The short answer, by which certificate you hold
- A WPC certificate under the 1954 Rules, still within its validity: it remains valid until its own expiry (Rule 11(2) of the 2025 Rules), and it exempts you from the DGCA written examination (CAR §5.1).
- A WPC certificate that has already expired: the exemption in the CAR is written for holders of a valid certificate. An expired certificate does not qualify you for it — treat yourself as a fresh candidate unless DGCA confirms otherwise in your case.
- A DGCA licence issued under the 2025 Rules: valid until you turn 80 (Rule 11(1)), with no renewal cycle. If you are reading this page to decide whether to switch, this is what you switch to.
What the 2025 Rules themselves say
Two provisions do the work. Rule 11(2) keeps certificates issued under the Indian Wireless Telegraphy (Commercial Radio Operator’s Certificate of Proficiency and Licence to Operate Wireless Telegraphy) Rules, 1954 running until their own expiry — the change of examiner did not shorten them. Rule 20, the saving clause, says the same thing from the other side: DGCA’s own CAR (§5.1, note) quotes it — the operation of certificates and licences issued under the 1954 Rules “shall continue to remain valid”. So, as a matter of the Rules’ text, the certificate in your drawer is valid for exactly as long as it says on its face.
What DGCA’s 1 July 2026 notification changed — and what it did not
Validity is only half the story. DGCA issued a notification dated 1 July 2026 (reference 1-8/53/94-L-II/RTR/Exam) about whether WPC-issued RTR(A), RTR(C) and RTR(P) certificates would be accepted by DGCA for new licensing work. Here is the honest state of the record: the notification’s full text was not published on a government site when this page was written, and it is known through secondary summaries of it. Those summaries state that DGCA would accept WPC-issued certificates only until 15 July 2026. Readings of the notification’s effect differ in public — some academies read it as covering licences issued up to that date, others as ending acceptance for new applications from that date. What the notification did not do, on any reading, is cancel WPC certificates or rewrite their validity: that is set by Rules 11(2) and 20 above. So if your next step depends on acceptance — a CPL file, an FRTOL application, a conversion — confirm your position on eGCA or with DGCA before you file, and treat the answer you get there as the final one.
So do you have to give the exam again?
The written: no, if you hold a valid 1954-Rules certificate. Rule 8(4) of the 2025 Rules exempts you, and CAR §5.1 lists your category expressly. The practical: yes. Nobody is exempt from the practical — the exemption is from the written examination only, and the CAR (§5.2, §7.1) routes everyone who wants the DGCA certificate and licence through it. That is the real answer to the question this page’s title asks: you do not re-sit the theory paper, but there is a spoken test between you and the DGCA licence.
The practical-only route to the DGCA licence, step by step
- Apply for the written exemption on eGCA (CAR §5.3). The exemption, once granted, is valid for three years.
- Register on eGCA and select a practical date (CAR §7.2). A chosen slot cannot be rescheduled or cancelled.
- Pay the practical fee — ₹500 through Bharatkosh on eGCA (CAR §4.3).
- Download your admit card from eGCA three days before the exam.
- Pass the practical — about 30 minutes of radiotelephony over a simulated environment, passed at 50% (CAR §7.3–7.4).
- Apply for the certificate and licence — the result appears on your eGCA portal or registered email, and the licence issue fee is ₹5,000 (Rule 9).
The full sequence, including the parts regular candidates share with you, is in the application guide; the exemption mechanics are in the exemptions guide.
If you are mid-CPL or FRTOL application
Your live question is the acceptance one, not the validity one. Check it before your next filing rather than after a rejection, and do not let your WPC certificate drift past its expiry date while you wait: the written exemption depends on the certificate being valid, and a certificate that lapses mid-process takes the exemption with it.
What a DGCA-issued licence gives you instead
One licence, issued under the 2025 Rules, valid until the age of 80 (Rule 11(1)) — and the Rules allow its extension beyond 80 — with no WPC/DGCA split to explain to an airline, a school or a future examiner. For most working pilots the practical-only route above is a half-day problem in exchange for closing the question permanently. The preparation for that practical is, of course, spoken: the radio scenarios rehearse exactly the calls it tests, and a pass opens the full set.
Rule references on this page were checked against the RTR Certificate and Licence Rules, 2025 and DGCA CAR Section 7, Series G, Part VI (Issue I, 27 November 2025) on 13 November 2026. The 1 July 2026 notification is described from secondary summaries, as flagged in the text.
Quick answers
I completed my RTR in 2024 — do I have to give it again?
Not the written. A valid WPC certificate under the 1954 Rules exempts you from the written examination (Rule 8(4); CAR §5.1). To convert to the DGCA licence you still sit the practical — that part nobody is exempt from.
My WPC RTR says lifetime valid — is it still valid?
The 2025 Rules keep 1954-Rules certificates valid until their own expiry (Rule 11(2)), and Rule 20’s saving clause preserves them. “Lifetime” on the certificate means it has no expiry to run out — the separate question is DGCA acceptance for new filings, covered in this guide.
Will DGCA accept my WPC certificate for my CPL or FRTOL application?
That is the point DGCA’s 1 July 2026 notification addressed, and public readings of it differ; the notification’s text was not on a government site when this page was written. Confirm your own position on eGCA or with DGCA before filing — their answer is the one that counts.
Do I have to sit the written exam again?
No, if your 1954-Rules certificate is still valid. Apply for the written exemption on eGCA (CAR §5.3); it stays valid for three years. If the certificate itself has expired, the exemption does not apply.
How long do I have to switch to the DGCA licence?
Nothing in the Rules forces a switch while your WPC certificate remains valid. The practical constraints are practical: your exemption claim needs a valid certificate, and the exemption itself runs three years once granted.
Answer questions on this topic, or run a full radio call out loud.
This guide is general study help written by RTR Exam. It is not an official publication of DGCA or ICAO. Confirm rules, fees, dates and syllabus with DGCA's latest notice.