{"id":10761,"date":"2025-08-13T00:05:37","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T04:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/?p=10761"},"modified":"2025-08-14T08:28:48","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T12:28:48","slug":"europe-tco-approval","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/europe-tco-approval\/","title":{"rendered":"Ops to Europe: How to Get a Third Country Operator (TCO) Approval"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to operate commercially into the EU (or certain associated states), you\u2019ll need a Third Country Operator (TCO) Authorisation from EASA. The process is free and straightforward if you meet ICAO standards &#8211; just a bit time-consuming to get all the paperwork together.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">What is it, and who needs one? <\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Third Country Operator is <strong>any non-European aircraft operator conducting commercial air transport flights into the EU<\/strong>. That includes BizAv charter flights intending to operate commercially. <strong>Private flights are exempt<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s also a provision for \u201cone-off\u201d or short-notice non-scheduled commercial flights without a TCO authorisation. These are strictly limited to urgent public interest missions &#8211; such as humanitarian, disaster relief, or air ambulance flights &#8211; and can be approved for operations of up to 12 weeks.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">What&#8217;s being assessed?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The regulation requires TCOs to hold an authorisation issued by EASA to confirm they meet international operational and safety standards in line with <a href=\"https:\/\/skybrary.aero\/articles\/icao-annexes-and-doc-series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ICAO requirements<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Common Gotchas<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do you have a <strong>Safety Management System<\/strong> (SMS)? Even if SMS is not required by your local regulator, EASA expects these applicable international standards to be complied with when operating to the EU.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You need a <strong>Flight Data Analysis Programme<\/strong> (FDAP) if your aircraft\u2019s MTOW is greater than 27,000 kg (59,500 lbs).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do you comply with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.easa.europa.eu\/en\/faq\/19580\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reinforced<\/a> <strong>cockpit door regulations<\/strong>?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.easa.europa.eu\/en\/newsroom-and-events\/news\/amendment-airspace-requirements-ads-b-and-mode-s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">compliant<\/a> with <strong>Mode S Elementary, ADS-B Out, and Mode S Enhanced Surveillance<\/strong>? Or do you have a plan in place to retrofit?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re a Part 121-style operator from a well-regulated state, you\u2019ll likely already meet these standards. <strong>Part 135 operators may need to address a few gaps<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can check who already has a TCO here: <a href=\"https:\/\/tco.easa.europa.eu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EASA TCO Holder List<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">How closely will EASA check?\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EASA applies a <\/span><b>risk-based approach<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> when reviewing applications. This takes into account:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your own safety performance and history<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The safety record of your State of Operator and State of Registry<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your level of exposure to European citizens<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Operators from well-regulated states with a clean record and modern fleet &#8211; for example, an Australian operator with no incidents &#8211; will generally face less scrutiny than those from higher-risk environments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Note:<\/em> <strong>You <\/strong><\/span><strong>do not need IS-BAO certification<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong> to obtain a TCO<\/strong>. If you have it, great, but <a href=\"https:\/\/nbaa.org\/aircraft-operations\/international\/europe\/european-union-eu-third-country-operator-tco-resources\/easa-reaffirms-bao-use-tco-authorization\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EASA<\/a> assesses each application individually and may request extra info if needed.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">How to get a TCO?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The good news? It\u2019s still <strong>free to apply<\/strong>, and the process is straightforward if you have your paperwork ready. Here\u2019s how it works in 2025:<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">It\u2019s actually pretty simple to apply:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol class=\"ol1\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Submit your application<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Download the latest application form from the<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.easa.europa.eu\/en\/document-library\/application-forms\/fotco00160\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EASA website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, complete it, and email it to <\/span><b>tco.applications@easa.europa.eu<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (cc <\/span><b>tco@easa.europa.eu<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) &#8211; electronic submissions only. Attach the mandatory documents: Certificate of Incorporation, Air Operator Certificate (AOC) or Air Carrier Certificate (ACC), and Operations Specifications (Ops Specs).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Complete the Basic Operator Data<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Once you receive login credentials for the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/tco.easa.europa.eu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TCO web-interface<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, log in immediately and <strong>complete the Basic Operator Data within 7 days<\/strong>. It takes a few hours, so gather AOCs, insurance certificates, and aircraft documents in advance. The portal is still clunky, so hit \u201csave\u201d often. Keep your fleet and contact details up to date.<\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-10762\" src=\"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screenshot-2020-11-02-at-13.42.43-1024x189.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"189\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screenshot-2020-11-02-at-13.42.43-1024x189.png 1024w, https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screenshot-2020-11-02-at-13.42.43-300x55.png 300w, https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screenshot-2020-11-02-at-13.42.43-768x142.png 768w, https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screenshot-2020-11-02-at-13.42.43-1536x284.png 1536w, https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screenshot-2020-11-02-at-13.42.43-2048x378.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Submit and respond to follow-ups<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211;<strong> EASA\u2019s technical evaluation can take up to 30 days<\/strong>. They may ask follow-up technical questions; you\u2019ll need to reference your manuals and reply via the portal.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><b>Get your approval<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Once satisfied, EASA will issue your TCO authorisation. <strong>It has no expiry date, but continuous monitoring applies<\/strong>, so be ready to respond to periodic information requests. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For most operators, getting and keeping a TCO is free. <strong>EASA only charges fees if your risk profile warrants it<\/strong> &#8211; for example, if they need to hold a technical meeting (from \u20ac10,000) or conduct an on-site audit (from \u20ac19,000 plus travel costs).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">What&#8217;s next after approval?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maintain compliance &#8211; EASA monitors operators through <a href=\"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/avoiding-the-pain-of-a-ramp-check\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ramp checks<\/a> and document reviews, so be prepared at all times. Keep your TCO portal information up to date, and respond promptly to any EASA communication.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Remember, your<strong> TCO authorisation is simply EASA\u2019s safety thumbs-up<\/strong>. <strong>You may still need to arrange the usual overflight\/landing permits from each EU Member State<\/strong>, depending on the nature of your flight and the national rules in place. In other words, TCO gets you through the safety gate, but you still have to knock on the door of each country you plan to operate to.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Extra Reading:<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.easa.europa.eu\/en\/domains\/air-operations\/tco-third-country-operators\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s3\">EASA TCO Website<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li4\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.easa.europa.eu\/en\/the-agency\/faqs\/third-country-operators\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s6\"><span class=\"s3\">EASA TCO FAQ<\/span>s<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you want to operate commercially into the EU (or certain associated states), you\u2019ll need&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":14861,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[64,65,1653],"class_list":{"0":"post-10761","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-briefings","8":"tag-easa","9":"tag-tco","10":"tag-third-country-operator"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10761"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28419,"href":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10761\/revisions\/28419"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}