Non-U.S. Citizens · TSA Approval Required
Training If You Are Not A U.S. Citizen
You do not have to be a U.S. citizen to train with us. You do have to be lawfully in the United States and eligible to train, and the TSA has to approve you before covered flight training begins.
Check These Two Things First
Two conditions decide whether we are the right school for you, and both are quick to check.
- You are lawfully in the United States and eligible to train. If that is you, get in touch — the rates, the aircraft and the instructors are exactly the same as for anyone else.
- You do not need us to sponsor a visa. We train under Part 61 rather than as an SEVP-certified school, so a Form I-20 and an M-1 student visa come from an SEVP-certified provider instead.
- Immigration questions belong with a qualified immigration adviser. What we can tell you precisely is what the TSA requires on the training side, and we will walk you through it.
- Your TSA approval comes before covered training starts. We register as your training provider and endorse your request as soon as you are ready.
Flight training for non-U.S. citizens is governed by the TSA’s Flight Training Security Program, which applies at every flight school in the country. It is the TSA’s programme rather than ours, and the rules are published on their site — read them there and hold us to them. We have taken students through it before and will guide you at each step.
TSA Flight Training Security ProgramThe TSA Security Approval
- You
- Applicant
- Create and manage your own application, pay the government fee, and provide your documents and fingerprints as required.
- We
- Training provider
- Register as your training provider and endorse your training request.
- Nobody
- Before approval
- Starts covered training before the approval is in place.
- Timeline
- 3–6 weeks
- The usual turnaround. The TSA sets the pace, so start the application before you book travel or time off around your training.
The parts that decide whether your training starts when you planned it to.
Start the Application Early
Plan on three to six weeks for the approval, and start it before you arrange time off work or book travel around a block of training. Students who apply first almost always fly on the week they intended to.
Tell us at your first enquiry that you will need it, and we will register as your training provider straight away so your side of the paperwork is the only thing left.
What We Will Ask You For
Your passport; evidence of your lawful status or presence in the United States; contact details; your FAA certificate and medical, if you already hold them; and the TSA documents and approval that apply to the specific category of training you are doing.
The definitive list comes from the official TSA portal and the current rules, not from a marketing page — including this one. We will walk you through it on the phone before you spend anything.
We Have Done This Before
We have taken non-U.S.-citizen students through the Flight Training Security Program before, and we know the points where an application usually stalls — a document that does not match the passport, a fingerprint appointment booked too late, a category of training entered incorrectly.
Call before you start and we will go through the sequence with you, so the application goes in right the first time.
Training in Russian
Denis Vyatkin, who owns the school, instructs in English and in Russian. Russian-language instruction is booked by appointment — tell us when you enquire and we will build your schedule from there.
The FAA requires English proficiency to hold a pilot certificate, and the knowledge test is in English. That does not change. What changes is how quickly a difficult concept lands when it is first explained in your own language and then practised in English.
Can I train at DIVA Flight School Sacramento on a tourist visa?
Whether a particular visa status permits flight training is an immigration question, and a qualified immigration adviser is the right person to answer it for your situation. Once you know your status allows it, we can tell you exactly what the TSA requires on the training side and get you started.
Do you issue an I-20 or sponsor an M-1 visa?
Those come from an SEVP-certified school. We train under Part 61 for students who are already lawfully in the U.S. and eligible to train, so if you need visa sponsorship an SEVP-certified provider is the right place to begin.
How long does TSA approval take?
Usually three to six weeks. The TSA sets the pace, so apply before you make travel or work arrangements around your training and you will be ready to fly when you planned to.
Do I need to speak English?
Yes — the FAA requires English proficiency for a pilot certificate and the knowledge test is in English. Instruction can be given in Russian by appointment, which helps a great many students get there faster.
Is there an extra charge for international students?
No. Same rates, same instructors, same aircraft. You pay the TSA fee directly to the programme.
From The Flight Line
The school as it flies — straight from its Instagram.
Start With A Phone Call
Ask About Training
Tell us where you are, what status you hold and what you want to fly, and we will walk you through the steps on the phone before you spend anything.