line is §61.160(h) and limits nothing under United States rules at all; it speaks to foreign authorities.

A certificate can carry either line, both, or neither. Clearing one does not clear the other, which is why an appointment that handles only half of it leaves you making a second appointment.

When it actually bites

Domestically, day to day, it does nothing — which is exactly why it goes unnoticed until the one day it matters, usually with a deadline attached.

What removal requires

§61.160(h) states the test: the applicant is entitled to the certificate without the ICAO limitation on presenting satisfactory evidence of having met the ICAO requirements and otherwise meeting the aeronautical experience requirements of §61.159.

Send the logbook through your document page before the appointment and the PIC entries are reviewed against the standard in advance — at no charge if it turns out you are not ready. Guessing at this one on the call is the expensive way to do it.

Clearing both lines in one appointment

If your certificate carries the §61.167 restriction as well, both removals are handled in the same $200 appointment. Say so on the contact form so the document checklist covers both — the evidence for the two tests is not identical, and the checklist is built from what you tell it. Start from the R-ATP to unrestricted ATP page if the restriction is your main concern.

How the appointment runs

  1. Identity verification (valid, unexpired photo ID)
  2. Certificate and logbook review — PIC experience against the ICAO standard, and §61.159 otherwise
  3. IACRA application signed live
  4. Temporary certificate without the ICAO limitation issued on the call

About 20 minutes, from anywhere with a stable connection. 24-hour advance notice is required for FAA DMS oversight entry.

Pricing — $200 flat

No travel fees, no rescheduling fees, and no charge if you are determined not eligible during the appointment — and no second fee if both limitations come off in the same appointment. Details → Pricing

Related

R-ATP to Unrestricted ATP

The §61.167 restriction — the other line, removed against a different test.

R-ATP at 750 Hours (Military)

Military-pathway certificates carry the ICAO line most often.

Still Restricted at 1,500 Hours

Why total time is not what lifts the §61.167 restriction.

One line, or both, off the same certificate.

Submit the contact form, name the ICAO limitation, and your document page opens with the right list. $200 flat.

Schedule your ICAO limitation removal →

Frequently asked

What does “Holder does not meet the pilot in command aeronautical experience requirements of ICAO” mean?
It is the limitation required by 14 CFR 61.160(h). It is placed on an ATP certificate issued under the reduced-minimums pathways in 61.160(a) through (d) when the applicant does not yet meet the ICAO requirements in Annex 1, Personnel Licensing, as prescribed under Article 39 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. It tells foreign authorities what standard your certificate was issued against.
Is the ICAO limitation the same as the 61.167 restriction?
No, and that is the most common misunderstanding. “Restricted in accordance with 14 CFR 61.167” is 61.160(g) and limits what you may do under United States rules. The ICAO line is 61.160(h) and limits nothing domestically — it speaks to foreign authorities. A certificate can carry either, both, or neither, and they are removed against different tests.
How is the ICAO limitation removed?
61.160(h) sets the test: satisfactory evidence of having met the ICAO requirements, and otherwise meeting the aeronautical experience requirements of 61.159. In practice the pilot-in-command column is what gets examined. It is an administrative action in IACRA — no checkride and no flight.
Can both limitations be removed in one appointment?
Yes, and there is no second fee. Say on the contact form that your certificate carries the ICAO line as well, because the document checklist is built from what you tell it and the evidence for the two tests is not identical.
Does the ICAO limitation matter if I only fly domestically?
Day to day, no. It becomes a problem at a foreign licence validation or conversion, on some foreign operator paperwork, and anywhere a regulator outside the United States has to satisfy itself you meet the Annex 1 standard — which is usually the day it appears with a deadline attached.