Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. You Must Have Your Certificate When Operating It 
You must have your FAA registration certificate readily accessible when operating an unmanned aircraft or drone. 

Use this link to apply for your aircraft FAA registration. 
More Than Help With Your Aircraft FAA Registration
The National Aviation Center is here to support aircraft owners nationwide in ensuring they meet legal requirements to take flight and remain compliant. From initial registration and renewals to replacements and beyond, our site simplifies the process for your convenience.

The following regulations may be relevant to your needs:
Subpart A—General
§ 47.1 Applicability.
This part prescribes the requirements for registering aircraft under 49 U.S.C. 44101-44104. Subpart B applies to each applicant for, and holder of, a Certificate of Aircraft Registration, AC Form8050-3. Subpart C applies to each applicant for, and holder of, a Dealer's Aircraft Registration Certificate, AC Form 8050-6.

[Amdt. 47-29, 75 FR 41979, July 20, 2010]
§ 47.2 Definitions.
The following are definitions of terms used in this part:

Citizen of the United States or U.S. citizen means one of the following:

(1) An individual who is a citizen of the United States or one of its possessions.

(2) A partnership each of whose partners is an individual who is a citizen of the United States.

(3) A corporation or association organized under the laws of the United States or a State, the District of Columbia, or a territory or possession of the United States, of which the president and at least two-thirds of the board of directors and other managing officers are citizens of the United States, which is under the actual control of citizens of the United States, and in which at least 75 percent of the voting interest is owned or controlled by persons that are citizens of the United States.

Registry means the FAA, Civil Aviation Registry, Aircraft Registration Branch.

Resident alien means an individual citizen of a foreign country lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States as an immigrant in conformity with the regulations of the Department of Homeland Security (8 CFR Chapter 1).

[Doc. No. FAA-2015-7396; Amdt. 47-30, 80 FR 78645, Dec. 16, 2015]
§ 47.3 Registration required.
(a) An aircraft may be registered under 49 U.S.C. 44103 only when the aircraft is not registered under the laws of a foreign country and is—

(1) Owned by a citizen of the United States;

(2) Owned by an individual citizen of a foreign country lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States;

(3) Owned by a corporation not a citizen of the United States when the corporation is organized and doing business under the laws of the United States or a State within the United States, and the aircraft is based and primarily used in the United States; or

(4) An aircraft of—

(i) The United States Government; or

(ii) A State, the District of Columbia, a territory or possession of the United States, or a political subdivision of a State, territory, or possession.

(b) No person may operate an aircraft that is eligible for registration under 49 U.S.C. 44101-44104, unless the aircraft—

(1) Has been registered by its owner;

(2) Is carrying aboard the temporary authorization required by § 47.31(c); or

(3) Is an aircraft of the Armed Forces of the United States.

(c) Governmental units are those named in paragraph (a) of this section and Puerto Rico.

[Doc. No. 7190, 31 FR 4495, Mar. 17, 1966, as amended by Amdt. 47-20, 44 FR 61939, Oct. 29, 1979; Amdt. 47-27, 70 FR 244, Jan. 3, 2005; Amdt. 47-29, 75 FR 41979, July 20, 2010; Doc. No. FAA-2015-7396; Amdt. 47-30, 80 FR 78645, Dec. 16, 2015]
§ 47.5 Applicants.
(a) A person who wishes to register an aircraft in the United States must submit an Aircraft Registration Application, AC Form 8050-1 under this part.

(b) An aircraft may be registered only by and in the legal name of its owner.

(c) 49 U.S.C. 44103(c), provides that registration is not evidence of ownership of 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, AC Form 8050-3. The FAA issues a Certificate of Aircraft Registration, AC Form 8050-3 to the person who appears to be the owner on the basis of the evidence of ownership submitted pursuant to § 47.11 with the Aircraft Registration Application, or recorded at the Registry.

(d) In this part, “owner” includes a buyer in possession, a bailee, or a lessee of an aircraft under a contract of conditional sale, and the assignee of that person.

[Amdt. 47-20, 44 FR 61939, Oct. 29, 1979, as amended by Amdt. 47-27, 70 FR 244, Jan. 3, 2005; Amdt. 47-29, 75 FR 41979, July 20, 2010]
§ 47.7 United States citizens and resident aliens.
(a) U.S. citizens. An applicant for aircraft registration under this part who is a U.S. citizen must certify to this in the Aircraft Registration Application, AC Form 8050-1.

(b) Resident aliens. An applicant for aircraft registration under 49 U.S.C. 44102 who is a resident alien must furnish a representation of permanent residence and the applicant's alien registration number issued by the Department of Homeland Security.

(c) Trustees. An applicant for aircraft registration under 49 U.S.C. 44102 that holds legal title to an aircraft in trust must comply with the following requirements:

(1) Each trustee must be either a U.S. citizen or a resident alien.

(2) The applicant must submit with the Aircraft Registration Application—

(i) A copy of each document legally affecting a relationship under the trust;

(ii) If each beneficiary under the trust, including each person whose security interest in the aircraft is incorporated in the trust, is either a U.S. citizen or a resident alien, an affidavit by the applicant to that effect; and

(iii) If any beneficiary under the trust, including any person whose security interest in the aircraft is incorporated in the trust, is not a U.S. citizen or resident alien, an affidavit from each trustee stating that the trustee is not aware of any reason, situation, or relationship (involving beneficiaries or other persons who are not U.S. citizens or resident aliens) as a result of which those persons together would have more than 25 percent of the aggregate power to influence or limit the exercise of the trustee's authority.

(3) If persons who are neither U.S. citizens nor resident aliens have the power to direct or remove a trustee, either directly or indirectly through the control of another person, the trust instrument must provide that those persons together may not have more than 25 percent of the aggregate power to direct or remove a trustee. Nothing in this paragraph prevents those persons from having more than 25 percent of the beneficial interest in the trust.

(d) Partnerships. A partnership may apply for a Certificate of Aircraft Registration, AC Form 8050-3, under 49 U.S.C. 44102 only if each partner, whether a general or limited partner, is an individual who is a citizen of the United States. Nothing in this section makes ineligible for registration an aircraft which is not owned as a partnership asset but is co-owned by—

(1) Resident aliens; or

(2) One or more resident aliens and one or more U.S. citizens.

[Amdt. 47-20, 44 FR 61939, Oct. 29, 1979, as amended by Amdt. 47-27, 70 FR 244, Jan. 3, 2005; Amdt. 47-29, 75 FR 41980, July 20, 2010; Doc. No. FAA-2015-7396; Amdt. 47-30, 80 FR 78645, Dec. 16, 2015]
§ 47.8 Voting trusts.
(a) If a voting trust is used to qualify a domestic corporation as a U.S. citizen, the corporate applicant must submit to the Registry—

(1) A true copy of the fully executed voting trust agreement, which must identify each voting interest of the applicant, and which must be binding upon each voting trustee, the applicant corporation, all foreign stockholders, and each other party to the transaction; and

(2) An affidavit executed by each person designated as voting trustee in the voting trust agreement, in which each affiant represents—

(i) That each voting trustee is a citizen of the United States within the meaning of 49 U.S.C. 40102(a)(15).

(ii) That each voting trustee is not a past, present, or prospective director, officer, employee, attorney, or agent of any other party to the trust agreement;

(iii) That each voting trustee is not a present or prospective beneficiary, creditor, debtor, supplier or contractor of any other party to the trust agreement;

(iv) That each voting trustee is not aware of any reason, situation, or relationship under which any other party to the agreement might influence the exercise of the voting trustee's totally independent judgment under the voting trust agreement.

(b) Each voting trust agreement submitted under paragraph (a)(1) of this section must provide for the succession of a voting trustee in the event of death, disability, resignation, termination of citizenship, or any other event leading to the replacement of any voting trustee. Upon succession, the replacement voting trustee shall immediately submit to the Registry the affidavit required by paragraph (a)(2) of this section.

(c) If the voting trust terminates or is modified, and the result is less than 75 percent control of the voting interest in the corporation by citizens of the United States, a loss of citizenship of the holder of the Certificate of Aircraft Registration, AC Form 8050-3 occurs, and § 47.41(a)(3) of this part applies.

(d) A voting trust agreement may not empower a trustee to act through a proxy.

[Amdt. 47-20, 44 FR 61939, Oct. 29, 1979, as amended by Amdt. 47-27, 70 FR 245, Jan. 3, 2005; Amdt. 47-29, 75 FR 41980, July 20, 2010]
§ 47.9 Corporations not U.S. citizens.
(a) Each corporation applying for registration of an aircraft under 49 U.S.C. 44102 must submit to the Registry with the Aircraft Registration Application, AC Form 8050-1—

(1) A certified copy of its certificate of incorporation;

(2) A certification that it is lawfully qualified to do business in one or more States;

(3) A certification that the aircraft will be based and primarily used in the United States; and

(4) The location where the records required by paragraph (e) of this section will be maintained.

(b) For the purposes of registration, an aircraft is based and primarily used in the United States if the flight hours accumulated within the United States amount to at least 60 percent of the total flight hours of the aircraft during the period consisting in the remainder of the registration month and the succeeding 6 calendar months and each 6 calendar month period thereafter.

(c) For the purpose of this section, only those flight hours accumulated during non-stop (except for stops in emergencies or for purposes of refueling) flight between two points in the United States, even if the aircraft is outside of the United States during part of the flight, are considered flight hours accumulated within the United States.

(d) In determining compliance with this section, any periods during which the aircraft is not validly registered in the United States are disregarded.

(e) The corporation that registers an aircraft pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 44102 shall maintain, and make available for inspection by the FAA upon request, records containing the total flight hours in the United States of the aircraft for three calendar years after the year in which the flight hours were accumulated.

(f) The corporation that registers an aircraft pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 44102 shall send to the Registry, at the end of each period of time described in paragraphs (b)(1) and (2) of this section, either—

(1) A signed report containing—

(i) The total time in service of the airframe as provided in § 91.417(a)(2)(i), accumulated during that period; and

(ii) The total flight hours in the United States of the aircraft accumulated during that period; or

(2) A signed statement that the total flight hours of the aircraft, while registered in the United States during that period, have been exclusively within the United States.

[Amdt. 47-20, 44 FR 61940, Oct. 29, 1979, as amended by Amdt. 47-24, 54 FR 34330, Aug. 18, 1989; Amdt. 47-27, 70 FR 245, Jan. 3, 2005; Amdt. 47-29, 75 FR 41979, July 20, 2010; Amdt. No. 47-34, 87 FR 75711, Dec. 9, 2022; 88 FR 2813, Jan. 18, 2023]

An N-number is the registration number for an aircraft registered in the United States.
It's a unique identifier assigned by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The "N" stands for "National" and is followed by a combination of numbers and letters.

Airplane tail numbers are essentially the unique identification codes assigned to aircraft. They are similar to license plates for cars.


Purpose: They are used to identify specific aircraft for air traffic control, regulatory purposes, and for tracking ownership and maintenance records.
Location: Typically displayed on the tail of the aircraft, but can also be found on the fuselage.
Format: Varies by country, but generally consists of a combination of letters and numbers.

The "N" in US tail numbers stands for "National".

It was assigned to the United States under the International Air Navigation Convention held in 1919. This convention established a system of international aircraft identification, with each country being allocated a specific letter.

N-numbers, the registration numbers for U.S. aircraft, adhere to specific guidelines:


Format: Consists of the letter "N" followed by one to five alphanumeric characters.
Numeric Start: The initial character must be a number (excluding zero).
Character Limit: The total number of characters (excluding the "N") cannot exceed five.
Letter Placement: Letters can be placed at the end of the number, with a maximum of two letters.
Reserved Numbers: N1 to N99 are reserved for FAA use.
Obsolete Prefixes: NC, NX, NR, and NL are no longer issued.

An Aircraft Security Agreement is a legal document that establishes a security interest in an aircraft. This means that the aircraft is used as collateral to secure a loan or other financial obligation.

In the United States, aircraft registration is now valid for seven years.

This means that if you registered your aircraft after January 23, 2023, you won't need to renew it until seven years from the date of initial registration.

If your aircraft registration expired before January 23, 2023, it was valid for three years.

An Airworthiness Certificate is an official document issued by a civil aviation authority that certifies an aircraft is in airworthy condition. This means it meets the required safety standards for flight.

Essentially, it's like a driver's license for an aircraft. Without a valid Airworthiness Certificate, an aircraft cannot legally fly.

American Citizens and Foreign Country Citizens Lawfully Admitted for US Permanent Residence

United States citizens can register an aircraft, as can individual citizens of foreign countries who have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence in America. 

Additionally, a corporation can register an aircraft if the corporation is organized and doing business under American laws or in a State within America, provided that the aircraft is both primarily used in America or based in the country. 

Use the following link for FAA registration. 

An aircraft abstract is typically a concise summary of an aircraft's technical data and specifications. It provides essential information about the aircraft's design, performance, and capabilities.

No, you may not operate a U.S.-registered aircraft in the U.S. unless you possess a U.S. pilot license (certificate).

You can record a security agreement against an aircraft by filling out our Aircraft Security Agreement form.

Processing time is generally 12 to 16 weeks after documents are received. In compliance with statutory requirements, documents are processed in the order in which they are received.

An aircraft is eligible for U.S. Registration if it is not registered in another country and it is owned by:

An individual who is a United States citizen,
A partnership each of whose partners is an individual who is a U.S. citizen,
A corporation or association:
organized under the laws of the U.S. or a State, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory or possession,
of which the president and at least two-thirds of the board of directors and other managing officers are U.S citizens, and
in which at least 75% of the voting interest is owned or controlled by persons that are U.S. citizens,
An individual citizen of a foreign country lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the U.S.,
A U.S. governmental unit or subdivision
A non-U.S. citizen corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the U.S. or one of the States as long as the aircraft is based and primarily used in the U.S. (60% of all flight hours must be from flights starting and ending within the U.S.)

If you are registering an aircraft for the first time, you will need to submit a form for Initial Registration.

General aviation aircraft are aircraft operated under 14 CFR part 91 rules, which could be any category of airplane, including transport category and rotorcraft.  Additionally, airplanes operated under 14 CFR parts121 and 135, which may include small airplanes, are not considered General Aviation aircraft when operated under these rules.

The regulations do not consider physical cleaning of an aircraft as maintenance or preventative maintenance.  However, when preparing the aircraft for cleaning requires removal of components or protection of components, that may fall under the definition of maintenance or preventative maintenance.  For example, before cleaning an aircraft, it may be necessary to close and secure the upper and lower fan cowl doors on a transport category aircraft.  The FAA considers the closing and securing of the engine fan cowl doors maintenance.  Additionally, after the cleaning process, it may be necessary to reapply lubrication compounds and preservatives to aircraft components, both of which could be considered maintenance/preventative maintenance.  Conversely, we do not consider cleaning seat cushions/covers maintenance or preventative maintenance.

14 CFR part 1 defines a small aircraft as an aircraft of 12,500 lbs or less maximum certificated take-off weight.  Therefore, any airplane, including transport category airplanes, could be considered small by the Part 1 definition if the airplane is less than 12,500 lbs.

You may contact your nearest FAA Aircraft Certification Office with questions about airworthiness of an aircraft.

You can record an aircraft claim of lien by filling out our Claim of Lien form.