Foreign students can begin flight training in the US only after getting Final Approval from the TSA Alien Flight Student Program (AFSP). There is a non-refundable application fee of $130. Step 1 is to register. From there, you will need to start a new training request. There will be specific questions asked during the training request stage. For that, please email reception@santamonicaflyers.com or call us at 310-800-8050 and we can coordinate with you on how best to fill that out.  Once you set up the training request and upload the documents the TSA asks of you, you will receive instructions for fingerprinting. You will have to make an appointment with a fingerprinting agency (there are several in the LA area). Your fingerprints are then uploaded to the federal database, and upon completion, if all is satisfactory, the  TSA will issue a Final Approval, which is what you need to begin flight training. The entire process will take 30-45 days from start to your receiving approval. Once approved, the last step is for you to come into our school and for us to take a photo of you in the flight school, which is then uploaded into your training request. Your training request will be valid for 1 year, after which you will need to submit another training request if flight training has not yet been completed. The process outlined above is applicable to individuals whose training events are for an initial airman’s certificate and/or instrument rating. Each requires a separate training request regardless of expirations.