Your rating has lapsed: renewal vs revalidation explained

There is a meaningful regulatory difference between revalidating a rating before it expires and renewing a rating that has already lapsed. The first is routine. The second is a more involved process that costs more time and money, and it surprises pilots who assumed that a late renewal would be handled the same way as a timely one.

The distinction in plain language

Revalidation happens before the expiry date — or within the approved window (e.g. the final 3 months for a proficiency check, or the preceding 12 months for the hour-building route). You are keeping an existing, valid rating active.

Renewal happens after the expiry date. Your rating is no longer valid. You are restoring it. The process is more demanding.

The specific requirements differ by rating, but the pattern is consistent: renewal always involves more training than revalidation, and usually requires a formal proficiency check regardless of how much you have been flying.

SEP(land): what lapsing actually costs you

If your SEP(land) class rating expires:

1. You must undergo additional training with a flight instructor before the check. The amount is at the examiner's discretion after assessing your currency. If you have been flying regularly but let the paperwork lapse, this may be brief. If you have not flown for a year or more, expect 2–4 hours minimum.

2. You must complete a full proficiency check (PC) with an authorised examiner. This is the same check as Route 2 revalidation — but unlike Route 2, you cannot skip the pre-check training.

3. The costs are higher: examiner fees, instructor fees for the refresher flying, potentially extra circuit work.

The practical implication: letting your SEP rating lapse by even a day means you cannot fly SEP as PIC until the renewal is complete. There is no grace period.

IR (Instrument Rating): the consequences of lapsing

An IR that lapses entirely requires renewal, which under Part-FCL means:

• Passing all elements of the IR proficiency check again (including instrument approaches, holds, and emergency procedures)
• Prior refresher training — practically speaking, most examiners will not take a pilot who has been out of IFR currency for a significant period without instrument refresher flying first
• In some circumstances, if the IR has been lapsed for a long time (years), an examiner may require additional ground training as well

IR examiners are CAA-approved Class 1 or 2 IR Examiners. Their fees for a full PC are typically £300–600 depending on complexity and aircraft type.

Night rating: does it lapse?

The EASA night rating (FCL.810) is unusual: once issued, it does not have an expiry date. It does not require periodic revalidation in the same way as SEP or IR.

However, the recent experience requirements of FCL.060 still apply if you want to exercise night privileges as PIC — you need to have carried out 3 take-offs and 3 landings in the relevant aircraft class in the 90 days before night flying. These are not formally endorsed or logged with an examiner; it is your responsibility to maintain them.

If your night currency has lapsed (more than 90 days since night circuits), you simply need to fly 3 night circuits before carrying passengers at night. No examiner, no formal test — but you cannot carry passengers until that currency is restored.

Practical advice: do not let it slip

The asymmetry here is stark. A timely Route 1 SEP revalidation costs roughly 1 hour of dual time plus club paperwork. A renewal after even a brief lapse adds an examiner's fee and potentially several hours of refresher training — easily 3–5× the cost.

The typical cause of lapsed ratings is not intention to stop flying. It is a busy period, a medical issue, a life event, and then the realisation that the expiry date has passed. A logbook that shows you the remaining days on each rating in the same view as your flight history removes that risk almost entirely.

When renewal is unavoidable

Sometimes life intervenes and a renewal is the only path. If you are in that position:

1. Contact a registered flying club or FTO early — renewal training slots can be limited
2. Book the examiner at the same time as the training; examiners' diaries fill up
3. Bring your full logbook to the refresher briefing so the instructor can quickly assess your background
4. If your IR has been lapsed for more than a year, expect to discuss ground study as well as airborne refresher work

The examiner's goal is to confirm that you are safe and competent to exercise the rating's privileges. If your underlying skills are sound, a lapsed rating is restorable — it just costs more than staying current.