Direct Answer
The Part 135 application is not a single form — it is a document package. You first file a Pre-application Statement of Intent (FAA Form 8400-6) through the FAA’s SAS External Portal, then submit a Formal Application set: a Formal Application Letter, a Schedule of Events, a Compliance Statement, your company manuals, training curricula, management resumes, aircraft purchase/lease documents, SAS design-assessment tools, proposed Operations Specifications, and flight attendant materials where required.
As current FAA guidance (Notice 8900.766), the FAA also uses an Applicant Readiness Checklist (ARC) to confirm your package is complete before you enter the in-depth review. If your submission does not meet the checklist, the FAA lists what you missed and returns it; if it does, the FAA accepts it and adds you to the applicant list. An incomplete or disorganized document set is, in plain terms, a documented reason to get sent back.
The hard floor on timing is regulatory: under 14 CFR §119.35, the formal application must be submitted at least 90 days before your intended date of operation — and the full process usually takes far longer.
There’s No One-Page Form — There’s a Package
The phrase “Part 135 application checklist” sets the wrong expectation. People search for it imagining a single PDF they fill in and email to the FAA. What actually exists is a structured document package, submitted across a defined sequence of phases, that has to demonstrate — on paper, before anyone flies — that you are ready and able to operate safely under 14 CFR Part 119 and Part 135. The “checklist” is that package, plus the readiness review the FAA now runs to make sure the package holds together before it commits its resources to you.
This article walks through it in the order it actually happens: the five phases, the readiness gate that sits in front of the in-depth work, and then the document checklist itself — every item the FAA lists for the Formal Application, what each one is, and the single most common reason packages get returned. If you are still deciding whether you even need a certificate, start with Part 91 vs Part 135: compensation or hire. If you already know you do, this is your assembly map. And for the question that sits right next to this one, see how to get a Part 135 certificate and why Part 135 applications get rejected.
The exact package depends on your scope
The document list below is the FAA’s general Formal Application set. Several items — the General Maintenance Manual, training curricula, and flight attendant materials — are required only “if required by the scope of operation.” A single-pilot VFR operation and a multi-aircraft turbojet operation do not file identical packages. Use this as the canonical starting list, then confirm the specifics for your operation with your certification consultant and your Flight Standards office.
The Five Phases — and Where the Documents Land
The FAA describes certification as a five-phase process, and each phase has a “gate” the project has to clear before the next begins. Your document package is consumed across these phases: the Pre-application Statement of Intent opens Phase 1, the full document set arrives in Phase 2, and the in-depth review of those documents is Phase 3. Knowing the order tells you what has to be ready when. The five-phase structure and the gate notes below are FAA guidance, not regulatory text.
Phase 1 — Pre-application
You submit the FAA Form 8400-6 Pre-application Statement of Intent (PASI) through the SAS External Portal, request SAS access, and — once the PASI is accepted — the FAA initiates the Certification Service Oversight Process (CSOP) to determine whether it has resources to take on your project or must place you on a wait list. You and your key management personnel attend a pre-application meeting with the assigned certification team.
Phase 2 — Formal Application
This phase begins when your formal application and all the required documents are received by the certification team — the Formal Application Letter, Schedule of Events, Compliance Statement, company manuals, training curricula, management resumes, purchase/contract/lease attachments, ED-DCTs, proposed OpSpecs, and flight attendant materials as applicable. It concludes with the formal application meeting to address questions and resolve minor issues.
Phase 3 — Design Assessment
The certification team reviews your manuals and other documents in depth to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and conformity to safe operating practices. This is where a complete, well-organized, internally consistent document set pays off — and where version drift, gaps, and contradictions surface as findings that send you back for revision.
Phase 4 — Performance Assessment
The certification team determines that your proposed procedures and programs for training and directing personnel actually work in practice, with emphasis on compliance with regulations and the operating procedures in your manuals. The documents you submitted must match what you actually do.
Phase 5 — Administrative Functions
The FAA issues the certificate and the Operations Specifications, completing the process. The FAA will not, under any circumstances, certificate an applicant until the certification project manager determines the applicant is fully capable of fulfilling its responsibilities.
Air Carrier Certificate or Operating Certificate?
Under 14 CFR §119.5, a person authorized to operate as a direct air carrier is issued an Air Carrier Certificate, while a commercial operator not authorized for direct air-carrier operations is issued an Operating Certificate. Either way, §119.5 prohibits operating without — or in violation of — an appropriate certificate and appropriate Operations Specifications. The certificate and the OpSpecs are the output of Phase 5; the document package is how you earn them.
The Readiness Gate: PASI, CSOP, and the Applicant Readiness Checklist
Before you reach the in-depth document review, two things have to happen — and a third now sits between them as a readiness gate. Understanding this sequence is the difference between a project that gets accepted and one that bounces.
1. The Pre-application Statement of Intent (PASI) — FAA Form 8400-6
The PASI is the document that formally opens your project. Per FAA guidance, you submit FAA Form 8400-6 to your local Flight Standards District Office through the FAA’s Safety Assurance System (SAS) External Portal — a free, secure, web-based application that lets applicants submit information electronically and see where documents are in the FAA’s review process. Applicants who cannot access the portal can submit the PASI to the FSDO, which enters it into SAS. Completing the pre-application phase also completes Gate 1.
2. The Certification Service Oversight Process (CSOP)
When the FAA accepts the PASI, the office manager initiates CSOP — the process the FAA uses to determine whether it has the resources to conduct your initial certification and provide continued operational safety oversight. CSOP decides whether your project is assigned and begins, or whether you are placed on a wait list. This is why “how long does it take” has no fixed answer: FAA workload, managed through CSOP, is a real variable. You and your key management personnel then attend a pre-application meeting with the assigned certification team.
3. The Applicant Readiness Checklist (ARC) — the gate
FAA Notice 8900.766, “Determine Applicant Readiness for Certification,” describes the Applicant Readiness Checklist. Per that guidance, it was developed to streamline Phase 1 (Pre-application) and Phase 2 (Formal Application) and to ensure applicants enter the in-depth certification work ready — rather than being added to the applicant list with paperwork that does not hold together. FAA office personnel review your pre-application information against the applicable checklist (in the Notice’s Appendix A).
- If your submission does not meet the checklist: the FAA lists the requirements you did not meet, records the number of returns, and selects “Return.” You correct and resubmit — or, per the guidance, the project can be withdrawn if you do not respond within the stated window.
- If you meet every requirement: the FAA accepts the application, performs its resource analysis, and adds you to the Applicant List to await resources. The certification process then begins with the document-compliance work.
The plain-English takeaway
The ARC turns “is my document package complete?” into a formal, FAA-documented yes/no. An incomplete or disorganized submission is no longer just a slow start — it is a recorded “Return,” with the count of returns tracked. The single best thing an applicant can do to move quickly is arrive with a complete, organized, internally consistent set of documents the first time. That is exactly the part of the process within your control — and exactly the part FileFlo is built to make clean.
The ARC also relates closely to having the right people and authorizations lined up. See Part 135 required management personnel qualifications for the people whose resumes go in the package, and operations specifications (OpSpecs) explained and OpSpecs, MSpecs & LOA explained for the authorizations your proposed OpSpecs will eventually prescribe.
Is your application package complete — or scattered across drafts, inboxes, and folders?
FileFlo does not submit your application or write your manuals — but it gives every document in your formal-application package one classified, version-controlled home, so you can see at a glance what is complete and what is missing before the FAA runs the readiness checklist. After certification, the same records stay audit-ready. Starter at $89/mo, Professional at $299/mo. 5-day free trial, no credit card required.
The Document Checklist: What Goes in the Formal Application
Here is the package itself. The FAA’s certification process page lists the items that must be submitted in the Formal Application phase. Below is each one — what it is, and how an organized document layer keeps it complete and current. Items marked “if required by scope” depend on your aircraft and the kinds of operations you request. This is the heart of the “checklist” people are searching for.
Formal Application Letter
What it is
Your written request to begin the formal certification process for the certificate and kinds of operations you intend to conduct. It anchors the whole package.
Keeping it complete & current
FileFlo classifies and stores the letter as the cover document of the application set, version-controlled so the submitted version is unambiguous.
Schedule of Events
What it is
Your proposed timeline of meetings, submissions, demonstrations, and milestones for working through the five phases with the certification team.
Keeping it complete & current
FileFlo keeps the current Schedule of Events and each revision with effective dates, so everyone is working from the same timeline rather than a stale copy.
Compliance Statement
What it is
Your point-by-point statement of how you will comply with each applicable regulation — a mapping of requirement to method of compliance.
Keeping it complete & current
FileFlo indexes the compliance statement and links it to the underlying manuals and records that substantiate each line, so the evidence trail is easy to follow.
Company Manuals — GOM & GMM (if required by scope)
What it is
A General Operations Manual, and a General Maintenance Manual where the scope of operation requires it. These are the core documents the FAA reviews in depth.
Keeping it complete & current
FileFlo version-controls every manual revision with effective dates and a retained history, so superseded drafts never get mistaken for the live version.
Training Curricula (if required by scope)
What it is
The initial and recurrent training program documents your operation requires, where the scope calls for them.
Keeping it complete & current
FileFlo organizes curricula and links them to the personnel records that prove the training was completed once you are operating.
Management Qualification Attachments (Resumes)
What it is
Resumes and qualification evidence for your required management personnel — the people who must be in place and qualified to hold the certificate.
Keeping it complete & current
FileFlo classifies each manager’s qualification documents against the role, so the required-personnel picture is complete and retrievable.
Documents of Purchase, Contracts, and/or Lease Attachments
What it is
Evidence of your right to use the aircraft and facilities — purchase documents, contracts, and lease attachments, including the truth-in-leasing records that apply.
Keeping it complete & current
FileFlo indexes ownership, contract, and lease documents against each aircraft so the chain of control and the leasing paperwork are auditable.
SAS Element Design Assessment Tools (ED-DCTs)
What it is
The Safety Assurance System data collection tools the FAA uses to assess the design of your operation against each safety-attribute element.
Keeping it complete & current
FileFlo keeps the supporting documentation each ED-DCT references organized and current, so responses to the FAA’s element-by-element review are quick to assemble.
Proposed Operations Specifications
What it is
The draft OpSpecs that will prescribe the authorizations, limitations, and procedures under which each kind of operation must be conducted once you are certificated.
Keeping it complete & current
FileFlo version-tracks proposed OpSpecs and links them to the manual excerpts and records that must stay in sync as the drafts evolve.
Flight Attendant Materials (if required)
What it is
Cabin crew training and procedures materials, where your aircraft and operation require flight attendants.
Keeping it complete & current
FileFlo classifies flight attendant materials alongside the rest of the training documentation so nothing required by scope is missing at submission.
The manuals are the documents the FAA reads most closely
Of everything in the package, the company manuals carry the most weight — the General Operations Manual (and the General Maintenance Manual where required) are what the FAA reviews in depth during the Design Assessment phase. For what those manuals must contain, see General Operations / Maintenance Manual requirements. And remember the aircraft documents: your purchase, contract, and lease attachments include the truth-in-leasing records covered in truth-in-leasing aircraft lease records (§91.23).
The package looks different depending on the kind of certificate you are pursuing. A single-pilot operator’s set is leaner than a standard operator’s — see Part 135 certificate types: single-pilot, basic, standard for how scope drives the document set, and Part 135 single-pilot operator records for the lighter recordkeeping footprint that follows.
What Gets a Package Returned — and What Moves It Forward
The FAA controls its workload through CSOP and the applicant wait list; it controls quality through the readiness checklist and the Design Assessment. The variable you control is the completeness and consistency of your document set. Here is the honest split between what runs a project aground and what keeps it moving.
What moves it forward
- A complete package that satisfies the Applicant Readiness Checklist on the first submission.
- Required management personnel hired and qualified, with resumes ready, before you apply.
- Manuals, compliance statement, and proposed OpSpecs that are internally consistent and say the same thing.
- A realistic Schedule of Events that accounts for manual revision cycles.
- Requesting only the authorizations you actually need at first, keeping scope tight.
What gets it returned
- Missing items from the formal-application set — the checklist catches them and records a return.
- Version drift — a manual that contradicts the compliance statement or the proposed OpSpecs.
- Submitting an old draft because the current version was buried in someone’s inbox.
- Personnel or aircraft documents that are incomplete or out of date at submission.
- A Schedule of Events that ignores the reality of repeated Design Assessment revisions.
Rework is the silent cost of a disorganized package
Every “Return” is a documented round-trip — and every round-trip extends your timeline and your carrying costs. The cheapest way through certification is to not bounce. That is why understanding why Part 135 applications get rejected and the real cost of a Part 135 certificate are two sides of the same coin — and why an organized, version-controlled document set is a schedule-and-budget tool, not just a tidiness one. (See also buying an existing Part 135 certificate and how long certification takes.)
Where FileFlo Fits — and Where It Doesn’t
Let’s be precise, because the line matters. The application is a document problem wrapped around an operational one. FileFlo solves the document half; the operational and legal half belongs to you and your advisors.
What FileFlo does
- Classifies and indexes every document in your application package so you can see the set at a glance.
- Version-controls manual revisions and proposed OpSpecs so the current version is never in doubt.
- Tracks which formal-application items are present and which are still missing before you submit.
- Tracks expirations on the personnel, aircraft, and training records the package and the operation depend on.
- Keeps the same records audit-ready for the life of the certificate after you are issued one.
What FileFlo does not do
- Submit your application, file your PASI, or interact with the FAA or the SAS External Portal.
- Write your manuals, training curricula, or compliance statement for you.
- Complete the Applicant Readiness Checklist or build your Schedule of Events.
- Obtain your certificate, conform your aircraft, or broker any deal.
- Provide legal, financial, or tax advice. (And FileFlo does not claim SOC 2 certification.)
FileFlo is the proof layer, not the certification consultant
FileFlo is a compliance document intelligence platform. During certification, it gives the application document set one organized, version-controlled, classified home — so a complete package goes in the first time and the readiness checklist has nothing to return. After certification, it keeps the pilot, maintenance, training, and authorization records audit-ready for the life of the certificate. Your certification team, your required management personnel, and your aviation attorney own the application itself, the manuals, and every interaction with the FAA. FileFlo organizes and proves your compliance documents — it does not get you certified.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Part 135 application checklist?
There is no single one-page "Part 135 application checklist" the FAA hands you — the application is a defined document package submitted in a defined order. In practice it has two layers. First is the FAA Form 8400-6 Pre-application Statement of Intent (PASI), which you submit through the FAA's Safety Assurance System (SAS) External Portal to open the project. Second is the Formal Application document set, which the FAA's certification process page lists as: a Formal Application Letter, a Schedule of Events, a Compliance Statement, company manuals (a General Operations Manual and, where required, a General Maintenance Manual), training curricula (if required by your scope), management qualification attachments (resumes), documents of purchase / contracts / lease attachments, SAS Element Design Assessment Tools (ED-DCTs), proposed Operations Specifications, and flight attendant materials if applicable. The checklist, in other words, is that package — and as FAA guidance, you now have to demonstrate readiness before you even enter the in-depth review. Source: FAA Part 135 certification process guidance.
What documents do you need for a Part 135 application?
The FAA's certification process page lists the items that must be submitted in the Formal Application phase: a Formal Application Letter, a Schedule of Events, a Compliance Statement, company manuals (General Operations Manual and General Maintenance Manual where the scope requires them), training curricula (if required), management qualification attachments (resumes for your required management personnel), documents of purchase / contracts / and/or lease attachments, SAS Element Design Assessment Tools (ED-DCTs), proposed Operations Specifications, and flight attendant materials if required. Before that, you submit the FAA Form 8400-6 Pre-application Statement of Intent (PASI). The exact set scales with the kinds of operations you request — a single-pilot VFR operation and a multi-aircraft turbojet operation do not file identical packages. Treat this as the canonical starting list and confirm the specifics with your Flight Standards office. Source: FAA Part 135 certification process guidance.
What is the Applicant Readiness Checklist (ARC) for Part 135?
The Applicant Readiness Checklist is an FAA tool, described in FAA Notice 8900.766 ("Determine Applicant Readiness for Certification"). Per that guidance, it was developed to streamline Phase 1 (Pre-application) and Phase 2 (Formal Application) and to ensure applicants enter the in-depth certification work ready, rather than being added to the FAA's applicant list before their paperwork holds together. FAA office personnel review your pre-application information against the applicable checklist in the Notice's Appendix A. If your submission does not meet the checklist requirements, the FAA lists the items you missed and returns the application; if it meets every requirement, the FAA accepts it and adds you to the Applicant List to await resources, with the certification process then beginning at the document-compliance stage. The practical takeaway: the ARC is a readiness gate, and an incomplete or disorganized document set is now a documented reason to get sent back. Source: FAA Notice 8900.766 (guidance).
What is the Pre-application Statement of Intent (PASI / Form 8400-6)?
The Pre-application Statement of Intent (PASI) is FAA Form 8400-6 — the document that formally opens your certification project. According to the FAA's certification process page, the applicant submits the PASI to the local Flight Standards District Office through the FAA's Safety Assurance System (SAS) External Portal (or to the FSDO directly, who enters it into SAS). When the FAA accepts the PASI, the office manager initiates the Certification Service Oversight Process (CSOP), which determines whether the FAA has the resources to take on your certification and continued oversight — and therefore whether your project is assigned and begins, or you are placed on a wait list. You and your key management personnel then attend a pre-application meeting with the assigned certification team. Completing the pre-application phase also completes what the FAA calls Gate 1. Source: FAA Part 135 certification process guidance.
What are the phases of Part 135 certification?
The FAA describes a five-phase certification process. Phase 1 — Pre-application (you submit the PASI, request SAS access, the FAA runs CSOP, and you attend the pre-application meeting; completing it also completes Gate 1). Phase 2 — Formal Application (you submit the full document package and attend the formal application meeting; completing it also completes Gate 2). Phase 3 — Design Assessment (the FAA reviews your manuals and documents in depth for compliance and safe practices). Phase 4 — Performance Assessment (the FAA verifies your procedures and programs work in practice; completing it also completes Gate 3). Phase 5 — Administrative Functions (the FAA issues the certificate and your Operations Specifications). The FAA will not certificate an applicant until the certification project manager determines the applicant is fully capable of meeting its responsibilities. The five-phase structure is FAA guidance, not regulatory text. Source: FAA Part 135 certification process guidance.
What is the Schedule of Events in a Part 135 application?
The Schedule of Events is one of the documents the FAA lists as part of the Formal Application package. In plain terms it is your proposed timeline — the sequence of meetings, document submissions, demonstrations, and milestones you and the certification team will work through, with target dates. It matters because the FAA's framework is gate-driven: each phase has to be completed before the next begins, and the Schedule of Events is how the applicant and the certification team agree on the order and pacing of the work. A realistic, well-sequenced Schedule of Events that lines up with a complete document set is part of demonstrating readiness; an aspirational timeline that ignores manual revision cycles tends not to survive contact with the Design Assessment phase. Source: FAA Part 135 certification process guidance.
How long does the Part 135 application process take?
Two timelines matter. The regulatory floor: under 14 CFR §119.35, the formal application must be submitted to the FAA at least 90 days before the intended date of operation. The practical reality: the full five-phase process commonly runs far longer than 90 days — often many months to well over a year — driven by your Flight Standards office's workload (which is exactly what the Certification Service Oversight Process and the applicant wait list manage), the complexity of your operation, and how complete and compliant your document package is when you submit it. The variable you most directly control is rework: a package that satisfies the Applicant Readiness Checklist and survives the Design Assessment without repeated revision cycles moves faster than one that keeps getting returned. Source: 14 CFR §119.35; FAA Part 135 certification process guidance.
Does FileFlo submit my Part 135 application for me?
No. FileFlo does not submit your application, file your PASI, write your manuals, build your Schedule of Events, complete the Applicant Readiness Checklist, or interact with the FAA or the SAS External Portal on your behalf — those are functions of you, your required management personnel, your certification consultant, and your aviation attorney. What FileFlo does is organize and prove the document package the application is made of. It is a compliance document intelligence platform that classifies, indexes, version-controls, and tracks expirations on the formal-application documents and manual revisions you produce, so the set is complete, current, and easy to assemble when the FAA asks for it — and so the same records stay audit-ready for the life of the certificate after you are issued one. FileFlo is the proof layer, not the certification consultant, and it does not provide legal, financial, or tax advice. (FileFlo does not claim SOC 2 certification.)
Walk into the readiness review with a complete package
FileFlo classifies, indexes, and version-controls every document in your Part 135 application package — your manuals, compliance statement, resumes, aircraft and lease documents, and proposed OpSpecs — so you can see what is complete and what is missing before the FAA runs the Applicant Readiness Checklist. After certification, it keeps your operating records audit-ready. AI document classification. 600+ document types. One-click FAA surveillance binder. Starter at $89/mo, Professional at $299/mo. No credit card required for the 5-day free trial. FileFlo does not submit your application or give legal advice — it organizes and proves your compliance documents.
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Continue your Part 135 certification reading
Reviewed by Chad Griffith, Founder, FileFlo — compliance document intelligence. Last reviewed June 15, 2026. The 90-day formal-application requirement is verified against the Cornell Legal Information Institute eCFR (14 CFR §119.35); the certificate-type framework (§119.5) and the citizenship/certificate/OpSpecs eligibility (§119.33) likewise. The five-phase process, the gate structure, the formal-application document list, the Pre-application Statement of Intent (FAA Form 8400-6), the SAS External Portal and CSOP, and the Applicant Readiness Checklist (FAA Notice 8900.766) are summarized from FAA certification guidance — guidance, not regulatory text, and subject to FAA revision. Confirm the exact requirements for your operation with your certification consultant and your FAA Flight Standards office. Not legal, financial, or tax advice.