The CASA Class 2 medical certificate is a clinical assessment by a designated aviation medical examiner, not an exam with a syllabus or pass mark. Prepare by confirming which certificate your flying needs, auditing your health history and documents across the reviewed areas, declaring every past and current condition with supporting letters, and understanding the outcomes: issue, conditional certificate, deferral for reports, or refusal with review rights. The Class 2 processing fee is $65, the certificate lasts four years if you are under 40 on examination day and two years over 40, and CASA's standard is 20 business days to assess a complete application.
What the Class 2 medical is and who needs one
A CASA Class 2 medical certificate is required to exercise the privileges of a recreational pilot licence, private pilot licence, or commercial pilot (balloon) licence in Australia. It is a clinical assessment by a designated aviation medical examiner (DAME), not a knowledge test.
CASA requires pilots and air traffic controllers to hold a current medical certificate to exercise their licence privileges, with different classes matching different licence types. Your examiner and CASA's AvMed team assess your medical conditions, medications and health status, and CASA delegates then decide whether to grant the certificate. In most cases you can gain a certificate even when a medical issue is present, sometimes with conditions attached.
Student pilots need a Class 2 or Basic Class 2 certificate before flying solo, so this is often the first medical a new pilot books. Private and recreational pilot licence holders can also perform some operations under a Basic Class 2 certificate, which is a lighter-weight pathway. Which route fits you depends on your flying intentions, so check CASA's certificate classes page before booking.
Some commercial flying is possible on a Class 2 certificate: commercial pilots with one can fly commercial flights without passengers where the maximum take-off weight is below 8618 kg, which includes in-flight training under a general exemption. Commercial aeroplane and helicopter pilot licences normally require a Class 1, however.
Certain examiners, called DAME2s, are authorised to issue a Class 2 certificate on the spot. A DAME2 cannot use this route if you previously had a Class 2 application denied, or if you have one of three excluding conditions: psychosis, irreversible dementia, or epilepsy. Those applications go through fuller CASA assessment instead.
Official sources used: Classes 1 to 3 medical certificates | Civil Aviation Safety Authority — Class 2 medical certificate, validity, DAME2 on-the-spot sections
What the examination actually involves
The assessment combines a questionnaire on your health history, a clinical examination, and specific tests. There is no score to achieve; the examiner records findings against CASA's medical standard.
The process starts before the clinical part: you complete an applicant questionnaire covering your medical history and medications, and the examiner then performs the clinical examination. The Examiner Handbook sets out the tests examiners use, and knowing that list in advance is the closest thing this assessment has to a syllabus.
The handbook's test list for aviation medicals includes blood pressure measurement, hearing tests, visual acuity assessment, colour vision screening, and office (dipstick) urinalysis at every examination. If your dipstick result shows more than a trace of blood or protein, the examiner refers you for further urine testing rather than certifying on the spot.
Two tests are importantly not routine at every Class 2 medical. Routine ECGs are required at set intervals for Class 1 and Class 3 certificates, and for Class 2 only when clinically indicated at the examiner's or CASA's discretion. Similarly, the formal cardiovascular risk calculation is a requirement for Class 1 and 3 applicants, not an automatic part of a Class 2 assessment. Knowing these class differences stops you from being surprised by what is and is not done.
A practical way to prepare is to map your own history onto the clinical areas these tests and questions touch: cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, psychiatric, eye and ENT, and metabolic and endocrine health. This six-area map is a preparation aid, not an official list of exam items. Under each area, note any diagnosis, medication, past episode or ongoing symptom, because the parts of your history with substance are where the consultation will run longest.
Official sources used: CASA Aviation Medicine Examiner Handbook (V6.1, 12/2025) — Chapters 4-6: medical examination process, administration, and medical tests
Validity, fees and processing times
A Class 2 certificate is valid for four years if you are under 40 on the day of your examination, and two years if you are over 40. CASA charges a $65 processing fee for a Class 2 application, separate from your examiner's consultation cost.
The validity rule turns on your age on the day of the medical examination, not on your age when you apply online or when the certificate is issued. That distinction matters if your fortieth birthday falls between booking and examination, so plan your appointment date with it in mind.
You pay the CASA processing fee in the Medical Records System (MRS) inside myCASA before you can submit your application, by Visa or MasterCard. The fee depends on the class, not on whether the application is an initial issue or a renewal, and it covers CASA's processing work. Your DAME's consultation is billed separately, and CASA advises asking your examiner directly about that cost.
CASA's service delivery standard for assessing a medical certificate application is 20 business days from receiving payment and all required documentation. Complete applications with no further tests or specialist reports currently take up to four weeks, while complex cases referred to Complex Case Management can take an additional three to four weeks, and applications needing extra reports average around 50 days. If your current certificate expires within two weeks and you are worried about timing, CASA asks you to contact them.
Worked exercise
Mei attends her Class 2 medical examination on 12 March 2026. She is 39 on that day and turns 40 in June 2026. How long is her new Class 2 certificate valid, and on what date does it expire?
Show answer
Four years, so it expires on 12 March 2030.
CASA's rule keys validity to your age on the day of the medical examination. Mei is 39 on 12 March 2026, so the under-40 rule applies even though she turns 40 a few months later. Four years from 12 March 2026 is 12 March 2030. The common wrong answer, two years, comes from applying her age at some later date instead of the examination date. Check the exact expiry handling for your own renewal on CASA's certificate classes page, as certificates are valid unless otherwise advised.
| Request type | CASA processing fee |
|---|---|
| Class 2 medical | $65.00 |
| Basic Class 2 medical | $10.00 |
| Extension of medical certificate | $50.00 |
| Reconsideration of application | $150.00 |
Official sources used: Classes 1 to 3 medical certificates | Civil Aviation Safety Authority — Class 2 medical certificate, validity, DAME2 on-the-spot sections; Medical certificate fees, payments and processing | Civil Aviation Safety Authority — Processing fees table and processing times
Prepare your history and documentation
Your preparation consists of evidence and honest disclosure. Declare every past and current condition, and support each one with a document the examiner can assess, because an undocumented history tends to trigger requests for further reports and adds delay.
A past or managed condition does not speak for itself; the examiner sees only what you declare and what you can document. Bringing a treating-practitioner letter that covers the diagnosis, treatment, current status and any medication lets the history be assessed in context during the appointment. Mentioning a history in passing with nothing in writing forces the examiner to request reports later, which adds weeks to a straightforward situation.
Whether to change any medication is a question for you and your treating doctor, not a decision to make for this appointment. Bring a full list with names, doses and prescriber details so the examiner can assess with complete information. If you wear spectacles or contact lenses, bring your current prescription and wear them at the examination.
The exercise below shows what a finished preparation looks like. It is study guidance for your appointment, not an official CASA requirement, and it cannot substitute for the examiner's clinical judgement.
Worked exercise
Alex is booking a Class 2 medical. Alex takes amlodipine for blood pressure, reviewed by the GP three months ago; wears contact lenses prescribed at an optometry visit two years ago; and had knee surgery four years ago with full recovery and no ongoing treatment. List the documents Alex should bring, and anything to request from a practitioner before the appointment.
Show answer
Alex should bring: (1) a current medication list or GP letter covering the amlodipine, dose and recent review; (2) the most recent contact lens prescription, ideally updated if the two-year-old prescription has changed; and (3) a discharge summary or GP letter confirming the knee surgery and current recovery status. Before booking, Alex should request the GP's medication and review details and, if the lens prescription is out of date, arrange an optometry check so the vision area is covered by current information.
Each item matches a part of the assessment: the medication list supports the history and any blood pressure check; the lens prescription supports the visual acuity area, and a two-year-old prescription may no longer reflect Alex's correction; the surgery letter converts a past episode from memory into assessable evidence. None of these conditions is presented as a barrier; the point is that declared, documented histories can be assessed on the day, while undocumented ones tend to trigger requests for further reports and delay.
Official sources used: Medical certificate fees, payments and processing | Civil Aviation Safety Authority — Processing fees table and processing times; CASA Aviation Medicine Examiner Handbook (V6.1, 12/2025) — Chapters 4-6: medical examination process, administration, and medical tests
Possible outcomes and what happens next
An assessment does not end only in issue or refusal. CASA may grant a certificate with conditions, defer a decision for further reports or specialist input, or refuse, suspend or cancel a certificate, with reconsideration, review and appeal processes available.
CASA's delegates assess your medical risk and can use safety measures such as conditions on your certificate, so a conditional certificate is still a valid certificate with requirements attached. Where a finding cannot be resolved at the appointment, the examiner or CASA may need further test results, specialist reports or additional information before finalising the outcome. That deferral is a process step, not a verdict.
The Examiner Handbook also sets out suspension, cancellation and refusal processes, including specific provisions such as suspension during pregnancy, and the routes for reconsidering or appealing certification decisions. If an outcome surprises you, ask what is outstanding, who supplies it, and who is responsible for each remaining step before you leave.
Processing depends on your paperwork. CASA's stated delay factors are no payment received, time to complete additional tests, and waiting for specialist reports, and the 20-business-day clock only starts when the last required document arrives. Paying the fee in MRS before submitting and checking with your DAME whether age-related or condition-related tests are needed are the two steps CASA names for preventing delays.
Official sources used: Classes 1 to 3 medical certificates | Civil Aviation Safety Authority — Class 2 medical certificate, validity, DAME2 on-the-spot sections; CASA Aviation Medicine Examiner Handbook (V6.1, 12/2025) — Chapters 4-6: medical examination process, administration, and medical tests; Medical certificate fees, payments and processing | Civil Aviation Safety Authority — Processing fees table and processing times
Your preparation checklist
Preparation works as a short sequence with verifiable finish lines. This is advice you can adapt, not a set of official requirements.
Work through the steps below in order. Each one has a concrete finish: when all of them hold, you are prepared in the way this assessment rewards, because everything the examiner needs is either on file or in your hand.
If any step is unfinished, that tells you exactly what to fix before your appointment, rather than leaving you anxious about an assessment you cannot study for. Confirm current requirements and your certificate pathway directly on CASA's site, since fees, rules and handbooks are updated periodically.
- Confirm which certificate your flying needs: Class 2 versus Basic Class 2, using CASA's licence and certificate guide.
- Check CASA's published list of DAME2s to see whether on-the-spot issue could apply to you, and confirm your chosen examiner's availability and consultation cost when booking.
- Map your history across the six clinical areas and list every diagnosis, medication and past episode.
- Collect evidence for each entry: medication list with doses, treating-practitioner letters, current lens prescription, and discharge summaries for resolved conditions.
- Pay the $65 processing fee in MRS before submitting, and confirm with your DAME whether any tests are required for your age and history.
- Rehearse a two-minute spoken health summary covering conditions, medications and past history, and write down questions for the examiner.
Official sources used: Classes 1 to 3 medical certificates | Civil Aviation Safety Authority — Class 2 medical certificate, validity, DAME2 on-the-spot sections; Medical certificate fees, payments and processing | Civil Aviation Safety Authority — Processing fees table and processing times
Official sources used
Facts checked against CASA sources: