66. A.40 AMEL Continued Validity and Renewal

 

Your DGCA AME License Has a Hidden Expiry Date: Surprising Rules You Can't Afford to Ignore

Earning an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) license from the DGCA is a significant professional achievement, representing years of dedicated study, training, and practical experience. It’s the cornerstone of your career. But what happens if you overlook the fine print on maintaining its validity? A simple lapse could have consequences far more severe than you might imagine.

This article highlights some of the most surprising and critical rules from the DGCA's CAR-66 regulations. Understanding these points is not just about compliance; it's about protecting the career you've worked so hard to build.

1. The Four-Year Cliff: Expire for Too Long, and It's Gone for Good

This is the single most critical rule every AME must understand. According to CAR-66, an AME license that has been expired for more than four years will not be renewed. Period.

In this scenario, the regulations are unambiguous: you must meet all the original, applicable requirements for the issue of a new license. This isn't a simple administrative fix or a late renewal fee. It is a career-resetting event that effectively requires you to start the licensing process over from the beginning. A long-term lapse is not an oversight the DGCA will forgive—it is a point of no return.

2. The Renewal Grace Period Has a Catch: Prove Your Recent Experience

While a license expired for more than four years cannot be renewed, there is a window for renewal if you act sooner. An application to renew an expired license will be accepted for up to four years after its expiry date. However, this grace period comes with a major condition.

To be eligible for renewal, you must provide certified evidence of at least 6 months of actual aircraft maintenance experience, relevant to your license category, within the 24 months prior to your application.

If you do not meet this recent experience requirement, your application will be put on hold. The DGCA advises that you must first go out and acquire the necessary 6 months of maintenance experience before your renewal application will be considered.

3. Don't Get Caught Working: Using an Expired License Invites "Enforcement Action"

The regulations specifically address AMEs who may have continued to exercise their privileges while their license was expired. The renewal application requires a formal declaration that you have not exercised the privileges of your license while it was expired.

If it is discovered that you have, the DGCA will initiate "necessary enforcement action." Your license will only be considered for renewal after this enforcement action is complete. This underscores the seriousness with which the regulator treats non-compliance and highlights the significant professional and legal risks involved in working on an invalid license.

4. The "Ghost License": Your License Can Be Valid While Your Privileges Are Not

Here lies a subtle but crucial distinction that can easily trap an unwary AME. According to the guidance material (GM 66.A.40), the validity of the CAR-66 AME license document itself is not affected by a lack of recent maintenance experience. However, the validity of your privileges—your actual authority to certify maintenance—is directly tied to this recency.

This creates a dangerous trap: you could hold a license document that is months or even years away from its expiry date and believe you are compliant, while in reality, your legal authority to sign off on maintenance has already lapsed due to a lack of recent experience. Furthermore, this same lack of recent experience is what will prevent you from a straightforward renewal, as explained in Takeaway 2, forcing you to regain experience before your license can even be considered for renewal.

Your license is a living credential, not a one-time achievement. Maintaining it is an ongoing responsibility that requires vigilance over details like renewal dates and recent experience requirements. Understanding these specific and often overlooked rules from CAR-66 is not just good practice—it is essential for your long-term career security.

When was the last time you checked the fine print on your professional credentials?

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