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EASA and national authorities

ATPL exam rules by authority: a sourced comparison

The EASA ATPL theory framework is the same across Europe: 75% to pass, four attempts per paper, six sittings, 18 months. National authorities then add their own practical rules. This page compares what each authority’s own pages say, with the wording and source for every figure.

By Matthew Dowell, airline training captain and Chief Flight Instructor. Written in a personal capacity: a plain-language comparison, not legal text and not approved or endorsed by EASA or any authority. Your national authority and training organisation decide the rules that apply to you.

All figures below were checked on 2026-10-27 against the primary pages listed under Sources. Authorities amend their pages, so verify before you plan.

The EASA baseline

Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011, Part-FCL, rule FCL.025 sets the framework for every EASA Member State. The explanation of the general structure is on ATPL exams explained; the short version:

• Pass: at least 75% of the marks, no penalty marking (FCL.025(b)(1)).
• Window: all papers within 18 months counted from the end of the calendar month of the first attempt (FCL.025(b)(2)).
• Limits: for ATPL, CPL and IR, failing a paper four times, or failing to pass all papers within six sittings or the 18 months, means retaking the complete set (FCL.025(b)(3)), after further training (FCL.025(b)(5)).
• Sitting: “a period of time established by the competent authority” which “should not exceed 10 consecutive days”, with one attempt per paper per sitting (GM1 FCL.025).
• Validity: 36 months for a CPL or IR; 7 years from the last validity date of an IR for an ATPL (FCL.025(c)).

Comparison table

“Not stated” means the page I read does not give that figure, not that no rule exists. Countries whose primary pages I could not read or verify are left out entirely.

Where authorities actually differ

Sitting length

This is the clearest difference. EASA guidance caps a sitting at 10 consecutive days. The UK CAA describes a sitting as a 10-day period. Sweden uses 14 calendar days for ATPL, CPL, IR and CBIR exams, and Estonia a sitting of two consecutive days. Because the six-sitting limit counts sittings, not days, a longer sitting gives more chances to take papers within one sitting; a shorter one means you use up sittings faster. Check how your authority defines it before you book.

How the sittings are counted

The UK CAA’s timetable page warns that if you book exams split by a weekend within a sitting, the portal can calculate the number of sittings incorrectly. It says you can continue booking until the portal reaches 6 sittings, and to email the e-exams team before booking your final exams if you think the count is wrong. Norway says an ordinary examination period counts as one sitting, and that an invalid absence counts as an attempt and a sitting.

Wording of the 18 months

EASA counts from “the end of the calendar month when the applicant first attempted an examination”. Sweden’s page words it as the last day of the month of the first attempt, which amounts to the same date. Norway’s wording is “from the end of the calendar month in which the candidate first took the examination”.

What each page publishes

Several authorities publish only part of the framework on their candidate pages and rely on the EASA text for the rest. The Irish Aviation Authority’s FAQ, for example, gives the 18-month and validity rules and notes it accepts a full set of exams completed in another Member State (subject to verification from the state where they were taken), while the attempts and sittings limits come from FCL.025 itself. That is why some cells above say “not stated”.

Recommendation and preconditions

FCL.025(a) requires your training organisation to recommend you before you sit; the recommendation is valid for 12 months. Iceland, Estonia and Finland repeat the 12-month recommendation on their pages, and Estonia and Finland also state the Area 100 KSA and mental maths pre-condition. Iceland adds that ICETRA confirms the recommendation with the ATO before granting a sitting in each subject, and that ATPL exams there are held in English.

What stays the same everywhere

Every authority that states the figures gives the same 75%, four attempts, six sittings and 18 months. The questions come from the European Central Question Bank, but the dates, locations, fees, booking and sitting length are set nationally, so a plan that works in one country may not transfer to another. The subject list is covered on the study guide hub, and what order to sit the papers helps you use your sittings. If you hold a CPL/IR with passed theory and are building hours, see frozen ATPL explained.

Frequently asked questions

What is the ATPL theory pass mark in Europe?

Under EASA Part-FCL (FCL.025(b)(1)) a paper is passed with at least 75% of the marks allocated to it, with no penalty marking. The UK CAA, Sweden, Iceland and Estonia pages we checked all state 75%.

How many times can you fail an ATPL exam?

The EASA text allows four attempts at any one paper and six sittings overall, within 18 months of the end of the month of the first attempt. If you run out, you retake the complete set of papers after further training (FCL.025(b)(3) and (b)(5)). The UK CAA, Sweden, Iceland, Norway and Estonia pages we read state the same limits.

How long is a sitting?

EASA guidance (GM1 FCL.025) says a sitting should not exceed 10 consecutive days. National practice differs: the UK CAA says a sitting is a 10-day period, Sweden says 14 calendar days for ATPL, CPL, IR and CBIR, and Estonia says two consecutive days.

How long are ATPL exam passes valid?

For the issue of an ATPL the passes remain valid for 7 years from the last validity date of an IR entered in the licence (FCL.025(c)(2)). For a CPL or IR the pass is valid for 36 months (FCL.025(c)(1)), as repeated by the UK CAA, Ireland, Iceland and Estonia.

Do the ATPL exam rules differ between EU countries?

The core figures come from EASA Part-FCL and match across the authorities we checked: 75%, four attempts, six sittings, 18 months. What varies is the practical detail: sitting length, counting wording, booking and registration, recommendation by the training organisation, and which pages state which figures.

Which countries are missing from this comparison?

Any authority not in the table. We only include figures stated on a primary page we read on 27 October 2026. For a country that is missing, use your authority’s own pages or ask your training organisation.

Sources

Each page was read in full on 2026-10-27 (checked 2026-10-27).

• EASA, Easy Access Rules for Aircrew (Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011): FCL.025 and GM1 FCL.025. Page headed “Revision from August 2023”. Checked 2026-10-27.
• UK CAA, FCL.025 in the UK Part-FCL regulatory library: 75%, 18 months, four attempts, six sittings, 36-month and 7-year validity. Checked 2026-10-27.
• UK CAA, Exam timetables: Definition of a sitting as a 10-day period; weekend-split sittings note. Checked 2026-10-27.
• UK CAA, Airline transport pilot licence for aeroplanes: Seven-year theory validity. Checked 2026-10-27.
• Transportstyrelsen (Sweden), Theoretical examination: Pass standards: 75%, 4 attempts, 6 sittings of 14 calendar days, 18 months. Checked 2026-10-27.
• Icelandic Transport Authority via island.is, Commercial pilot theoretical knowledge examination (ATPL): examination rules: Pass standards, validity, recommendation. Checked 2026-10-27.
• Transpordiamet (Estonia), Teooriaeksamite eksamineerimise kord / Procedure of theoretical knowledge examinations, 1 December 2025 (PDF, bilingual): Sitting is two consecutive days; 75%; 4 attempts; 6 sittings; validity. Checked 2026-10-27.
• Luftfartstilsynet (Norway), Examination regulations for commercial pilots and instrument rating: Points 45-47: four times per subject, six sittings, 18 months. Checked 2026-10-27.
• Irish Aviation Authority, FAQ - Pilot Examinations: Q.3 and Q.5: 18 months, validity, acceptance of exams taken in another Member State. Checked 2026-10-27.
• Traficom (Finland), Theoretical knowledge examinations in aviation: Recommendation validity; registration for two examination days. Checked 2026-10-27.

Not legal or regulatory advice. Always confirm with your national authority and approved training organisation. Countries not listed were not verified from a primary page.