The reason is political.

It is not that the EU/EASA does not want the UK to remain a member state but it would mean that the UK would be subject to decisions of the European Court of Justice which is not acceptable to the UK government.

Have there been many ECJ decisions regarding EASA which the UK disagreed with?

Does it matter?

Selfin thank you for your very detailed response.

With me just getting my licence yesterday and Parcelforce depot closed today and tomorrow (bank holiday) the earliest I can send it away to Dublin is Tuesday (01/09).

I just emailed IAA to see whether an application landing through their postbox on 02/09 still gives enough time to be picked up by someone to be considered as received by 04/09. To my alarm the automatic response stated:The Irish Aviation Authority Headquarters Building including Personnel Licensing is closed until further notice due to COVID-19.

A service is continuing through remote working but some limitations apply. Please note that registered post may not be deliverable.

Now I knew the licensing department were all working from home however the whole building being shut and registered mail being undeliverable is another hurdle (express tracked mail is my only option at this late stage).
I further messaged to see whether they are accepting applications via email etc.

Does anyone know of any temporary measures put in place by IAA to receive paperwork etc?

Just so I understand you, you're from the UK and have a UK licence, but you want to convert it to an Irish one so you can work in Ireland? Do you think this well known Irish carrier (who likes to base people all over Europe) would hire someone who can potentially only be based in Ireland or the UK? In this economic climate? Or do you have a second passport?

I would like an EASA licence so that in the event of no agreement between UK and EASA I will still have the option to apply for jobs all over Europe rather than just UK. In this climate I would like to improve my chances of getting employment and in my opionion having an EASA licence vs UK national licence gives that.

For reference, converting to IAA is not based on any airline but instead because it is the obvious choice for a UK national.

As for the discussion of where UK passport holders will be able to live in 2021, that is a completely different topic which could have an inconsistent outcome to that of the EASA licensing debate.

​​​​​​Not really.
In case of a deal you'll probably get some form of recognition from EASA, but in case of no deal you'd likely lose the right to live and work in the EU. So converting to EASA anticipating a no deal scenario doesn't seem a wise choice to me...sure, the UK said it will recognize EASA licences, but you'll then have to convert twice and pay for it.

Renewal of the medical will be funny too I guess...

Convert twice?? I was under the impression that you can only convert between EASA states and in the scenario you mention above UK would no longer be an EASA state.

I could apply for a new UK National licence and hold both at the same time to cover all bases...

Magpie, you are IMHO correct

Magpie32

That would also mean you'll have to keep your ratings valid on both licenses.

Which presumably could be done simultaneously if the examiner holds both EASA and CAA approvals

Got a reply from Luftfahrt- Bundesamt (Germany) regarding submitting an application in time for Brexit. Here is the response:

How long the processing times are for the transfer of licenses from the UK cannot be said. It begins with the application and also includes the transfer of the medical documents. Only when the Aviation Medicine Department confirms that the transfer of the medical documents has been successfully completed and the English aviation authority sends us confirmation of your valid type and class ratings, we can finally process the application by issuing a new license.

If the application is received before December 31, 2020, it will still be processed according to the old regulations.

On a related note, does anyone have recent experience with a SOLI from the UK to Sweden?

I've emailed them asking for the Brexit exemption that basically says they will give you a Swedish license as long as you submit an application before December 31st even if a hard Brexit does happen. What I got from a reply a few days ago is that there is no such exemption anymore and they have no clue what would happen after December 31st. Can anyone confirm this?

From what I've gathered the only other authorities that would "guarantee" you an EASA license even after Brexit is Germany and the Netherlands.

Try Denmark.

I applied to IAA on the basis they will still be exchanging licences in 2021.

But given what the IAA website says regarding the deadline and how applications not completed before Brexit may not be valid, mind if I ask where did you find out that the IAA will still be recognizing UK licenses in 2021? My interpretation of their website is that on Jan 1st all UK licenses may not be EASA licenses anymore in which case any applications in queue are essentially dead.

I'm in a similar boat as yours except I'm due to finish training within a month meaning it will probably be too late for me to SOLI.

Unfortunately the IAA like to use the word may which leaves things open to interpretation.
I spoke first hand to a contact at the IAA personnel licensing dept and he confirmed that applications received after 04/09 would still be processed with the intention of completion in 2021.
It seems some nations are treating it as applications not completed by 31/12 will be torn up, whilst others are honoring applications into 2021 as per the old regs.
My postal application was delivered to IAA on 04/09 (LOL) so it will be interesting to see if that counts as being received. EASA continuity will likely not be an issue for me so I am not too bothered if the deadline was missed and the licence turns up sometime in Q1 2021. Again this is based on my interpretation of the text and what I received from IAA contact.

Magpie32

Yeap. I am still digesting the fact that I'm going to have to resit those bloody exams.

Oh well.

Stupid question.

Does one have to redo the EASA Class One initial medical again?!

Well, yes, because the EASA authority you go to won't have any medical records of you...

Magpie32

Out of interest, did you receive your licence before the 31st? It would be interesting to see where the IAA are up to here, they have a backlog to clear but has anyone been told their licence is ready who applied in Oct, Nov or Dec?