Importing an Aircraft From the U.S. Into the UK: G-Registration, Airworthiness and Import VAT
Since leaving EASA, the UK runs its own aircraft certification system, with rules that still look very much like Europe’s but are administered entirely by the UK Civil Aviation Authority. To import an aircraft from the USA to the UK, you need an FAA export certificate that meets the UK’s requirements, a G-registration, an airworthiness review and CAA survey leading to a UK certificate of airworthiness, and clearance through UK customs with import VAT.
The process is well established, and U.S.-built types such as the Cessna 182, Piper PA-28, Beechcraft Bonanza and Cirrus SR22 are imported regularly. The details that cause delays are specific to the UK: a 60-day window on the export certificate, a required check flight and a CAA survey that has to be booked. This guide covers each step in order.
Before You Buy
Design approvals. Under the UK CAA’s published import requirements, products for use in the UK must meet the design approval and export requirements of the UK-U.S. Implementation Procedures for Airworthiness. Certain FAA design approvals are accepted automatically; others need validation and a UK CAA approval. Factory configurations of popular U.S. types are generally straightforward. Check every aftermarket STC and major modification before you commit.
Airworthiness directives. Have your UK maintenance organization compare the airplane’s AD records with the directives applicable in the UK, not just the FAA list.
Equipment. VHF radios on aircraft issued an individual certificate of airworthiness after 17 November 2013 must support 8.33 kHz channel spacing, so confirm the radios before purchase. Most Garmin-equipped Cirrus aircraft meet this, as well as the Mode S and 406 MHz ELT expectations for UK airspace. The panel generation is the best guide:
- Analog and Avidyne panels, about 1999 to 2008. The SR20s and SR22s most likely to need work. Check every radio for 8.33 kHz, the transponder for Mode S and the ELT for 406 MHz. A UAT-only ADS-B installation, common on older U.S. airplanes, does not help in the UK.
- Cirrus Perspective by Garmin, 2008 to 2016. Confirm the 8.33 kHz setting and a Mode S transponder.
- Perspective+ and later, from 2017, and the Vision Jet. Usually little beyond reprogramming the Mode S address and recoding the ELT.
Our equipment check by Cirrus generation covers each era in more detail.
The CAMO or CAO. Choose the UK continuing airworthiness organization that will perform the airworthiness review and manage the airplane. Involve it before the U.S. pre-buy, so the export inspection and the UK review look for the same things. Our guide to buying an aircraft in the U.S. from overseas covers the purchase itself.
Step by Step
1. Export certificate and deregistration in the U.S.
The airplane is inspected to UK requirements and issued an FAA Export Certificate of Airworthiness, Form 8130-4. Time this step carefully. According to the UK CAA, for a used aircraft the export certificate must have been issued within 60 days before the CAA receives the certificate of airworthiness application. If the ferry is delayed or the U.S. paperwork is done too early, the export certificate can expire for UK purposes. Our guide to exporting an aircraft from the U.S. covers the export certificate and the FAA deregistration.
2. Delivery
Most piston singles are ferried across the North Atlantic on their U.S. registration, often arriving in Scotland. See our guide to ferrying or shipping an aircraft overseas.
3. Customs and import VAT
Civil aircraft enter the UK at a 0% customs duty rate, but import VAT at 20% is due on an airplane imported for private use. It is generally calculated on the customs value, which includes transport and insurance to the UK. VAT-registered businesses using the airplane for taxable business may be able to recover it. Take advice on the structure before the import declaration is made.
4. G-registration
The airplane must be on the UK register before a certificate of airworthiness can be issued. The CAA registers it once it has evidence of ownership, evidence that the U.S. registration has been cancelled and the other documents it requires. The new registration brings a new Mode S address, so the transponder and ADS-B equipment must be reprogrammed, and the ELT recoded for the UK.
5. Airworthiness review and recommendation
The CAMO or CAO carries out an airworthiness review of the airplane and its records. For used imported aircraft, a check flight is required. The organization then sends the CAA a recommendation for the airworthiness review certificate. Some aircraft types also have additional UK requirements for importation, so ask your organization whether any apply.
6. CAA survey and certificate of airworthiness
Apply for the certificate of airworthiness online, with the transfer documentation the CAA requires. For a used aircraft imported from the U.S., expect a CAA surveyor to inspect the airplane, with the person who signed the airworthiness review available. The CAA’s service standard is 15 working days from a complete application and cleared fee to scheduling, and the survey date then depends on availability. The CAA issues the certificate of airworthiness, the airworthiness review certificate and, where required, a noise certificate.
7. Radio licence, insurance and databases
Obtain an aircraft radio licence from Ofcom, confirm insurance meets UK minimums for the airplane’s weight and switch navigation databases to the European coverage region.
Importing a Vision Jet Into the UK
A Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet follows the same steps, but its turbojet engine makes it a complex motor-powered aircraft under UK rules. A private operator must declare the operation to the CAA under Part-NCC, the airplane’s continuing airworthiness is managed by a CAMO rather than under the lighter rules for small airplanes, and pilots need the type rating on their UK license. Plan these with your CAMO before purchase.
Timeline and the 60-Day Window
Work backward from the CAA application. The export certificate must be no more than 60 days old when the CAA receives the application, and the application has to include the airworthiness review recommendation. That means the ferry, customs, registration and airworthiness review all have to fit inside roughly two months of the export certificate being issued. Book the ferry and the UK organization’s review before the U.S. export inspection, not after it.
A Landed-Cost Example
An illustrative example for a private buyer importing a used SR22 into the UK, in U.S. dollars. These are not quotes.
| Item | Illustrative cost |
|---|---|
| Purchase price | $450,000 |
| Pre-buy, export inspection and U.S. paperwork | $10,000 |
| Ferry flight with insurance and equipment | $35,000 |
| Import VAT at 20% on about $480,000 customs value | $96,000 |
| Registration, airworthiness review, CAA fees, recoding and radio licence | $9,000 |
| Landed cost before any equipment changes | about $600,000 |
Compare that total with airplanes already in the UK with VAT paid, not with the U.S. asking price. Check that “VAT paid” on a listing means UK VAT: since Brexit, an airplane with EU VAT paid that moves to the UK is normally treated as a new import, and the reverse is also true.
The N-Registration Alternative
Some UK-based owners keep their airplanes N-registered through an owner trust. It avoids the CAA certificate of airworthiness process but brings its own requirements for maintenance to FAA standards, for UK-resident pilots’ licensing and for the trust itself. It does not avoid import VAT. Decide before purchase with specialist advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you pay VAT on an aircraft imported into the UK?
Yes. Civil aircraft are imported at a 0% customs duty rate, but import VAT at 20% applies to a privately imported airplane, generally on the customs value including transport and insurance. VAT-registered businesses may be able to recover it.
How old can the export certificate of airworthiness be for a UK import?
For a used aircraft, the UK CAA requires the export certificate to have been issued within 60 days before it receives the certificate of airworthiness application.
Does an imported aircraft need a check flight in the UK?
Yes. The UK CAA requires a check flight for used imported aircraft as part of the airworthiness review before the certificate of airworthiness is issued.
How long does it take to import an aircraft from the USA to the UK?
For a well-prepared airplane, commonly six to twelve weeks from purchase to flying on G-registration. The CAA survey schedule, modifications that need UK approval and record gaps are the usual causes of delay.
The Bottom Line
Importing an aircraft from the USA to the UK is straightforward for a well-documented airplane, provided the 60-day export certificate window is managed. Choose the UK organization first, check modifications and directives before purchase, budget for 20% import VAT and book the ferry, the airworthiness review and the CAA survey as one plan.
Aerista helps UK buyers with every step on the U.S. side, from the search and records review through the pre-buy, closing, export and ferry, timed around the 60-day window and your UK organization’s review. Tell us what you are looking for, or browse the Aerista showroom.