The FAA MedXPress Application
How to complete FAA MedXPress before your medical exam, what the health-history section asks, and why honesty on it matters.
Every FAA medical certificate application starts online in FAA MedXPress, before you ever see the examiner. Completing it well makes the exam faster and avoids problems later.
How it works
You create an account at the FAA MedXPress site and fill out FAA Form 8500-8 electronically. When you submit, you receive a confirmation number. You give that number to your Aviation Medical Examiner (AME), who retrieves your application and performs the physical exam. The application is valid for a limited window, so complete it close to your appointment.
The health-history section (Item 18)
Item 18 asks about your medical history — conditions, medications, hospitalisations, and visits to health professionals — and Item 19 covers your medications. Item 18 also asks about alcohol- or drug-related motor-vehicle actions and other legal history; see DUI reporting and your medical.
Answer honestly
The application is a legal document. Falsifying it — omitting a condition, a medication or a driving action — is a federal offence and independent grounds to deny or revoke a certificate, entirely apart from the underlying condition, which may well have been approvable. If something in your history is complex (see disqualifying conditions and special issuance), gather your records in advance and consider consulting an AME before you submit. Which class you need is covered in medical certificate classes.
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*Reference and training only — not for navigation or as legal advice. Always consult the current 14 CFR, the AIM, your aircraft’s POH/AFM and a certificated flight instructor.*