Frequently asked questions about the ICAO English test

Yes. Spanish regulations provide for it explicitly, in Article 17.2 of Orden FOM/1146/2019. AESA will accept certificates from assessment bodies whose method has been approved by another State’s aviation authority under Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011.

«La Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aérea aceptará, como acreditación del nivel de competencia lingüística del personal aeronáutico, los certificados expedidos por los centros evaluadores de competencia lingüística cuyo método de evaluación haya sido aprobado por la autoridad aeronáutica competente de otros Estados en aplicación del Reglamento (UE) n.º 1178/2011 […]».

Orden FOM/1146/2019, Art. 17.2 (original Spanish wording) · Full text in the BOE

Your test is run in cooperation with the language assessment body LTB 112. Its method is approved and supervised by Austro Control, the Austrian aviation authority. The endorsement in your licence is made by AESA, in line with its administrative requirements. Step-by-step AESA guide

One separate requirement: to have your English level endorsed, your licence must also include English radiotelephony privileges. What this means

Because that list only covers centres whose method AESA itself has approved. The version dated 12 June 2026 lists 13 centres. All of them test in person and are based in Madrid, Jerez, Málaga/Torremolinos or Barcelona/Badalona.

The assessment body we work with, LTB 112, is approved and supervised by Austro Control, and our examiners appear on its official lists. Orden FOM/1146/2019 makes AESA’s centres the standard route (Art. 7.1), but expressly without prejudice to Article 17.2. That article provides for AESA to accept certificates from centres approved by another State’s authority.

That is also why AESA asks, in this case, for a copy of the assessment body’s approval. We send it to you with your certificate.

AESA’s CECL list · Austro Control lists

When the assessment was carried out by a centre approved by another State’s authority, the AESA application form asks for three documents:

1. The assessment certificate from the assessment body. We email it to you within 24 hours.
2. A copy of the assessment body’s approval by its authority: the Approval Certificate LTB-112 issued by Austro Control. We send it with your certificate.
3. Proof of payment of the fee (tarifa 24.ª). You take care of this one.

You apply with form LIC-FCL-P01-F01 (professional aeroplane and helicopter licences) or LIC-FCL-P01-F02 (general aviation). In section G, «Radiotelefonía y competencia lingüística», you tick the endorsement of the language proficiency level on first issue, update or renewal. Depending on your licence, AESA may ask for further details.

On AESA’s e-office (sede electrónica) you identify yourself with Cl@ve or an electronic certificate. No Cl@ve or certificate? Step-by-step AESA guide

AESA e-office (in Spanish)

Yes. Without Cl@ve or an electronic certificate you can’t use AESA’s e-office, but you can file the application on paper:

• at any public registry office in Spain;
• through Correos (the Spanish postal service);
• at a Spanish consulate;
• in person or by post at AESA, Paseo de la Castellana 112, 28046 Madrid.

If you are not resident in Spain, you can pay the AESA fee by bank transfer. Step-by-step AESA guide

You need them, but the ICAO test does not give them to you. On a Spanish licence, language proficiency and radiotelephony (RT) privileges are two separate entries, both in section XII. According to AESA, to have a language proficiency level endorsed in a language, your licence must also include radiotelephony privileges in that language.

• You trained with English on the radio: you will normally have them already. Check section XII of your licence.
• Your RT privileges are in Spanish only: you may first need the English RT endorsement. Under Orden FOM/1146/2019 (Art. 4.1), this requires the communications exam and a skill test or proficiency check with the radio communication in English. Ask AESA about your case.

Our test certifies your English level under FCL.055. It does not replace or grant radiotelephony privileges.

AESA: radiotelephony and language proficiency (in Spanish)

The fee for updating your licence (tasa 312, tarifa 24.ª) is €23.34 in 2026. You pay it directly to AESA using form 791 (modelo 791): online with Cl@ve or a digital certificate, through a collaborating bank or, if you are not resident in Spain, by bank transfer. It is not included in our price.

AESA has a maximum of three months to decide, counted from when your application enters its electronic register (Orden FOM/1146/2019, Art. 3.2). We cannot promise you a specific processing time, so don’t leave it until the last minute.

Paying fees on AESA’s e-office

Neither Orden FOM/1146/2019 nor FCL.055 distinguishes between in-person and online testing. What AMC1 FCL.055 requires is an assessment with both face-to-face and voice-only situations. It allows “a wide variety of means or technologies” to achieve this.

Our online format meets those requirements: Part I is done with the camera on, and the interview includes a voice-only phase. ICAO’s guidance for the European region (EUR Doc 46, December 2023) also provides for proctored online testing, subject to conditions. The final endorsement is AESA’s decision. How the video-call test works

ICAO EUR Doc 46 (PDF)

Yes, in two cases. They are set out in Orden FOM/1146/2019 (Art. 6.1 and Annex II) and in an AESA information note from February 2025:

• You are a native speaker of the language. You prove it with your nationality or place of birth and with compulsory schooling completed in that language.
• You hold one of the C2 certificates listed in Annex II. For English: C2 from a Spanish Official School of Languages (EOI), Cambridge CPE, IELTS 7.5 or higher, Michigan ECPE, PTE General 5, Edexcel Level 3 ESOL or Trinity Grade 12. Only certificates on that list count.

In both cases your licence must also include radiotelephony privileges in that language (see the answer on radiotelephony). Check the exact requirements in AESA’s note before you apply.

If that isn’t your situation, the route is an assessment under FCL.055. In the open Levels 4–6 test you can go straight for Level 6. ICAO Level 6

AESA note on Level 6 (PDF, in Spanish)

It depends on where and how you fly. In Spain, radio communication may be in English or in Spanish (Royal Decree 1180/2018, Art. 42). At seven airports, however, English is mandatory in certain cases when pilots who do not speak Spanish are on the frequency: Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona-El Prat, Palma, Málaga, Alicante-Elche, Gran Canaria and Tenerife South.

To use English on the radio you need at least Level 4 endorsed, plus English radiotelephony privileges. With an instrument rating (IR), FCL.055(d) requires you to demonstrate your English. And the major Spanish airlines usually ask for ICAO English at Level 4 or higher. FCL.055 explained

Royal Decree 1180/2018 in the BOE (in Spanish)

FCL.055 is the same rule in all EASA Member States. Since Regulation (EU) 2019/1747, the assessment may be conducted by an examiner certified, or an assessment body approved, by “a competent authority” – not necessarily the one that issued your licence. You still apply for the endorsement with your own authority, following its procedure, so check it before you book.

If your licence was issued outside the EASA system, please contact us before booking. It depends on what your authority requires, and we will tell you what we know. FCL.055 explained

Regulation (EU) 2019/1747 (in Spanish)

The test itself takes about 30 minutes. The calendar reserves a 45-minute slot so the ID check and briefing aren’t rushed. Please join 5 minutes early.

Your result and certificate arrive by email within 24 hours, usually on the same day. Together with the certificate you receive the copy of the assessment body’s approval that AESA asks for.

Part I, camera on: you describe one picture and then compare two. You answer questions set in an aviation context: 14 tasks in total, each answered in about 4 or 5 sentences. You read back two ATC instructions and pick out information such as the QNH from two ATIS messages. Student pilots hear a short story and answer two questions instead of the ATIS.

Part II, a 10–15-minute interview: you talk with the examiner about travel, work or hobbies, including a voice-only phase. Topics are adapted to your background: airline, general aviation, helicopters or flight school.

In the Level 4 only test you describe a picture without comparing and there is no ATIS. Two assessors rate the six criteria of the ICAO rating scale, and your overall level is the lowest of the six. The test in detail · Try a free sample

No. This is not a test of technical knowledge: it assesses how you communicate in English in an aviation context. There are no right or wrong answers to the questions. What counts is how you express yourself and how well you understand – not what you know about meteorology or air law.

That’s completely normal. Your examiner explains how everything works before you start, and in the interview you talk about topics you know well. In our experience, the nerves usually go within the first few minutes.

If you don’t understand something, ask for it to be repeated or clarified, just as you would on the radio. Asking for clarification is part of the interaction being assessed. To go in with confidence, try the free sample test first. Or book a mock test with an examiner – who will never be the one who tests you.

No. An accent is allowed at every level, including Level 6. For pronunciation, what matters is that you are easy to understand – that accent, rhythm and intonation don’t get in the way. You don’t need to sound like a native speaker. What Level 6 requires

For part of the interview, the examiner switches their camera off. This shows whether you communicate well without visual contact, just as on the radio. AMC1 FCL.055 requires both face-to-face and voice-only situations. Orden FOM/1146/2019 (Art. 9.1) also provides for a voice-only interview without visual contact. All you have to do is keep talking as normal.

A stable internet connection, a camera, a microphone and speakers – or, better, a headset. A laptop or desktop computer is ideal, but a smartphone or tablet also works. Find a quiet place where nobody will interrupt you.

You don’t need a Zoom account: the link in your confirmation is enough, in the app or in your browser. Our tech check tests your camera and microphone in a minute.

Rejoin using the same Zoom link. Your examiner will tell you how to continue. If you can’t get back into the meeting, call us on +49 7072 1352530 (phone support in English and German). You can also message us on WhatsApp .

The test is in English, of course. By phone we speak English and German. In writing – by email and WhatsApp – we answer in English or Spanish.

No. We assess aviation English only (FCL.055). Need a Spanish language level as well, for example for a Spanish airline? You have to obtain it separately, from a centre that assesses Spanish. Native Spanish speakers can use the Level 6 route AESA provides.

Yes. You don’t need an existing level, and you don’t have to choose one beforehand. In the open Levels 4–6 test you are certified at the level you demonstrate: if it isn’t quite Level 6, you receive Level 5; if it isn’t quite Level 5, Level 4.

Nor do you have to wait for your current level to expire before moving up. With Level 5, re-evaluation moves to 6 years; with Level 6, there is no periodic re-evaluation. ICAO Level 6

Level 4 only (€159): slightly easier tasks. You describe a picture without comparing and there is no ATIS. The maximum certified is Level 4, however well you do. ICAO Level 4

Levels 4–6 (€229): the open assessment. You receive Level 4, 5 or 6 depending on what you demonstrate. The price difference is €70. It pays off if you fly professionally or want to go longer before your next assessment.

Prices include VAT and apply to weekday daytime slots. Slots from 8 pm, at weekends and on public holidays carry a surcharge, which you see in the calendar before you book.

For pilots, under FCL.055 and Orden FOM/1146/2019 (Art. 5.1):

• Level 4, Operational: re-evaluation after 4 years.
• Level 5, Extended: re-evaluation after 6 years.
• Level 6, Expert: no periodic re-evaluation.

What counts is the validity date endorsed in your licence. Validity and renewal

Not for pilots. It’s a common mix-up. The 3-year period for Level 4 applies to AFIS and apron management (SDP) personnel, as set out in Article 5.2 of Orden FOM/1146/2019. As a pilot, your Level 4 is re-evaluated after 4 years.

In the three months before it expires. If you renew within that window, the new validity runs from your old expiry date (Orden FOM/1146/2019, Art. 5.3). So you don’t lose a single day. If you take the test earlier, validity runs from the test date (Art. 5.4).

AESA has up to three months to process the endorsement. So it makes sense to take the test early in that window and apply as soon as you have your certificate. Already expired? You can still take the test at any time. Renewal guide

No. They are different scales. CEFR levels such as B2 or C1 measure general English. ICAO Level 4 assesses something else: how you communicate in English in an aviation context, including on the radio and when things don’t go to plan, rated against the ICAO rating scale. A B2 or C1 certificate does not replace an assessment under FCL.055.

There is one exception, and only for Level 6: with certain C2 certificates you can apply for it without a test. See the answer on Level 6 without a test

We don’t send anything to AESA or to your flight school. You can rebook whenever you like. Before you do, a mock test or PreCheck can help: an examiner gives you an assessment and tells you what to work on.

The test certifies the level you demonstrate on the day, even if it is lower than the one you already hold. But we don’t report results to AESA: the certificate is sent to you only. AESA endorses your level based on the documents you submit.

If you are unsure about your particular case, write to us before booking and we’ll look at it with you.

On the booking page you choose your test, pick a free slot in the online calendar and pay. You don’t need to create an account. The calendar is run by our booking provider, eTermin.

After payment you receive three emails:

• the confirmation with your Zoom link;
• a request for a copy of your ID and the privacy form;
• a link to enter your details in the test system.

• ICAO test Levels 4–6: €229
• ICAO test Level 4 only: €159
• Bundle (preparation + Levels 4–6 test): €295 instead of €298
• One-to-one preparation (45-minute mock test): €69 · PreCheck (20 min): €19

All prices are final, include VAT and apply to weekday daytime slots. Slots from 8 pm, at weekends and on public holidays carry a surcharge; you see it and the total price in the calendar before you book. AESA’s endorsement fee (€23.34 in 2026) is paid separately, directly to AESA.

The bundle is bought in the GAT shop, which is in German only; we then arrange both dates with you by email. Prices and conditions

Yes. The base prices apply to weekday daytime slots. Slots from 8 pm, at weekends and on public holidays carry a surcharge. The 8 pm cut-off is Spanish mainland time; if the calendar shows you Canary Islands time, the surcharge starts at 7 pm. When you choose a time in the calendar, you see the surcharge and the total price before you book – no surprises.

By PayPal, credit card or bank transfer.

In the calendar, please complete payment within 15 minutes of booking; otherwise the slot is released again. With PayPal or a card, your slot is confirmed as soon as you pay. With a bank transfer, it is confirmed once we receive the payment.

Yes, free of charge up to 24 hours before your slot. After that, the full fee is due. If you haven’t joined within 15 minutes of the start time, the slot is forfeited. The parts of the bundle cannot be cancelled separately.

As a consumer, you also have a 14-day right of withdrawal. When it applies and when it ends is explained in our terms and conditions.

There are slots 7 days a week, including evenings. The calendar detects your device’s time zone and shows the slots in your local time: in mainland Spain that is the same time as in Germany, and in the Canary Islands you see Canary Islands time. The time zone is shown in English above the calendar, and you can change it there before you book.

Yes. You can take it at any point in your training, without waiting for your licence. An initial assessment works just like a renewal, and we adapt the tasks to your stage of training: instead of the ATIS messages, you hear a short story and answer two questions.

The certificate is sent to you. If you don’t reach Level 4, we don’t send anything to AESA or to your school. How to prepare

Yes. We organise online test days for your students, on dates that suit you and with a single point of contact. Each student takes an individual test by video call, with a stable connection, camera and microphone.

Tell us how many students you have and which dates you have in mind, and we’ll put together a proposal.