Reviewed by Tim Hittinger, ICAO examiner (A-126-LPE)What FCL.055 is and where to find it
FCL.055 is a paragraph of Part-FCL, Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 on aircrew. It governs pilots’ language proficiency across the EU. It has been amended several times, including in 2019 and 2020. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/134 extended it to gyroplanes, applicable from 18 February 2026.
The consolidated text is on EUR-Lex . The acceptable means of compliance and guidance material (AMC and GM) are in EASA’s Easy Access Rules for Aircrew .
- Rule
- FCL.055, Part-FCLAnnex I to Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011
- Minimum level
- Level 4 · Operationalabove it: Level 5 · Extended and Level 6 · Expert
- Rating scale
- ICAO rating scaleAppendix 2 to Part-FCL · ICAO Doc 9835
- In Spain
- Orden FOM/1146/2019AESA makes the entry in your licence
(a) Who needs a language endorsement?
It applies to pilots of aeroplanes, helicopters, powered-lift aircraft, airships and – since 18 February 2026 – gyroplanes who are required to use the radio telephone. They may only exercise the privileges of their licences and ratings if the licence carries a language proficiency endorsement – in English or in the language used for radio communication on the flight.
The endorsement shows the language, the level and the validity date. The minimum is Level 4.
Sailplane and balloon pilots fall outside FCL.055; they have their own rules (Part-SFCL and Part-BFCL). Other national or foreign rules may still ask them for proof of language proficiency.
(b) What you must be able to do
You demonstrate it – in both phraseology and plain language – to an assessor certified by a competent authority or a language-testing body approved by a competent authority. At Level 4 or above, you must be able to:
- communicate effectively in voice-only and in face-to-face situations;
- communicate on common and work-related topics with accuracy and clarity;
- use appropriate communicative strategies to exchange messages and to recognise and resolve misunderstandings;
- handle the linguistic challenges of a complication or unexpected turn of events in a routine situation;
- use a dialect or accent which is intelligible to the aeronautical community.
So an accent is not a problem in itself. What matters is that people understand you.
(c) Levels and validity
Apart from Level 6, language proficiency is re-evaluated at regular intervals. For pilots, Spain’s Orden FOM/1146/2019 (Article 5.1) refers to these same periods:
| Level | Name (Spanish name) | Re-evaluation |
|---|---|---|
| Level 4 | Operational (Operacional) | after 4 years |
| Level 5 | Extended (Avanzado) | after 6 years |
| Level 6 | Expert (Experto) | no periodic re-evaluation |
Four years or three? For pilots, Level 4 is re-evaluated after 4 years. The 3-year period you often hear about applies to other aviation personnel such as AFIS staff (Article 5.2), not to pilots.
If you renew within the three months before expiry, the new validity runs from the old expiry date (Article 5.3) – you don’t lose a single day. Validity and renewal
(d) Specific requirements for IR holders
If you hold an instrument rating (IR), FCL.055(d) requires you to have demonstrated the ability to use English at the appropriate level as defined in Appendix 2. AMC3 FCL.055 spells out that this includes:
- R/T in every phase of flight, including emergencies;
- all the information needed for the flight: technical manuals, pre-flight planning, weather, NOTAMs, the ATC flight plan and charts;
- communication with other crew members in every phase of flight, including flight preparation.
In other words, with an IR a Spanish-language endorsement on its own is not enough – you need English.
(e) Assessors approved by any competent authority
The original FCL.055 referred to a method established by “the competent authority”, in the singular. Today it refers to “a” or “any” competent authority. You demonstrate your level to “an assessor certified by a competent authority or a language-testing body approved by a competent authority” (paragraph b), through a method of assessment “established by any competent authority” (paragraph e).
So the assessor or assessment centre does not have to be approved by the authority of the State that issued your licence. This wording came in with Regulation (EU) 2019/1747 , in force since 11 November 2019. In Spain, Article 17.2 of Orden FOM/1146/2019 expressly provides for AESA to accept certificates from such centres (see below).
One important detail: EASA does not approve language assessment centres. National competent authorities do. And the entry in your licence is still made by your own authority under its procedures – in Spain, that is AESA.
What AMC1 FCL.055 requires of the test
- Voice-only and face-to-face. The assessment must include both. In our test, the examiner switches their camera off for part of the interview.
- No testing of one’s own students. Assessors should not test applicants they have given language training to. At GAT, the person who prepares you never examines you.
- Level and validity in writing. The licence holder receives a statement of the level and validity of their language endorsement.
- A range of means. AMC1 FCL.055 refers to “a wide variety of means or technologies”, as long as voice-only and face-to-face situations are covered.
Neither FCL.055 nor the Spanish Order says anything specific about in-person versus online testing. ICAO’s EUR Doc 046 (December 2023) allows for proctored online testing under certain conditions. Our online format meets the requirements of AMC1 FCL.055; the final decision on the endorsement rests with AESA. How the test works
The ICAO rating scale
Assessment follows the ICAO rating scale, set out in Appendix 2 to Part-FCL and in ICAO Doc 9835. It has six levels and six criteria:
An accent is fine – what matters is being understood.
Grammar under control, with no errors that change the meaning.
Enough for common and work topics, plus the ability to paraphrase.
Appropriate pace, few distracting pauses, good linking words.
Understanding unfamiliar accents and unexpected turns too.
Responding quickly, checking when needed, clearing up misunderstandings.
Each criterion gets its own level. Your overall level is the lowest of the six, not the average. A summary of Levels 4, 5 and 6 per criterion is on our test procedure page.
How Spain applies it: Orden FOM/1146/2019
In Spain, language proficiency for aviation personnel is governed by Orden FOM/1146/2019 of 13 November 2019 (Spanish Official Gazette, BOE no. 283, 25 November 2019). These are the points that matter most to you as a pilot:
- Two routes to assessment. The usual route is an assessment centre whose method AESA itself has authorised (the CECL list), “without prejudice to Article 17.2” (Article 7.1). According to AESA’s list as of 12 June 2026, there are 13 such centres, all testing in person and based in Madrid, Jerez, Málaga/Torremolinos or Barcelona/Badalona.
- Requirements and test parts. For pilots, the assessment requirements are those of FCL.055(b) (Article 8). The test parts: listening comprehension, speaking or conversation, an interview on common, concrete and work-related topics, and verbal interaction without visual contact (Article 9.1). To award Level 6, two assessors carry out the assessment (Article 9.3).
- Level 6 without a test. Possible for native speakers or with one of the C2 certificates listed in Annex II (Article 6.1). In both cases you also need RT privileges in that language. This AESA information note (in Spanish) explains how.
- AESA’s deadline. Up to three months to decide on the endorsement (Article 3.2). If AESA has not decided by then, you may treat the application as refused – so apply in good time.
Article 17.2 opens the second route:
«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 […]».
In English: AESA will accept, as proof of the language proficiency level of aviation personnel, certificates issued by language assessment centres whose assessment method has been approved by the competent aviation authority of other States under Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011.
Orden FOM/1146/2019, Article 17.2 (our translation) · Spanish text in the BOE
Your GAT test relies on this route. It is run in cooperation with the LTB 112 assessment centre in Leonding (Austria), whose assessment method is approved and supervised by Austro Control, Austria’s civil aviation authority. We send you the certificate and a copy of the assessment centre’s approval (Austro Control’s Approval Certificate LTB-112).
Time to prove or renew your level?
Take the ICAO English test online with a real examiner – no travel. It takes about 30 minutes and your certificate arrives within 24 hours.
Language proficiency and radiotelephony are not the same
On your licence, language proficiency and radiotelephony (RT) privileges are separate entries (Article 4 of the Order and AESA’s FAQ, in Spanish ). The ICAO test proves your language level, but it does not replace RT privileges in English – and our test does not grant them.
According to that FAQ, a language proficiency endorsement in a given language also requires RT privileges in that language, entered in section XII of the licence. Most pilots trained in English already have them – check your licence.
If your RT privileges are in Spanish only, you first need the English RT entry. That requires a communications exam and a skill test or proficiency check with radio communication in English (Article 4.1 of the Order). If you are unsure about your own case, check with AESA before you apply for the language endorsement.
Which language is used on frequency? Under Royal Decree 1180/2018 (Article 42), air-ground communication in Spain takes place in English or Spanish. At seven major airports, in certain scenarios with the tower, English is mandatory whenever a pilot on frequency does not speak Spanish:
- Madrid-Barajas
- Alicante-Elche
- Barcelona-El Prat
- Gran Canaria
- Málaga
- Palma
- Tenerife Sur
Planning to fly for a Spanish airline? Several ask for a separately certified level of Spanish in addition to ICAO English (Level 4 at least). Our test assesses English only. And a general English certificate such as B2 is not the same as ICAO Level 4.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011, Annex I (Part-FCL), FCL.055 and Appendix 2: consolidated version on EUR-Lex · in Spanish
- EASA Easy Access Rules for Aircrew (FCL.055 with AMC and GM): easa.europa.eu
- Regulation (EU) 2019/1747: text on boe.es
- Orden FOM/1146/2019 (BOE-A-2019-16892, Spanish): boe.es
- Royal Decree 1180/2018, Article 42 (Spanish): consolidated text on boe.es
- AESA, language proficiency and radiotelephony (FAQ, Spanish): seguridadaerea.gob.es
- AESA, information note on Level 6 (February 2025, Spanish): PDF
- AESA, list of language assessment centres (CECL): PDF
- ICAO EUR Doc 046, December 2023 edition: PDF on icao.int
- Austro Control, lists of assessment centres, tests and examiners: austrocontrol.at
This page summarises the rules in plain language and is not legal advice. The official text of each regulation is authoritative.