Aircraft Registration: How to Register a Plane

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You can’t legally fly an aircraft in U.S. airspace without registering it first. Federal law under 49 USC 44101 requires registration for all civil aircraft operating in the United States. 

That goes for your single-engine Cessna as well as that racing drone in your garage. Break the rules, and you risk facing civil penalties up to $75,000 (possibly even criminal prosecution). 

The FAA takes registration seriously since it establishes a public record of ownership. It helps with accident investigations and tracking airworthiness.

Now, let’s talk about everything you need to know about aircraft registration. We’ll discuss who qualifies, what forms you need, how much it costs, and how the process works from start to finish.

Key Takeaways

• All civil aircraft operating in U.S. airspace must be registered with the FAA.
• Registration costs $5, plus $10 if you want a custom N-number.
• Your pink slip serves as temporary authority to fly domestically for 12 months.
• Registration certificates expire every seven years and must be renewed with no grace period.

What Is Aircraft Registration?

Aircraft registration is how the FAA keeps track of the ownership and nationality of every civil aircraft in the United States. Your car needs a license plate, so does your airplane. 

14 CFR Part 47 governs this process. It lays out who can register an aircraft and how the system works.

But what exactly does registration accomplish? Well, there are four main reasons for it. 

1. Registration establishes your aircraft’s nationality under international agreements like the International Air Navigation Convention of 1919. 
2. It makes a public record of ownership that anyone can search. 
3. It enables the FAA and law enforcement to trace aircraft when needed. 
4. You can’t get an airworthiness certificate without it.

Where to Keep It?

According to 14 CFR 91.203, you must carry it aboard the aircraft at all times during operation, along with your airworthiness certificate. 

The registration must be inside the aircraft. Although, unlike the airworthiness certificate, it doesn’t need to be where passengers can see it.

Now, don’t get those two papers mixed up. Registration proves ownership and nationality. Airworthiness means your aircraft meets FAA safety standards and is legal to fly.

Who Can Register an Aircraft in the U.S.?

Remember, not just anyone can walk in and register an aircraft with the FAA. Who makes the cut and who doesn’t comes down to 49 USC 44102 and 14 CFR 47.7.

The Citizenship Question

If you’re a U.S. citizen, you’re good to go. You’ll certify your citizenship on Form 8050-1, and that’s that. 

What about green card holders? Permanent residents can register aircraft too, but they must provide their alien registration number. 

Partnerships and Corporations

The standards are stricter for partnerships. Every partner, general or limited, must be a U.S. citizen. However, co-ownership that isn’t structured as a legal partnership will follow different rules.

U.S. citizen corporations have to meet all of these requirements at once. Under the definitions in Part 47, the president must be a U.S. citizen, at least two-thirds of the board and officers must be U.S. citizens, and U.S. citizens must own at least 75 percent of the voting interests. 

LLCs

LLCs must present organizational documents that show how they meet citizenship definitions. You can check out the instructions in the FAA’s Limited Liability Company Registration Information Sheet.

Even non-citizen corporations can register if they meet certain conditions. For example, they must be organized under U.S. law, and the aircraft must be based and primarily used in the U.S. 

To prove that, at least 60 percent of flight hours should be domestic. These corporations must report flight hours to the FAA every 6 calendar months.

Foreign Nationals and Trustees

Foreign nationals can’t register directly, but there is a workaround. They can use a non-citizen trust arrangement.

In it, a U.S. citizen or resident alien serves as trustee and holds legal title to the aircraft. The foreign national remains the beneficial owner. 

The trustee registers the aircraft in their name and manages it on behalf of the actual owner.

Government Aircraft

Government entities also qualify. Federal agencies, including the military, states, territories, and their political subdivisions, all register without paying the usual fee.

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How to Register an Airplane (Step by Step)

1: Collect Requirements

Like in every dance with bureaucracy, it all starts with gathering requirements. You’ll need:

• AC Form 8050-1 (Aircraft Registration Application)
• AC Form 8050-2 (Bill of Sale) or equivalent proof of ownership
• A $5 registration fee

Take note that this is only the bare minimum to get started.

2: Reserve a Custom N-Number (Optional)

Your aircraft needs an N-number before it can be registered. The FAA will assign one automatically, or you can reserve a custom N-number for $10. Reserve it early, since popular combinations get snatched up quickly.

3: Fill Out the Forms

You should pay special attention to detail when you fill out Form 8050-1. You’ll enter the N-number, aircraft manufacturer and model, serial number, registration type, and your information as the applicant.

Your name has to match exactly across all documents, so double-check the spelling on your bill of sale. Include your typed or printed name next to every signature, or the FAA will return your application.

The bill of sale follows the same rules. The purchaser’s name on Form 8050-2 must be the same as the name on Form 8050-1. 

Keep a copy for your records, but send the original to the FAA.

4. Submit the Documents and Pay the Fee

You’ve got three submission options: 

1. Mail everything to the FAA Aircraft Registration Branch, P.O. Box 25504, Oklahoma City, OK 73125-0504. 
2. You can also use the CARES online portal to complete and digitally sign your application. 
3. Or, email your digitally signed documents to [email protected].

How do you pay? If you’re submitting by mail or email, you’ll need to write a check or money order to the Federal Aviation Administration. 

Online submissions through the CARES portal accept credit or debit cards. 

The online option gives you instant payment confirmation, which should speed up processing.

5. Flying With the Pink Slip

What about flying before your permanent certificate arrives? The second copy of Form 8050-1 will serve as temporary authority to operate the aircraft within the U.S. 

It’ll be effective until you receive your permanent certificate, or the FAA denies your application. 

This is commonly called the pink slip. Since the 2023 rule change, it expires 12 months from the date of your first application after ownership transfer. 

Now, if you need to fly outside the U.S. before your permanent certificate arrives, you’ll need to request expedited processing. 

You should submit a Declaration of International Operations, which will get you a temporary certificate (also called a fly wire) valid for 30 days.

Understanding N-Numbers

Every U.S.-registered aircraft carries an N-number. The “N” prefix is the U.S. nationality designator. It came from the International Air Navigation Convention held in 1919. 

You’ll see other countries with different letters: G for the United Kingdom, C for Canada, and D for Germany.

If you made a reservation for a custom N-number, it lasts for 1 year and renew annually for another $10. 

Changing an N-Number

But if you want to change the N-number on an existing aircraft, it’s going to take a few steps. 

First, check if your desired number is available. Reserve it for $10, then request the change by letter to the FAA for another $10.

The FAA will mail you the authorization paperwork. You’ve got five days after applying the new number to complete the forms and return them. 

The total cost runs $20 for the whole process.

N-Number Lookup

Need to look up an N-number? The FAA runs a free search tool. You can search by N-number, owner name, or serial number. 

The database updates daily, so you’re seeing current information.

FAA Registration Fees

Aircraft registration doesn’t have to break the bank. The initial registration fee is just $5, and renewal costs the same $5 every seven years. 

Compare that to what you’d pay to register a car, and it’s practically nothing.

Want a custom N-number instead of whatever the FAA assigns? That’s $10 per year to reserve it. 

Changing your N-number to a different one runs another $10. So if you’re particular about your aircraft’s identifier, budget $20 total for the reservation and the change request.

Dealers who regularly buy and sell aircraft have their own certificate option. 

A dealer’s certificate costs $10, and any additional certificates run $2 each. This lets manufacturers and dealers operate aircraft for flight tests and demonstrations without registering each one individually. 

Lost your registration certificate? Replacements are $2.

Government entities get a pass on registration fees entirely. Federal agencies (except military aircraft), states, territories, and their subdivisions register for free.

Registration Renewal

Your registration certificate is now valid for seven years from the last day of the month it was issued. It’s a very welcome change from the old three-year cycle, and should give you fewer renewal headaches.

Expiration Countdown

The FAA sends a renewal notice about six months before your registration expires, complete with a security code for online renewal. 

Can’t find the notice or need a reminder? The FAA sends a second notice two months before expiration. If you’re getting that second notice, it’s time to act immediately. Renewal is going to cost a measly $5.

How to Renew Registration

If nothing has changed with your ownership, address, or citizenship status, you can renew online using the security code from the notice. 

The process takes just a few minutes. If you need to report changes, you can also do it online.

Renewal Concerns

Now, don’t get caught off guard. There is no grace period once your registration expires. 

The aircraft becomes grounded immediately, and your airworthiness certificate will be ineffective. You can’t legally fly until you restore the registration. 

What happens to your N-number if you let registration lapse? About 90 days after expiration, the FAA cancels your N-number assignment. 

Before cancellation, you can request to reserve it for $10. However, if you miss that window, the N-number becomes unavailable for assignment to anyone for five years.

That’s a long time to lose an N-number you might have personalized or grown attached to over the years.

Special Cases

Amateur-Built Aircraft

Are you building your own aircraft? The registration process follows the same basic steps, but with one important difference. You’ll submit a notarized AC Form 8050-88 (Affidavit of Ownership) instead of a traditional bill of sale.

This form establishes you as the builder and owner, and it also provides the official aircraft description. 

If more than 50 percent of your amateur-built aircraft came from a kit, you also need to include the kit manufacturer’s bill of sale. 

Once your registration comes through, apply for a Special Airworthiness Certificate through your local Flight Standards District Office. The FSDO will inspect your aircraft before they issue the certificate.

Importing an Aircraft

Importing an aircraft from another country will take coordination with both registries. The aircraft must be deregistered from the foreign country first. 

That should come with an official statement from that country’s civil aviation authority confirming registration has ended. 

Submit your standard registration documents plus the foreign deregistration statement, and mark your envelope “IMPORT” in red ink for priority processing. 

The FAA automatically expedites imports and can issue a temporary certificate, commonly called a fly wire, within one to three working days. 

That temporary certificate lets you operate the aircraft while waiting for your permanent registration.

Drones

What about drones? Most drones are registered under Part 48 via the FAA’s DroneZone website, not through the traditional Part 47 process. 

The Part 48 process is simpler and faster, which is why it’s the default choice for most drone operators. 

For complete details on drone registration, check out our comprehensive guide on the topic.

2025 Updates: What Changed

The registration process got its biggest modernization in decades when two final rules took effect in 2025. These changes bring the FAA fully into the digital age.

Going Electronic

First, forget waiting seven to ten business days for a paper certificate to arrive in the mail. The FAA now sends aircraft registration and dealer certificates by default via email. 

You’ll get your documentation almost immediately instead of wondering if it got lost somewhere between Oklahoma City and your mailbox. 

Want the traditional hard card certificate anyway? You can still request it. But either way, remember you’ll need to carry a copy aboard the aircraft.

The second change eliminates what used to be a genuine headache for aircraft owners. The FAA now accepts scanned copies, photocopies, digitally signed documents, and certified copies of your registration paperwork. 

You can finally stop worrying about mailing your original bill of sale or other irreplaceable documents to the FAA. In fact, they actually prefer you submit non-original documents now rather than wet-ink originals.

You keep your originals safely filed away and avoid the anxiety of important paperwork disappearing in transit.

FAA CARES

There’s also a major upgrade when it comes to your privacy. Starting March 28, 2025, under Section 803 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, aircraft owners can request that their personal information be removed from FAA websites.

That includes your name, address, phone number, and email, which will be withheld from public registry data. You submit the request through the CARES portal.

Right now, it supports online registration for individuals, corporations, and LLCs. According to the FAA, full operating capability for aircraft registration through CARES is expected by Fall 2027.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How much does it cost to register an airplane? 

You’ll pay $5 for the registration certificate itself. Add $10 more if you want a custom N-number instead of whatever the FAA assigns.

• How long does FAA aircraft registration take?

Your pink slip (second copy of Form 8050-1) serves as temporary authority to operate the aircraft domestically. That is, until you receive the permanent certificate or the FAA denies your application. It has a maximum validity of 12 months. 

Processing times vary based on the FAA’s workload. You can check the current processing date on the FAA website to see where they are in the queue.

• Can a non-U.S. citizen register an aircraft?

Yes, if you’re a permanent resident with an alien registration number. Your registration becomes invalid if you lose your permanent resident status. 

Foreign nationals can also register through specific trust arrangements with a U.S. citizen trustee.

• What happens if I fly with an expired registration?

Your aircraft is immediately grounded. There’s no grace period, and your airworthiness certificate becomes ineffective when your registration expires. 

About 90 days after expiration, the FAA cancels your N-number. You can request to reserve it before cancellation, but that costs $10.

• Is aircraft registration the same as an airworthiness certificate?

No. Registration proves ownership and nationality, while an airworthiness certificate confirms the aircraft meets safety standards. You need both to fly legally.

• Can I register my aircraft online?

Yes, individuals, corporations, and LLCs can submit applications through the CARES portal at cares.faa.gov. You can complete forms, upload documents, pay fees, and digitally sign everything online.

• Why do U.S. aircraft have an “N” number?

The United States received “N” as its nationality designator under the International Air Navigation Convention held in 1919. Every country has a different letter or combination to identify its aircraft.

Conclusion

Aircraft registration might seem complicated at first glance, but the process is straightforward once you understand the requirements. 

And what’s more, the FAA has modernized with electronic submissions and the CARES portal. Registration has never been easier.

Start gathering your documents now if you’re planning to register an aircraft. Double-check that names match exactly across all forms and verify your eligibility. The temporary authority on your pink slip should give you time to fly while the FAA processes everything.

Most registration issues stem from simple mistakes like mismatched names or missing signatures. Take your time, and you’ll have your permanent certificate before you know it.