Every pilot licence in India rests on a medical. The DGCA Class 1 medical is the one a commercial or airline pilot must hold, and the DGCA Class 2 medical is the one that lets a student or private pilot start and keep flying. If you plan to train in India, you take the Class 2 first, and then the Class 1 before you can hold a Commercial Pilot Licence.
In short: get a Class 2 from any DGCA empanelled examiner, then book your first (initial) Class 1 at one of the approved centres on DGCA's list. After that, renew on time. This guide walks through each step using DGCA's own lists and rules, so you know what to book and when. For the full licence path, read how to become a commercial pilot in India.
DGCA Class 1 medical vs Class 2 medical: who needs which
DGCA's Civil Aviation Requirement on medical standards (older copy) (CAR Section 7, Series C, Part I) sets out which licence needs which class. The standards follow ICAO Annex 1, with extra requirements in DGCA's Aeronautical Information Circulars (Medical). The version linked here is an older copy (Revision 6, 2022); DGCA's Class 1 list says Revision 7, dated 1 October 2025, is now current, so check the latest text on dgca.gov.in.
- Class 1 Medical Assessment: Commercial Pilot Licence and Airline Transport Pilot Licence (aeroplane and helicopter), and a Private Pilot Licence where instrument rating privileges are needed.
- Class 2 Medical Assessment: Private Pilot Licence, Student Pilot Licence (aeroplane, helicopter, glider, balloon and microlight), Pilot Licence (microlight) and the Flight Radio Telephone Operator licences.
- Class 3 Medical Assessment: air traffic controllers, which is outside the scope of this guide.
In practice almost every future airline pilot holds both. The Class 2 comes first because DGCA treats an initial Class 1 as a medical for someone who already has a valid Class 2. DGCA's own Class 1 examiner list says this in its notes: the initial medical is done when a person with a valid Class 2 applies for a Class 1 for the first time.
Step 1: the Class 2 medical
Under the CAR, a Class 2 medical can be done by any DGCA empanelled Class 1 examiner or by a DGCA empanelled Class 2 examiner. Class 2 examiners are doctors with at least an MBBS who are registered with the medical council and have completed approved training in aviation medicine at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Bengaluru.
DGCA publishes the Class 2 examiner list region by region. In the version updated on 27 August 2026, the list has 69 examiners in the Northern region, 58 in the Southern region, 51 in the Western region and 12 in the Eastern region. Each entry shows the doctor's clinic address and the date until which their DGCA empanelment is valid, so check that date before you book.
Because the Class 2 is also the medical a Student Pilot Licence needs, it is worth having before solo flying is planned. If you are still comparing schools, see how to choose a DGCA flight school and browse DGCA-approved flight schools.
Step 2: the initial Class 1 medical
The initial Class 1 is the bigger step. It is done only at the centres DGCA lists for it, not by every Class 1 examiner. DGCA's Class 1 list, updated on 28 October 2026, names 13 centres:
- Indian Air Force boarding centres: Air Force Central Medical Establishment (AFCME), New Delhi; Medical Evaluation Centre at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Bengaluru; and Medical Evaluation Cell (East), 5 Air Force Hospital, Jorhat.
- Civil aeromedical evaluation centres in Mumbai: Dr Balabhai Nanavati Hospital and V M Medical Centre.
- Apollo Hospitals centres in Chennai, New Delhi (Indraprastha Apollo), Bengaluru, Indore and Hyderabad.
- Max Multi Specialty Centre, New Delhi; Medanta The Medicity, Gurugram; and Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune.
DGCA's list marks every one of these 13 centres as authorised for all types of Class 1, 2 and 3 medical examinations. Most of the civil centres are recent. A PIB release of 28 October 2025 announced that DGCA had approved ten new aeromedical evaluation centres, in addition to the Indian Air Force boarding centres. Before that, eight centres had been empanelled, and only for the Class 1 initial medical. Trade press reported that the private centres would start from 15 November 2025.
Contact details and booking methods for each centre are in DGCA's list. Booking rules vary by centre, so read the centre's own instructions.
What happens on the day
The examiner records the examination on DGCA forms and issues a medical certificate, Form CA-35, which shows the result. The full set of tests is set by DGCA circulars, and the centre runs them. Where a DGCA Medical Assessment is required, such as for an initial medical, DGCA's Medical Directorate reviews the reports and issues it. That Assessment is DGCA's own decision on your fitness.
Under the CAR, the outcome is one of four: fit, fit with limitations, temporarily unfit or permanently unfit. A temporary unfit result is not the end. It means a review medical later, usually after treatment or further tests.
Ruby Hall Clinic in Pune, one of the empanelled centres, publishes a detailed FAQ that is useful wherever you test. It tells candidates to bring:
- An original government photo ID, and the ID number you used to create your eGCA profile.
- A copy of your last CA-35 and your last DGCA Medical Assessment, if you have them.
- Records of any past treatment, illness or surgery.
The same FAQ warns that refusing a test the board considers necessary leads to the medical being marked incomplete and sent to DGCA. It also says your previous medical validity ends the moment you report for a new one, so do not plan to fly until the new medical is complete, which can take more than one day.
CA-35 vs the DGCA Medical Assessment
These two papers confuse many students. The CA-35 is the examiner's certificate. The Medical Assessment is issued by DGCA after review. The CAR says a pilot carries the DGCA Medical Assessment with the licence, and the CA-35 while an Assessment is awaited. After a temporary unfitness review, you may fly only once DGCA issues a fit Medical Assessment.
DGCA changed when a fresh Medical Assessment is needed through a public notice dated 15 July 2025, effective 1 September 2025, as reported by AFM. A DGCA Assessment is still mandatory for initial, re-initial, invalid or incomplete, special, temporary unfit and post-unfit review cases, and when the notice's age-based schedule calls for one. For routine renewals in between, a fit CA-35 from an approved examiner is enough. The same notice lets applicants apply directly for the initial Class 1 on the basis of a CA-35 from a Class 2 examiner.
Renewing a Class 1 medical
Once you hold a Class 1, renewals are easier to book. DGCA's Class 1 list says renewal Class 1 medicals are done at 18 Indian Air Force centres and by 53 DGCA empanelled Class 1 medical examiners, as on 28 October 2026. The key timing rules from the same list:
- A Class 1 Medical Assessment is valid for one year for pilots under 60 in multi-crew commercial air transport.
- It is valid for six months for pilots over 40 in single-crew commercial air transport or on instructional duties.
- You can renew from 45 days before the validity ends up to the expiry date.
- You can still renew after expiry, but if your last Class 1 medical is more than two years old, you must take a fresh re-initial medical at one of the 13 centres.
Pilots over 60 should check the current CAR, which sets shorter validity at that age. The list refers to Para 5 of CAR Section 7, Series C, Part I (Issue II, Revision 7, dated 1 October 2025) for validity. Read the current CAR on dgca.gov.in for the full rules, including Class 2 validity.
When you need a DGCA NOC
For a re-initial, post temporary unfit or special medical, you need a No Objection Certificate from DGCA's Medical Directorate before you book. DGCA's Class 1 list says you apply for it on the eGCA portal. Ruby Hall's FAQ adds that an NOC is also needed for early renewal, more than 45 days before validity ends, and that the request is made under Medical Services in eGCA.
Practical tips for students
- Book the Class 2 early, ideally before you commit to a school, and the initial Class 1 soon after.
- Pick an initial Class 1 centre you can reach easily. Some cases need a repeat test or specialist opinion on a later day.
- Keep every CA-35 and Medical Assessment in one folder. Examiners review your previous Assessment at renewal.
- Set a reminder 45 days before each expiry. A lapse of more than two years means starting again with a re-initial.
- Check the examiner's empanelment validity date on DGCA's list before booking.
- Ask your school how it tracks medicals for students who will fly solo, since a valid medical is part of the Student Pilot Licence.
Why this matters after training too
Airlines and charter operators check pilots' medicals as part of crew currency. BookAir's guide on how charter operators are vetted lists medical validity alongside licences and type ratings, and its piece on crew duty limits shows how crew rules shape long flying days. If you are aiming for an airline seat, read about India's airlines and their fleets or browse scheduled airlines in our directory.
If you are still choosing where to train, compare government and private flight schools and look at schools state by state, for example flight schools in Maharashtra, which also has two of the initial Class 1 centres in Mumbai and one in Pune.
Common questions
What is the difference between a DGCA Class 1 and Class 2 medical?
A Class 2 medical covers the Student Pilot Licence and Private Pilot Licence. A Class 1 medical is needed for the Commercial Pilot Licence and Airline Transport Pilot Licence. You take the Class 2 first, because DGCA's initial Class 1 is for people who already hold a valid Class 2.
Where can I do the initial DGCA Class 1 medical?
Only at the centres on DGCA's Class 1 list. As on 28 October 2026 there are 13: three Indian Air Force boarding centres in New Delhi, Bengaluru and Jorhat, and ten civil centres in Mumbai, New Delhi, Gurugram, Pune, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Indore.
Who can do a DGCA Class 2 medical?
Any DGCA empanelled Class 1 medical examiner, or any DGCA empanelled Class 2 medical examiner. DGCA publishes the Class 2 examiner list by region on its website, with each examiner's empanelment validity date.
How long is a DGCA Class 1 medical valid?
According to DGCA's Class 1 list, a Class 1 Medical Assessment is valid for one year for pilots under 60 in multi-crew commercial air transport, and six months for pilots over 40 in single-crew commercial air transport or on instructional duties.
When can I renew my Class 1 medical?
From 45 days before your Medical Assessment expires up to the expiry date. Renewal is possible after expiry too, but if your last Class 1 medical is more than two years old you need a re-initial medical at one of the initial centres.
What is a CA-35?
CA-35 is the medical certificate the DGCA examiner issues after your examination. Where a DGCA Medical Assessment is required, such as after an initial medical, DGCA's Medical Directorate issues it as the regulator's own decision. For many routine renewals since September 2025, a fit CA-35 is enough.
Do I need an NOC for a DGCA medical?
Yes for re-initial, post temporary unfit and special medicals, and, according to one empanelled centre, for renewing more than 45 days before expiry. You apply to DGCA's Medical Directorate for the No Objection Certificate through the eGCA portal before booking.
Sources
- DGCA: List of approved aeromedical evaluation centres, IAF boarding centres and Class 1 examiners (updated 28 October 2026)
- DGCA: List of empanelled Class 2 medical examiners (updated 27 August 2026)
- PIB: DGCA adds 10 new Aeromedical Evaluation Centres (28 October 2025)
- DGCA CAR Section 7, Series C, Part I: Medical requirements for flight crew (older Revision 6 copy, 2022)
- AFM: India revises medical rules for pilot licence holders from September 2025
- AFM: India's regulator adds private hospitals for pilot medicals from 15 November 2025
- Ruby Hall Clinic: DGCA medical examination FAQ
General information, checked against the sources above on the date published. It is not legal, regulatory or medical advice. Rules change, so confirm with DGCA or the relevant authority before acting.