If you take a written examination or a practical test for an airman or other certificate or rating with the FAA in the United States, you will pay the FAA a fee. However, if you ask for the same FAA services outside the United States, you are going to have to pay more for those services.
Advisory Circular 187-1D, Flight Standards Service Schedule of Charges Outside the United States includes a schedule of fees you will pay that are significantly higher than the fees in the United States. The schedule is updated on an annual basis to reflect the FAA’s actual cost in providing the services.
I suppose the higher fees makes some sense since the FAA has significantly more infrastructure and support here in the United States than it does outside the United States. However, the question I have is: “Do you get the same quality of service, such as it is, outside the United States?” Probably.
