DGCA Class 1 medical
What it covers, what it costs with every figure labelled, and where DGCA publishes the approved examiners.
The Class 1 medical is the certificate a commercial licence stands on, which makes it the first thing worth settling before you spend anything else on training.
Two certificates, two different points in a career.
Class 2 is the medical a student pilot licence stands on. It is the lighter assessment and it is usually the first one anyone does.
Class 1 is the medical a commercial licence stands on. It is the more demanding assessment, it is renewed on a cycle rather than held for life, and it is the one that decides whether a commercial career is open to you at all.
The order that protects your money is Class 1 first, or at least early. A Class 2 pass is not evidence that a Class 1 will pass, and finding that out after paying for flying hours is the expensive way to learn it.
Described in outline, because DGCA publishes the standard itself.
A Class 1 assessment is a full physical examination with a set of clinical tests around it: your general medical history, vision, hearing, cardiovascular health and neurological and mental health are all assessed, along with laboratory work, and the examiner reports the result into DGCA's system rather than handing you a verdict on the spot. Some findings are settled by the examiner and some are referred.
We are not going to print a test-by-test list or a disqualifier list here. DGCA sets the medical standard in the Civil Aviation Requirements and revises it by notice, and a copy of it on a prep site is a snapshot that stops being true without anyone noticing. Read the requirement at its source.
The Civil Aviation Requirements, including the medical series, are published at dgca.gov.in.
Every figure carries the label our cost research gave it.
| Item | Rupees |
|---|---|
| Class 1 initial, government processing fee | 3,000Reported |
| Class 1 initial, examination fee at an Air Force or government centre | 4,000 to 6,000Reported |
| Class 1 initial, examination fee at a private hospital | 7,000 to 10,000Reported |
| Class 1 initial, what it comes to all in | 5,000 to 12,000Reported |
| Class 2, government or Air Force centre | 3,000 to 4,000Reported |
| Class 2, private | 5,000 to 8,000Reported |
| Class 1 renewal, each time | 3,000 to 8,000Reported |
Reported means the figure comes from third-party sources rather than from a price DGCA or the examining centre publishes. Not one of these is a published price, which is why every row says so. Both initial certificates together are commonly budgeted at 8,000 to 25,000 rupees, again reported rather than published, and that is a one-time cost early in training rather than a recurring one. Renewals are the recurring part.
What we can say, and what only your certificate can.
A Class 1 certificate is issued with an expiry on it and has to be renewed to stay valid. How long a given certificate runs depends on your age and on the class of operation, and DGCA sets that in the Civil Aviation Requirements rather than as one number that holds for everyone. The date printed on your own certificate is the one that governs you; the current rule is on the DGCA portal.
Linked, not copied, and here is why.
DGCA publishes the medical examiners and centres it has approved, on its own portal. Use that list. Approvals are granted and withdrawn without notice, and an examination done by someone who is no longer approved is money spent on a certificate that will not stand.
Two things to check on the list before you book: that the centre is approved for Class 1 specifically rather than Class 2 only, and that the entry is current rather than a cached copy of an older page. Then call the centre and confirm what they want you to bring, because that part is theirs rather than DGCA's.
The approved examiner and medical centre lists are published on the DGCA portal at dgca.gov.in. We deliberately do not reproduce them.
Five, with the same answers the structured data carries.
What is the difference between a DGCA Class 1 and a Class 2 medical?
Class 2 is the medical a student pilot licence stands on and Class 1 is the one a commercial licence stands on. Class 1 is the more demanding assessment and it is the one to clear before you commit money to commercial training.
What does a DGCA Class 1 medical cost?
Reported figures put the initial Class 1 at roughly 5,000 to 12,000 rupees all in, made up of a reported 3,000 rupee government processing fee plus an examination fee of about 4,000 to 6,000 at a government centre or 7,000 to 10,000 at a private hospital. Every one of those is a reported figure rather than a DGCA published price, so treat it as a budgeting range and confirm the current fee before you pay.
How do I find a DGCA approved medical examiner?
DGCA publishes the approved examiners and medical centres on its own portal at dgca.gov.in. Use that list rather than a copy on any other site, including this one, because approvals are added and withdrawn without notice and a copied list goes stale silently.
How long is a Class 1 medical valid?
Validity depends on your age and on what the certificate itself says, and DGCA sets it in the Civil Aviation Requirements rather than in one evergreen number. Read the expiry printed on your own certificate and check the current requirement on the DGCA portal.
Can I do the DGCA exams before the medical?
The theory papers and the medical are separate processes with separate portals. Many students sit papers while the medical is in progress. The order that saves money is to know where you stand medically before you commit to flying hours.
The rest of the paperwork, and the exams themselves.