Aircraft Registration

If you purchase an aircraft and intend to operate in the National Air Space, you must register the aircraft with the Aircraft Registration Branch (AFS-750). Aircraft may be registered under a Certificate of Aircraft Registration or Dealer’s Aircraft Registration Certificate issued by AFS-750.

m CAUTION: The application must be submitted in the name of the owner(s), not in the name of the bank or other mortgage holder.

Aircraft Registration Branch

You may confirm any required fees with AFS-750 prior to submitting any aircraft documents for processing. AFS-750 contact information is in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Contact Information appendix on pages A1–A2 of this handbook. Visit the “Aircraft Registration” link on the FAA website at www.faa.gov for information regarding aircraft registration, recording liens, fees, importing and exporting aircraft, requesting special N-numbers, obtaining copies of aircraft records, downloading forms, an interactive aircraft registration database, etc. You may also order aircraft records by mail, fax, or telephone.

In compliance with statutory requirements, documents are processed in date-received order. You may check to see if your documents have been received by using the FAA website “Aircraft Registration” link, and selecting the “Download the Aircraft Registration Database” link to search the document index.

The FAA updates the “Aircraft Registration Inquiry” site at midnight on each federal workday. You can find new information immediately following this update. Please allow up to 20 days for processing N-number reservations and renewals and up to 30 days for all other non-priority actions.

m CAUTION: The act of registration is not evidence of ownership of an aircraft in any proceeding in which ownership by a particular person is in issue. The FAA does not issue any certificate of ownership or endorse any information with respect to ownership on a Certificate of Aircraft Registration. The FAA issues a Certificate of Aircraft Registration to the person who appears to be the owner on the basis of the evidence of ownership submitted with the Aircraft Registration Application, or recorded at the FAA Aircraft Registry. Failure to properly register your aircraft may invalidate insurance, as well as have other serious consequences. You may need to follow up with AFS-750 to ensure that your aircraft registration was accomplished successfully.

m CAUTION: An aircraft may not be registered in a foreign country during the period it is registered in the United States.

Eligible Registrants

An aircraft is eligible for registration in the United States if it is owned by:

A U.S. citizen (as defined in Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR), part 47, section 47.2, a U.S. citizen can be an individual, or part- nership where each individual is a U.S. citizen, or a corporation organized under the laws of the United States of which the president and at least two-thirds of the board of directors are U.S. citizens and 75 percent of the voting interest is owned or controlled by U.S. citizens)
A resident alien
A corporation other than one classified as a U.S. citizen, lawfully organized under the laws of the United States or of any state thereof, if the aircraft is based and used primarily in the United States
A government entity (federal, state or local)

Registering Your Aircraft

To register an aircraft, you must send the following documentation and fee to AFS-750:

Aeronautical Center (AC) Form 8050-1, Aircraft Registration Application,
Evidence of ownership (such as a bill of sale), and
The registration fee made payable to the FAA.

You must use an original AC Form 8050-1 when applying for a Certificate of Aircraft Registration. AC 8050-1 may be obtained from AFS-750 or your local FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO). If you use a P.O. Box as a mailing address, you must also provide your street or physical location on the application.

m CAUTION: The FAA does not accept photocopies or alternate formats of AC 8050-1.

Your application for aircraft registration must include the typed or printed name of each applicant with his or her signature in the signature block.

m CAUTION: An aircraft may be registered only by and in the legal name of its owner.

m CAUTION: The FAA will return any applications that do not include the printed or typed name of the signer.

Figure 4-1 at the end of this chapter is an aircraft registration checklist you can use to assist you in the registration process.

Registration Number

The United States received the “N” as its nationality designator under the International Air Navigation Convention, held in 1919.

How To Form an N-Number

N-numbers consist of a series of alphanumeric characters. U.S. registration numbers may not ex- ceed five characters in addition to the standard U.S. registration prefix letter “N.” These characters may be:

One to five numbers (N12345),
One to four numbers followed by one letter (N1234Z), or
One to three numbers followed by two letters (N123AZ).

To avoid confusion with the numbers one and zero, the letters I and O are not used. Also, please note that a hyphen (-) is no longer used in U.S. registration numbers.

Other Requirements

An N-number may not begin with zero. You must precede the first zero in an N-number with any number 1 through 9. For example, N01Z is not valid.

Registration numbers N1 through N99 are strictly reserved for FAA internal use.

Special Registration Number

A special registration number is an N-number of your choice which may be reserved, if available.

Special registration numbers may be:

Used to change the N-number currently on your aircraft.
Assigned to a new home-built, import, or newly manufactured aircraft in preparation for registering that aircraft.
Reserved for 1 year. Upon reservation, the FAA will mail a confirmation notice to the requester. A renewal notice will also be sent prior to the expiration date. An online reservation request program is available on the FAA website at www.faa.gov.
Renewed annually. The renewal fee is $10 each year. An online renewal program is available on the FAA website at www.faa.gov.

Requesting a Special Registration Number You may reserve a special N-number from the List of Available N-numbers for immediate use on a specific aircraft or for future use. This number may not exceed five characters in addition to the prefix letter “N.” All five characters may be numbers (N11111) or four numbers and one suffix letter (N1000A), or one to three numbers and/or two suffix letters may be used (N100AA).

In your written request, list up to five numbers in order of preference in the event your first choice is not available, and include the fee. The fee for a Special Registration Number is $10.00. Forward your request to AFS-750.

If your request is approved, you will be notified that the number has been reserved for 1 year, and that the reservation may be extended on an annual basis for a $10 renewal fee.

Placing the Special Registration Number on Your Aircraft

When you are ready to place the number on your aircraft, you should request permission by forward- ing a complete description of the aircraft to AFS-750. Permission to place the special number on your aircraft is given on AC Form 8050-64, Assignment of Special Registration Numbers. When the number is placed on your aircraft, sign and return the original AC Form 8050-64 to AFS-750 within 5 days.

Figure 4-2 at the end of this chapter is a sample AC Form 8050-64.

A duplicate AC Form 8050-64, together with your airworthiness certificate, should be presented to an aviation safety inspector (ASI) from your local FSDO within 10 days from placing the new registration number on your aircraft. The ASI will issue a revised airworthiness certificate showing the new registration number. The old registration certificate and the duplicate AC Form 8050-64 should be carried in the aircraft until the new Certificate of Registration is received, in accordance with 14 CFR part 91, section 91.203(a)(1).

Aircraft Previously Registered in the United States

If the aircraft you are purchasing was previously registered in the United States, you should immedi- ately submit evidence of ownership, an AC Form 8050-1, Aircraft Registration Application, and

the registration fee to AFS-750 upon closing. Fees required for aircraft registration may be paid by check or money order made payable to the Treasury of the United States. AFS-750 contact information is in the FAA Contact Information appendix on pages A1–A2 of this handbook.

AC Form 8050-2, Aircraft Bill of Sale, meets the FAA’s requirements for evidence of ownership. An AC Form 8050-2 does not need to be notarized.

AC Forms 8050-1 and 8050-2 can be obtained from the nearest FSDO, and include information and instruction sheets. Figure 4-3 at the end of this chapter is a sample AC Form 8050-2.

m CAUTION: If a conditional sales contract is the evidence of ownership, an additional fee is required for recording.

Chain of Ownership

If there is a break in the chain of ownership of the aircraft (i.e., if it is not being purchased from the last registered owner), you are required to submit conveyances to complete the chain of ownership through all intervening owners, including yourself, to AFS-750.

Replacement Certificate of Aircraft Registration

AC Form 8050-1 may also be used to report a change of address by the aircraft owner. The FAA issues a revised certificate at no charge. If the certificate is lost, destroyed, or mutilated, a replacement certificate may be obtained at the written request of the certi- ficate holder. Send the request and fee to AFS-750.

The request should describe the aircraft by make, model, serial number, and registration number. If operation of the aircraft is necessary before receipt of the duplicate certificate, AFS-750 may, if requested, send temporary authority by fax. You should include your full address, fax number, and contact telephone number in your request AFS-750 contact information is in the FAA Contact Informa- tion appendix on pages A1–A2 of this handbook.

Aircraft Previously Registered in a Foreign Country

If you are considering the purchase of an aircraft that is currently registered in a foreign country, you should be aware that multiple issues are involved with the registration process. You should contact AFS-750 for registration assistance.

AC Form 8050-1,

Aircraft Registration Application

AC Form 8050-1, Aircraft Registration Application, includes an information and instruction sheet.

Submit the white and green copies to AFS-750 and keep the pink copy in the aircraft as temporary authority to operate the aircraft without registration. This temporary authority is valid until the date the applicant receives the AC Form 8050-3, Certificate of Aircraft Registration, or until the date the FAA denies the application, but in no case for more than 90 days after the date of the application. Pink copy operation is valid only inside the United States. Figure 4-4 at the end of this chapter is a sample AC Form 8050-1.

If by 90 days the FAA has neither issued the Certificate of Aircraft Registration nor denied the application, the FAA Aircraft Registry may issue a letter of extension that serves as authority to continue to operate the aircraft without registration.

m CAUTION: If you plan to operate the aircraft outside the United States within 90 days of submitting your registration documents, you should contact AFS-750 to request a temporary certificate by fax, also known as a “fly wire”.

AC Form 8050-3,

Certificate of Aircraft Registration

AC Form 8050-3 is issued to the person whose name is on the application. The pink copy is valid for 90 days and is legal only in the United States.

An AC Form 8050-3 should be in the aircraft before an Airworthiness Certificate can be issued. Some of the conditions under which AC Form 8050-3 becomes invalid, as described in 14 CFR part 47, section 47.41 include:

The aircraft becomes registered under the laws of a foreign country.
The registration of the aircraft is cancelled at the written request of the holder of the certificate.
The aircraft is totally destroyed or scrapped.
The holder of the certificate loses his or her U.S. citizenship or status as a resident alien without becoming a U.S. citizen.The ownership of the aircraft is transferred.
Thirty days have elapsed since the death of the holder of the certificate.

When an aircraft is sold, destroyed, or scrapped, the owner must notify the FAA by filling in the back of AC Form 8050-3 and mailing it to AFS-750.

The U.S. registration and nationality marking should be removed from an aircraft before it is delivered to a purchaser who is not eligible to register it in the United States. The endorsed AC Form 8050-3 should be forwarded to AFS-750. AFS-750 contact information is in the FAA Contact Information appendix on pages A1–A2 of this handbook.

An AC Form 8050-6, Dealer’s Aircraft Registration Certificate, is an alternative form of registration. It is valid only for flights within the United States by the manufacturer or dealer for flight testing or demonstration for sale. It should be removed by the dealer when the aircraft is sold.

To apply for a Dealer’s Aircraft Registration Certificate, the applicant must complete AC Form 8050-5, Dealer’s Aircraft Registration Certificate Application.

m CAUTION: AC Form 8050-3 serves as conclusive evidence of nationality but it is not a title and is not evidence of ownership in any proceeding in which ownership is at issue.

Amateur-Built Aircraft

Registration and Inspection

The FAA recommends that you apply for registration of your amateur-built aircraft 60–120 days before you finish building your aircraft, and before you sub- mit FAA Form 8130-6 to the FAA. The FAA will not inspect your amateur-built aircraft before it has been registered or during construction of the aircraft.

The FAA or a Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR) in your geographical area inspects your amateur-built aircraft for general airworthiness only after you have made an application for an airworthiness certificate.

The FAA does not charge a fee to the public for inspecting amateur-built aircraft. However, FAA workload may delay inspection of your aircraft.

For this reason, the FAA staff is augmented by the use of DARs who may charge a fee for their services (14 CFR Part 183, Section 183.33(b), Designated Airworthiness Representative).

You may locate a DAR in your geographical area by reviewing the online DAR Directory. Manufacturing DARs are listed by state in the first half of the directory, and Maintenance DARs are listed by state in the second half. A DAR who has authority to inspect and certify amateur-built aircraft has the DAR Function Code “46” under his or her name. (Also see FAA Order 8100.8 (as revised), Designee Management Handbook, for designee program details.)

Light-Sport Aircraft Registration

If you purchased a newly manufactured light-sport aircraft that is to be certificated as:

An experimental light-sport aircraft under 14 CFR, part 21, section 21.191(i)(2); or
A special light-sport aircraft under 14 CFR part 21, section 21.190;

Then you must provide the following documentation to AFS-750:

AC Form 8050-88 (as revised), Light-Sport Aircraft Manufacturer’s Affidavit, completed by the light-sport aircraft manufacturer, unless previously submitted to AFS-750 by the manufacturer;
Evidence of ownership from the manufacturer for the aircraft;
AC Form 8050-1, Aircraft Registration Application; and Registration fee.

The FAA Light Sport Aviation Branch (AFS-610) or your local FSDO can assist you with questions about the registration of light-sport aircraft. AFS-610 contact information is in the FAA Contact Information appendix on pages A1–A2 of this handbook.

State Registration Requirements

Aircraft owners should remember that state registra- tion of aircraft is required in many states. You should check with your state government to ensure that you have met any applicable state registration requirements for your aircraft.

Additional Information

14 CFR part 47 specifies the requirements for registering an aircraft. For information concerning 14 CFR part 47 or any topics not discussed in this chapter, please contact AFS-750. AFS-750 contact information is in the FAA Contact Information appendix on pages A1–A2 of this handbook.

Figure 4-2. AC Form 8050-64, Assignment of Special Registration Numbers. The FAA issues AC Form 8050-64 to give you permission to place your reserved special registration number on your aircraft. You should place the special registration number on your aircraft, and then notify the FAA in accordance with the instructions provided.

Figure 4-3. AC Form 8050-2, Aircraft Bill of Sale. You can download the form and obtain instructions for completing FAA Form 8050-2 on the FAA website at www.faa.gov or from your local FSDO.

Figure 4-4. AC Form 8050-1, Aircraft Registration Application. You must use an original AC Form 8050-1 which can be obtained from AFS-750 or your local FSDO. You can obtain instructions for completing AC Form 8050-1 on the FAA website at www.faa.gov or from your local FSDO. (Be sure to print your name below your signature or your application will be rejected.)