What you'll learn View contents
What an aircraft trust actually is
An aircraft trust is a US wrapper around your ownership, and nothing more.
Think of it as a container. Inside the container is your aircraft, your money, and your rights. The container itself has one job: to give the FAA a US-based name to put on the registration, because US law requires one.
In most cases you sign two documents. A trust agreement, which places the registration in the name of a US trustee. And a lease agreement, which returns operational control to you on the same day. Depending on your structure there can be more, but that is the core of it.
“Most people arrive expecting something complicated. On average it is two documents and about a week. The complicated part is usually buying the aircraft, not the trust.”
Why the arrangement exists
The United States registers aircraft only to US citizens, permanent residents, and certain US entities.
The rule is not about you personally. The United States answers to other countries for every aircraft on its register, so it wants a US point of contact behind each one.
For years this looked like a closed door for international buyers. The FAA, the aviation industry, and US lenders settled on the owner trust as the way through it. The structure has been in use for more than 40 years and is a recognised route to registration, not a loophole and not a workaround. Thousands of internationally owned aircraft fly under N-numbers this way today.
Who needs one
If you are not eligible to register directly with the FAA, an owner trust is the most common solution.
Eligibility is wider than most people assume. US citizens, permanent residents, and certain US entities can hold a registration directly, so the first question worth answering is which category you fall into. If you fall outside them, a trust is the usual route.
In practice, the same situations come up again and again:
- →You are buying from a US seller and have just discovered you cannot register the aircraft in your own name.
- →You want an N-number for its resale market, its maintenance network, or because your lender asked for one.
- →Your company is based outside the United States and will hold the aircraft.
- →You already have a trust, and your current trustee is slow, hard to reach, or vague about what they are actually doing.
That last one is more common than it should be. Changing trustee is an administrative process, and your aircraft keeps its N-number.
Do you keep control of your aircraft?
For almost all practical purposes, you remain in control.
The trustee's name appears on the registration. In normal operation you retain operational control: where the aircraft is based, who flies it, how it is insured and maintained, and when it is sold. The trustee does not operate the aircraft or make operational decisions except as provided in the trust documents.
This is the question we are asked most, so it has its own article: Do you lose control of your aircraft in a trust?
Not sure whether a trust fits your situation? Tell us about your aircraft and we will give you a straight answer.
Ask for a quoteWhat it costs and how long it takes
Trust fees start from €500 a year.
The final number depends on your aircraft, your ownership structure, and where you live, so every quote is prepared individually. You will see a full itemised quote before signing anything, and there is no obligation at the enquiry stage. When you eventually sell, the trust is closed for a flat €250.
Once your documents are in order, the FAA usually issues a temporary certificate within 3 to 5 business days, which lets the aircraft fly. The hardcopy certificate follows in 2 to 3 weeks.
How to start
Send us the basics and we will tell you what your registration is likely to involve.
Our principals have administered these trusts since 1988, for owners in 31 countries. Josh handles every client relationship personally. No handoffs, no ticket queues.
