ICAO has adopted Standards for an electronic personnel licence (EPL) in Annex 1 – Personnel Licensing. The Annex establishes that a State can choose to issue: 

 

• Licences on first-quality paper or other suitable material, including plastic cards (referred to as "hardcopy"); or 

• Electronic personnel licences on self-contained mobile electronic visual display devices, which is an added option States may choose to implement. 

 

 

Implementation of EPL for civil aviation is a complex task. The main goals of EPL are to enhance the safety, security and efficiency of the civil aviation licensing system. An EPL system should be globally interoperable and trustworthy, as it will interconnect different Issuing Authorities. EPL should also guarantee security and accuracy of information and protect the privacy of the licence holder. Additionally, the implementation must provide flexibility to support States in the selection of architectures that best meet their needs. 

 

As an EPL will be subject to verification by inspectors of the Issuing Authority but also by other Contracting States as part of their State Safety Program, Inspectors not affiliated with the licence Issuing Authority must be able to securely access and authenticate the license.