Does a Part 107 Drone License Expire?

No. Your FAA Remote Pilot Certificate carries no expiration date — nothing in Part 107, Subpart C sets one for the permanent certificate. What runs out is your aeronautical knowledge recency. Under 14 CFR § 107.65, you may not exercise the privileges of a remote pilot in command with a small UAS rating unless, within the previous 24 calendar months, you have passed an initial aeronautical knowledge test, completed recurrent training covering the areas of knowledge in § 107.73, or — if you hold a part 61 pilot certificate other than a student certificate and meet the flight review requirements of § 61.56 — completed § 107.74 training. The rule restricts use of the certificate, not the certificate itself. One related credential does genuinely expire: under 14 CFR § 107.64, a temporary remote pilot certificate is issued for up to 120 calendar days, after which the permanent certificate is issued.

Renewing recency is free and entirely online. The FAA’s Become a Certificated Remote Pilot page directs certificate holders to complete an online recurrent training course every 24 calendar months at no cost: Part 107 Small UAS Recurrent (ALC-677) for anyone holding a Part 107 certificate regardless of current recency status, or ALC-515 if you are also certificated under part 61 with a current flight review. Both run on the FAA Safety Team website, with no testing center appointment and no IACRA application required. Because § 107.65 is satisfied by any of its three qualifying items completed within the previous 24 calendar months, a lapse does not force you back to the initial knowledge test — completing recurrent training restores your recency, though you may not operate under Part 107 until it is done. Since the requirement is written in calendar months rather than exact dates, currency runs through the end of the twenty-fourth month, as Pilot Institute explains; your certificate card shows only an issue date, so track the deadline yourself.