EASA instrument rating currency: the rules pilots keep getting wrong
IR currency under EASA requires both a valid proficiency check and recent approaches. Here is exactly what FCL.060(b) demands and how to stay legal without an FSTD booking every month.
If you hold an EASA instrument rating, you are operating under two separate currency regimes simultaneously: the general recent-experience rule (FCL.060) and the specific IR proficiency check cycle. Getting either one wrong — and they interact in non-obvious ways — means you cannot legally fly in IMC.
The two pillars of IR currency
Pillar 1: The instrument rating proficiency check (IR PC)
Your IR must be revalidated or renewed periodically. For a standard EASA IR(A):
- If you have flown at least 50 hours IFR in the preceding 12 months as PIC, you may revalidate by a proficiency check with an examiner.
- If you have not met that 50-hour threshold, you must renew (which means passing a skills test, not just a proficiency check).
The proficiency check must be completed within 3 months before the expiry date of the IR. If the check is taken within that window, the new expiry date is calculated from the old expiry — you do not lose time. If you let it lapse, you need a renewal, which typically means additional training.
Pillar 2: Recent experience under FCL.060(b)
Even with a valid IR, you must have, in the preceding 90 days, completed at least 3 instrument approaches under simulated or actual IMC as PIC or under instruction. These may be logged in a FSTD — they do not all have to be in an actual aircraft.
This 90-day recent-experience requirement is entirely separate from the annual proficiency check. Your IR can be perfectly valid and your PC in date, and you can still be illegal to fly IFR if you have not flown 3 approaches in the last 90 days.
What counts as an instrument approach?
An approach must be flown under IFR flight rules. Practice approaches done VFR — "simulated IFR" without an actual IFR flight plan — do not count under FCL.060(b) unless you are under instruction with an authorised instructor and the conditions are properly documented.
Approaches in an FSTD (Flight Simulation Training Device) do count, provided the FSTD is qualified for that purpose and the session is logged correctly. This is one of the more useful provisions if you fly infrequently: a 1-hour simulator session to refresh 3 approaches is far cheaper than an actual aircraft booking and keeps you legal for another 90 days.
The ELP requirement
If you fly in European airspace under IFR, you also need a valid English Language Proficiency endorsement at level 4 or above. ELP has its own renewal cycle (4 years for level 4, 6 years for level 5, lifetime for level 6) and is technically a separate check from IR currency. It does not affect FCL.060 compliance but will affect your ability to operate in practice.
The CB-IR and EIR: simplified instruments
The Competency-Based Instrument Rating (CB-IR) and the En Route Instrument Rating (EIR) are lighter-weight alternatives to the full IR. The CB-IR covers all phases of flight but requires less training hours for holders of significant IFR experience. The EIR is limited to en-route IFR only — it does not cover approaches.
Both instruments still require revalidation and have the same 90-day recent-experience requirement for the phases of flight they cover.
A note on the UK after Brexit
The UK CAA has retained a structure very similar to EASA for instrument ratings — the UK IR, UK CB-IR, and UK EIR follow essentially the same revalidation and recent-experience requirements. The main practical difference is that UK IR holders exercising privileges in EASA states may need to check whether their rating is accepted, and vice versa. For domestic UK flying, UK CAA requirements apply, not EASA.
Logging it correctly
The FCL.060(b) requirement applies to approaches logged specifically as instrument approaches under IMC or simulated IMC. Logging every ILS you fly as "instrument approach" when half of them were flown in VMC for practice does not build your currency. You need to be precise.
A logbook that distinguishes approach type (ILS, VOR, RNP, etc.), logs the conditions accurately, and tracks your 90-day running count of qualifying approaches keeps you legal without manually counting back through your entries.