As of March 5, 2009, if you fly internationally you are now required to meet an ICAO standard for language proficiency and must have a an airman certificate containing an “English Proficient” endorsement. If you currently have a certificate that is paper, or that is plastic but without the endorsement, you will need to request a replacement certificate from the FAA. For airman who have a paper certificate, the replacement will kill two birds with one stone: The new certificate will be plastic, thereby complying with the FAA’s February 28, 2008 Final Rule mandating that all pilots upgrade to a plastic pilot certificate by March 31, 2010, and it will contain the “English Proficient” endorsement.
You may order a replacement certificate on the FAA’s website here (you will need to create a user account if you don’t already have one) or you may request a new or replacement certificate by mail by writing to Federal Aviation Administration, Airmen Certification Branch, AFS-760, P.O. Box 25082, Oklahoma City, OK 73125-0082. The fee for the replacement certificate is $2.00.
