ARSA Advises Australian Repair Stations with FAA Certification on D&A Waiver

The Aeronautical Repair Station Association  has released an application for a waiver from the  FAA’s new rule imposing drug and alcohol testing requirements outside the United States.

The FAA’s new rule requires repair stations outside the U.S. to comply with the introduced testing requirements by late 2027. However, ARSA is urging stakeholders and involved governments to take proactive steps to manage this program.

The waiver—released on January 26, 2026—caters to Australian repair stations that have U.S. certificates. ARSA initially began this effort with a letter to the Australian government urging for the request of a blanket waiver for all FAA-certified shops based in Australia.

ARSA created this waiver application using expertise on testing requirements and responding to the FAA’s final rule issued in December 2024.

This has resulted in an accessible way for repair stations to request a blanket waiver.

“We offer the draft waiver … that [the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia] can use to obtain acknowledgement that your country’s drug and alcohol testing regime is equivalent to that being imposed by the United States on ‘foreign’ repair stations under CASA’s jurisdiction,” said ARSA said in its first outreach to the Australian Government in December.

The statement continued, “We are also hopeful that the draft waiver can serve as an example of the care and detail that the American regulations require to establish a country-wide waiver.” 

ARSA also provides background information on drug and alcohol testing requirements for maintenance providers.