A
A licence
The first licence. Typically clears a jumper to skydive without direct supervision — to pack their own main, jump in groups, and exercise self-supervision in freefall and under canopy.
Reference · Federations
Federations & licences.
Sport skydiving is self-governed, country by country, by national federations. They set the safety rules, issue the licences, and certify the instructors. Here's how the licence ladder works — and the bodies behind it.
The licence ladder
A through D.
Most federations license jumpers on an A-to-D progression — each step adds privileges and is gated on jumps logged, proven proficiency, and a written exam. What each class permits is broadly common; the exact jump-count minimums vary by federation. USPA's figures are shown on its page as the worked example.
B
B licence
Adds privileges such as water-landing training, and is a common stepping stone toward earning a coach rating.
C
C licence
Adds privileges such as night jumps and exhibition (demonstration) jumps, and is a prerequisite for several instructional ratings.
D
D licence
The master licence — all licensed privileges, and the prerequisite for the senior instructional and examiner ratings.
National bodies
Pick your federation.
US
USPA
United States
The national body for sport skydiving in the United States — it sets the Basic Safety Requirements, issues licences and instructional ratings, and represents skydivers to the FAA.
View federation
GB
British Skydiving
United Kingdom
The national body for sport parachuting in the United Kingdom — known as the British Parachute Association (BPA) until it rebranded as British Skydiving in 2021.
View federation
AU
APF
Australia
The national body for sport parachuting in Australia — responsible for the sport's safety regulation, certificates and instructor ratings across Australian dropzones.
View federation
CA
CSPA
Canada
The national association for sport parachuting in Canada — it sets the standards, issues Certificates of Proficiency, and administers instructor ratings.
View federation
SE
SFF
Sweden
The Swedish Parachute Association — the national body for skydiving in Sweden, responsible for safety regulation, licences and instructor training across Swedish dropzones.
View federation
Licence and rating requirements change. A federation's own official site is always the authority — confirm the current rules there before you count on them.
Your logbook
Log to the licence.
Progression is built on a verified, signed-off record. SkyLog keeps exactly that — free for your first 50 jumps.