Primary Legislation: Not applicable
Secondary Legislation: CAR Part 67.163 - 67.59(2)
Form: Not applicable
Action by: Medical Examiner conducting the assessment

Communication with applicant

The following documentation should be forwarded to the applicant immediately once the assessment has been completed:

  • The laminated medical certificate;
  • The original of the Medical Assessment Report (MAR);
  • A letter or information sheet detailing the applicant’s obligations and responsibilities;
  • If applicable a letter explaining any conditions, restrictions or endorsements, in particular those pertaining to new restrictions or surveillance requirements (this can be on the same letter as above and should be current).

It is essential to carefully word any letter for maximum clarity. This is particularly important for letters that are referred to on the certificate detailing restrictions, or conditions of surveillance imposed on the certificate.

It is essential to write neatly and preferably type all communications with applicants. Poorly scripted manual additions to medical certificates are not acceptable.

Communication with CAA

Medical Examiners (MEs) are encouraged to liaise closely with the CAA Aviation Medicine Team office if unsure of any aspect of the certification process or any decision.

Within five working days of having assessed that an applicant is either eligible or ineligible for a medical certificate, an ME must forward the following details to the CAA.

  • Copy of any certificate(s) issued and any supporting documentation;
  • Copy of the MAR;
  • Copy of any letter to the applicant;
  • Original application for a medical certificate;
  • Original the medical history and examination report;
  • Copy of any investigations, results, reports, or consultations undertaken as part of the examination and assessment processes;
  • Any Accredited Medical Conclusion (AMC), unless issued by CAA, and other consideration, discussion, or documentation felt to be relevant to the assessment decision.

Tests results such as echocardiogram, angiography, myocardial perfusion scan should contain a graph representation. CAA will occasionally wish to review the actual imaging that must then be provided in digital media such as CD or USB.

Information previously sent, for instance as part of an AMC process, does not need to be sent again.

Any correspondence to CAA, seeking advice from CAA for instance, should be placed on top of the paperwork to avoid being overlooked.

The ME should also send a copy of the MAR, certificate and letter to the applicant to any ME who undertook the applicant’s medical examination.

The use of a document checklist is recommended to reduce the chance of omission. An example of a documentation checklist is available on the CAA website.

Electronic submission

The documentation can also be sent to CAA electronically to med@caa.govt.nz.

Care must be taken to scan all the pages, as the flip side of some reports could be accidentally omitted.

The documents must be scanned at 300 dpi or better and provided in PDF format. Photography of documents is to be avoided, being only acceptable for things that cannot be scanned. i.e. documentation of an injury.

A read receipt should be requested when sending large files, to ensure that delivery has occurred, as these may be rejected by the system.

Key points

  • Send the assessment and certification documentation within 5 working days (in practice a weekly mailing should achieve this), in the following order from top to bottom:
  • Letter to CAA if any;
  • Copy of certificate, stamped, dated and signed, where applicable;
  • Copy of the MAR, stamped, dated and signed;
  • Copy of any letter to the applicant;
  • Original or electronic copy of the application and examination forms, stamped, dated and signed;
  • Original or electronic copy of any documented AMC, if conducted by the ME;
  • Original or electronic copy or of any ECG tracing;
  • Original or electronic copy of any other reports.