The night rating

For many people the night rating is the first step after the licence – modest in scope, and it changes the flying noticeably. Since an amendment to Part-FCL the training can also be credited towards the PPL(A).

Applicability: European Union (EASA framework); issued and overseen by the competent national authority – in Germany the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt or the aviation authorities of the Länder
Rulemaking authority: Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011, Annex I (Part-FCL), FCL.810
Reviewed by NorthTrack on: 2026-09-13

What it entitles you to

The night rating allows the privileges of a LAPL or PPL for aeroplanes, TMG or airships to be exercised under VFR at night. It is a prerequisite for using instrument privileges at night – FCL.610 expressly requires the night privileges of FCL.810 for the issue of an IR where the IR privileges are to be used at night. BIR privileges, too, may only be exercised at night with a night rating.

Abbreviations on this page

LAPL — Light aircraft pilot licence
The European entry-level licence; refresher requirements instead of a class rating revalidation.
PPL — Private pilot licence
The basis for night flying, instrument flying and further classes.
IR — Instrument rating
Valid for one year; decision height not below 200 ft.
BIR — Basic instrument rating
A rating in its own right with tighter operating limits — not a smaller IR.
ATO — Approved training organisation
Required for IR, BIR and commercial pilot training.
DTO — Declared training organisation
For LAPL, PPL and individual ratings such as the night rating.
TMG — Touring motor glider
Counts alongside aeroplanes for both LAPL and PPL.
SEP — Single-engine piston
The class rating most of general aviation flies on.

The course

The course is to be completed at a declared (DTO) or approved (ATO) training organisation within a maximum of 6 months and comprises:

Theoretical knowledge instruction — per the course syllabus
Flight time at night in the aircraft category concerned — 5 hours
of which dual instruction with an instructor — at least 3 hours
of which cross-country navigation — at least 1 hour
including: dual cross-country flight — at least one, of at least 50 km (27 NM)
Solo take-offs — 5
Solo full-stop landings — 5

FCL.810(a)(1) for aeroplanes, TMG and airships.

Holders of a LAPL must have completed the basic instrument flight instruction required for the issue of the PPL before finishing the night training (FCL.810(a)(2)).

If you hold both SEP and TMG
Where both a single-engine piston (land) class rating and a TMG class rating are held, the requirements may be met in either class or across both (FCL.810(a)(3), as amended by M20).

Credit towards the PPL(A)

FCL.210.A permits the flight time of the night rating course to be credited against the 45 hours of flight instruction for the PPL(A) – provided the basic instrument flight instruction was completed before the night training began. If you are planning night flying anyway, that is an economical way to fit it into the PPL training.

Medical

Where a night rating is added to a PPL or LAPL, the licence holder must be colour safe (MED.A.030(d)).

No separate expiry rule

FCL.810 contains no validity period of its own for the night rating on aeroplanes. What governs remains the general requirements for the licence, the class rating and recent experience – together with the question of whether your own night flying practice is actually sufficient.

Operational requirements come on top
Whether a particular flight may be made at night also depends on the operating rules, on the equipment of the aircraft and on the conditions at the aerodrome concerned. The rating alone is not enough.

What is not on this page
This page states the regulatory minimum requirements. What a course of training actually involves depends on the training organisation, the aircraft type, your previous licensing history and national implementation. In practice the number of hours actually needed is regularly above the minimum. The binding information is that given by the competent authority and by the training organisation you choose.

Official sources

European Commission / EASA: Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 (Annex I "Part-FCL", Annex IV "Part-MED") – Consolidated version 02011R1178-20260430. Open source (retrieved 2026-09-13)
DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH: Aeronautical Information Publication Germany – AIP VFR, GEN 2-1 to GEN 2-7 "Abkürzungen / Abbreviations" (bilingual German/English) – Effective 20 AUG 2026. Open source (retrieved 2026-09-13)