Bringing a Foreign-Registered Aircraft to the U.S.: FAA Registration, Airworthiness and Customs

Owners bring airplanes into the U.S. for three main reasons. They are moving here. They bought an airplane abroad to fly here. Or, increasingly, they own an airplane outside the U.S. and want to sell it in the largest used-aircraft market in the world. Whatever the reason, to import an aircraft into the U.S. it has to leave its old register, join the FAA register, earn a U.S. standard airworthiness certificate and clear U.S. Customs.

For U.S.-built aircraft such as Cirrus, Cessna, Piper and Beechcraft models, the process is usually straightforward, because the airplane was designed to the FAA type certificate it has to conform to. One point surprises many owners: a U.S.-built airplane does not need an export certificate of airworthiness from the country it is leaving. The problems, when they come, are in the details: modifications approved only by a foreign authority, records that do not show what the FAA needs, equipment that does not meet U.S. airspace requirements and evidence of deregistration in the wrong form. This guide covers each step and where those problems come from.

The Process at a Glance

Start With the Records and the Modifications

Before the airplane moves, have a U.S. maintenance organization or designee review its records. The FAA looks for three things.

FAA airworthiness directive compliance. An airplane maintained outside the U.S. has been kept in compliance with its local authority’s ADs. Most FAA ADs on U.S.-designed aircraft are adopted abroad, but not always on the same terms or timing. The records need to show compliance with every applicable FAA AD, with method of compliance and next due points.

FAA approval of every modification and major repair. This is the most common problem. A change approved by a foreign authority, such as an avionics installation approved under a European design approval, is not automatically approved by the FAA. Under the bilateral agreements, the airplane’s design changes need to be validated or accepted by the FAA. For a single airplane, an unapproved modification may need FAA approval through a field approval or a validation, or it may have to be removed. List every modification early.

Records equivalent to U.S. requirements. The FAA expects records equivalent to those required by 14 CFR 91.417, including total time, life-limited part status, overhaul status, inspection status and AD status. Records kept in another language will need to be readable by the U.S. inspector, so plan for translation of the key entries. Aerista partners with PlaneFacts, an independent logbook-analysis service, which can help organize a records set so each item can be traced back to its original entry, wherever the airplane was maintained.

Bringing a U.S.-Built Airplane Back: No Export Certificate Needed

Many owners assume the first step is an export certificate of airworthiness from the authority whose register the airplane is on, and in some countries that certificate is slow and expensive to get. For a U.S.-built airplane it is usually not needed. The FAA certifies used aircraft under 14 CFR 21.183(d), which asks for evidence that the airplane conforms to its FAA type design and airworthiness directives, an inspection to the 100-hour standard and an inspection by the FAA or a designee. A foreign export certificate is not on that list. The route that relies on one, 14 CFR 21.183(c), is for aircraft manufactured in another country.

That covers the most common types, including Cessna, Piper, Beechcraft, Mooney and Cirrus models built in the U.S. to an FAA type certificate. Every Cirrus SR20, SR22, SR22T and Vision Jet qualifies. The FAA registry can be searched by serial number, which helps the designee trace an airplane’s earlier U.S. history. Some designees still ask for an export certificate, or for the records that would normally support one, so agree the paperwork with the designee who will inspect the airplane before it leaves. If the airplane already has an export certificate, it can support the application.

What the old country does need to do:

• Deregister the airplane and confirm it in writing, in the form the FAA accepts. See FAA Registration below.
• Release any liens on its register first. Depending on the country’s treaty status, the FAA will want evidence that recorded rights against the airplane have been satisfied or that their holders have consented.
• Complete any export formalities its customs authority requires for an airplane leaving permanently.

Either way, bring what a U.S. inspector will want to see: the approved flight manual and all supplements, a current weight and balance report, an equipment list, noise certification information and the complete maintenance records.

FAA Registration

Under 14 CFR 47.37, an airplane last registered in another country can be registered in the U.S. with:

• An Aircraft Registration Application, AC Form 8050-1.
• A bill of sale from the foreign seller or other evidence of ownership acceptable to the FAA.
• Evidence that the foreign registration has ended, normally a statement from the head of the foreign registry, giving the official’s name and title and identifying the airplane by make, model and serial number.
• Where the old country is party to the Geneva or Cape Town conventions, evidence that recorded interests have been discharged or their holders have consented.

The owner also has to be eligible to register an aircraft in the U.S.: a U.S. citizen, a permanent resident, or a qualifying U.S. company. A foreign owner who wants to fly or sell the airplane on the U.S. register usually uses an owner trust with a U.S. trustee. A foreign owner selling to a U.S. buyer can also keep the old registration until the sale closes and let the buyer register it, but that affects who can fly the airplane in the meantime, and the buyer’s lender and insurer will have their own views.

The Standard Airworthiness Certificate

A used airplane joining the U.S. register gets a standard airworthiness certificate under 14 CFR 21.183(d). The owner applies on FAA Form 8130-6, and the certificate is issued if:

• The airplane is registered in the U.S.
• It conforms to its FAA type design, including any STCs, and to applicable airworthiness directives.
• It has been inspected to the standard of a 100-hour inspection and found airworthy by an appropriately certificated mechanic, repair station or the manufacturer, or by a maintenance organization abroad that the FAA accepts under a bilateral agreement, within 60 days of the application.
• The FAA or its designee inspects it and finds it conforms and is in condition for safe operation.

Plan the 100-hour-standard inspection with the shop that will maintain or sell the airplane, and schedule the designee’s inspection right after it. If the airplane is being sold, a buyer’s pre-buy can often be coordinated with that inspection.

Equipment for U.S. Airspace

• ADS-B Out. Aircraft flying in most controlled airspace in the U.S. must have ADS-B Out that meets 14 CFR 91.227. Many aircraft outside the U.S. have Mode S transponders with extended squitter, but that is not the same as a compliant installation with an approved position source. Confirm compliance before the airplane is priced or delivered.
• Transponder address. The 24-bit Mode S address must be changed to the one assigned to the N-number.
• ELT. A 406 MHz ELT must be recoded for the U.S. and registered with NOAA.
• Databases and subscriptions. Navigation databases may need to be switched to the Americas coverage region, and U.S. weather and traffic services added.

Customs, Duties and Taxes

Bringing an airplane into the U.S. to stay, or to sell, is an import that must be entered with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, usually through a licensed customs broker. If it arrives flying, it also has to follow the normal arrival procedures for international flights, including advance manifests and landing at an airport of entry.

Civil aircraft have long been duty-free under the 1979 Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft, but only when the broker claims that treatment correctly. The tariff picture changed repeatedly in 2025 and 2026. According to a October 2026 analysis by Holland & Knight, civil aircraft have largely returned to duty-free treatment after the Supreme Court’s February 2026 ruling on emergency tariffs, but new measures remain possible. Check the current position with your broker before the airplane moves, and state in the purchase agreement who bears any duty.

State sales or use tax may apply where the airplane is based once it is in the U.S. The rules vary by state, so plan the delivery location and basing with a tax advisor.

How Long It Takes

For a well-documented U.S.-built airplane with no unapproved modifications, registration, inspection and certification can be completed within a few weeks of arrival. The usual delays are modifications that need FAA approval, missing or untranslated records, deregistration evidence in the wrong form and equipment that does not meet U.S. requirements. Most can be identified from the records before the airplane leaves its old country, which is when they are cheapest to solve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you pay import duty on an aircraft imported into the U.S.?

Civil aircraft are generally duty-free under the Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft when the customs broker claims that treatment, although U.S. tariff policy changed several times in 2025 and 2026. Confirm the current position with a customs broker before import, and assign responsibility for any duty in the contract.

Can a foreign owner register an aircraft with the FAA?

Not directly. FAA registration is limited to U.S. citizens, permanent residents and qualifying U.S. companies. Foreign owners commonly use an owner trust with a U.S. trustee.

Do I need an export certificate to bring a U.S.-built aircraft back to the U.S.?

Usually not. A used U.S.-built airplane, such as a Cirrus, Cessna, Piper, Beechcraft or Mooney, is certified under 14 CFR 21.183(d) on evidence of conformity, an inspection to the 100-hour standard and an inspection by the FAA or a designee. The old authority has to deregister the airplane, but an export certificate of airworthiness from it is not required. Some designees ask for one anyway, so agree the paperwork before the airplane moves.

What inspection does an imported aircraft need?

A used aircraft needs an inspection to the standard of a 100-hour inspection, performed by an appropriately certificated mechanic or repair station, and an inspection by the FAA or a designee before a standard airworthiness certificate is issued.

What is the most common problem when importing an aircraft into the U.S.?

Modifications or repairs approved only by a foreign authority. Every design change on the airplane must be approved or accepted by the FAA, so review the modification list before the airplane leaves its old country.

The Bottom Line

Importing an aircraft into the U.S. is mostly paperwork for a well-kept U.S.-built airplane: deregister abroad, register with the FAA, inspect to the 100-hour standard, obtain the airworthiness certificate and enter it through customs. Review the records and modifications before the airplane moves, and the rest follows.

Aerista helps owners outside the U.S. bring their airplanes into the U.S. market, coordinating the import and certification and then marketing the airplane to U.S. buyers. If you are weighing a move, talk to us about your airplane. Our sellers page explains how we work, and for the reverse direction see our guides to exporting an aircraft from the U.S. and ferrying or shipping an aircraft overseas.