What you'll learn View contents
Can I do this from where I live?
Almost certainly yes.
The FAA only registers aircraft directly to US citizens, permanent residents, and certain US entities. If that is not you, an owner trust is the usual answer: a US trustee holds the registration, and in normal operation you keep control of the aircraft.
Where you live rarely stops this. What matters more is your paperwork, and whether the aircraft is already registered somewhere else.
The five steps
The process is more ordinary than most people expect.
- 1Work out your route. Can you register directly, or do you need a trust?
- 2Get your papers together. Passport, the purchase agreement or signed Bill of Sale, and the aircraft details: make, model, serial number, and current registration if it has one.
- 3Sign. Usually a trust agreement and a lease agreement, signed together. Some setups need more.
- 4File with the FAA. Your paperwork goes in.
- 5Fly. A temporary certificate usually arrives in 3 to 5 business days. The paper certificate follows in about 2 to 3 weeks.
What is different depending on where you are
The structure is the same everywhere. The step before it is what changes.
Europe. Owners in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, and across the EU usually have an aircraft already on a European register. The extra step is taking it off that register before the FAA filing can finish. Order matters here, because an aircraft caught between two registers is not flying.
The Gulf and Middle East. In the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, and Israel, N-numbers are common and locally well understood, so brokers, insurers, and maintenance shops already know how this works. Buyers here often buy from a US seller, which skips the deregistration step completely.
Africa. For owners in Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, and nearby countries, the usual reason is easier access to maintenance and parts, and a bigger pool of buyers later. Where the local register is slow, the FAA route is often the simpler one.
Latin America. In Brazil, Mexico, and Uruguay, aircraft are often bought from US sellers. The aircraft is already on the N-register, so the question is just how to keep it there once it is yours. That is the easiest version of this.
Asia and the Pacific. Owners in India, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand usually look at the FAA route for financing and resale. Import rules and taxes vary a lot here, so check those early with someone local.
If your country is not on this list, it does not matter. We have worked with owners in 31 countries and look at every situation on its own.
“People always ask if it is harder because of where they live. It almost never is. The paperwork is the same from Warsaw as it is from Dubai.”
Tell us where you are and what you are buying. We will tell you what the process looks like from there.
Ask for a quoteWhat usually causes delays
Almost never the trust. Nearly always the paperwork around it.
The usual culprits: a name spelled one way on your passport and another on the purchase agreement, a slow deregistration from the old register, or a gap between the closing date and the FAA filing. Starting early takes care of most of this.
What you will need
Less than people expect.
A copy of your passport, the purchase agreement or signed Bill of Sale, the aircraft details, and how to reach you. If you are buying, we deal with the seller's escrow company or lawyer for you. You get a full checklist once you get in touch, so there is nothing to prepare beforehand.
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