Aircraft Import Process: Bringing a Foreign-Registered Aircraft to the US

What does it actually take to import a foreign-registered aircraft into the US?

Five gates: deregister from the source country, confirm FAA type certification, clear US Customs, pass a conformity inspection by an FAA-authorized Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR), and receive an N-number from the FAA Aircraft Registry in Oklahoma City. Each gate has a paper trail and a cost, and skipping ahead on any of them stalls the transaction.

The order matters. You cannot get an N-number until the aircraft is deregistered from its prior registry, you cannot fly it commercially in the US until it has a standard airworthiness certificate in the transport category (or equivalent), and you cannot legally land it in the country without a customs entry. Most first-time importers underestimate how long the paperwork takes — not the inspection itself.

How long does the import process take end-to-end?

Plan on 60 to 120 days from contract signing to N-number issuance, with 90 days a realistic median for a clean transaction on a popular type. Aircraft already on an EASA registry (M-, 2-, 9H-, D-) with strong records typically move faster than those coming off less common registries.

The pacing items are predictable: the prior registry's deregistration confirmation (5-30 days depending on the country), the conformity inspection scheduling (DARs are booked weeks out for transport-category work), and the FAA Registry's own processing in Oklahoma City, which has run anywhere from 3 days to 8 weeks depending on backlog. Budget extra time if the aircraft has a complicated mod history or if log entries are not in English.

Which aircraft are actually eligible for FAA import?

The aircraft must hold an FAA type certificate or be eligible for one through bilateral acceptance, and the specific serial number must be capable of being brought into US conformity. Most modern Gulfstream, Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer, Textron, and Airbus/Boeing business types are straightforward because the type certificates are already held by the FAA or covered under bilateral agreements with EASA, TCCA, and ANAC.

Where it gets ugly: European-only types with no FAA type certificate (some Pilatus PC-12 early serials configured to European specs, certain Socata models, older Russian and Ukrainian types), aircraft with cabin modifications approved only under foreign STCs that have no FAA equivalent, and aircraft with avionics installations that do not meet US FARs. A pre-contract eligibility check with a DAR and a technical rep familiar with the type is non-negotiable. Discovering at the conformity inspection that a foreign STC will not convert is the single most expensive mistake in this process.

What does a US conformity inspection actually involve?

A Designated Airworthiness Representative authorized by the FAA inspects the aircraft against its US type certificate data sheet (TCDS), reviews all logs and maintenance records, verifies every modification has FAA approval or an equivalent acceptance path, and confirms the aircraft is in airworthy condition. The output is the standard airworthiness certificate in the transport (or normal) category — the document that lets the aircraft be operated under FAR Part 91 or Part 135.

Costs run $25K to $75K for the DAR's work on a typical large-cabin jet, and that is separate from the pre-purchase inspection you should already be running at an authorized service center. Common findings: foreign STCs requiring FAA field approval (each can run $15K-$50K plus engineering), placards and markings that need US equivalents, emergency equipment that does not meet FAR 91.207 or 91.513, and ELT installations that need 406 MHz US-coded units.

What does US Customs and duty look like?

The aircraft must enter through a designated port of entry with CBP Form 7501 filed, and most business jets enter duty-free under HTSUS 8802.40.00 for civil aircraft weighing over 15,000 kg empty. Smaller aircraft and turboprops can carry duty, and the calculation is based on declared transaction value, so the bill of sale and the way the deal is structured matter.

Use a customs broker who has done aircraft entries — not a generalist. Mistakes on the entry filing create problems that surface months later. Budget $3K-$8K for the broker, plus any duty owed. State sales and use tax is a separate, sometimes much larger, issue: a $40M jet entering in a state with no aircraft exemption can generate seven-figure tax exposure. This is why aircraft routinely close in Delaware, Oregon, Montana, or via a fly-away exemption — coordinate with your aviation tax counsel before the aircraft lands.

How is the title cleared and the N-number assigned?

Title is cleared by recording the bill of sale and security interests with the FAA Aircraft Registry in Oklahoma City, after the prior country issues its deregistration confirmation. The escrow agent (Insured Aircraft Title Service, AIC Title, or Aerospace Reports are the dominant players) handles the simultaneous transfer: prior registry deregisters, FAA accepts the bill of sale, and the N-number is assigned or reserved.

You can reserve a specific N-number in advance for $10, which most buyers do. The mechanics are straightforward but timing-sensitive — there is a window where the aircraft is on no registry at all, and it cannot be flown during that window. Most import flights are structured as either a final ferry flight on the foreign registry into the US under a special flight authorization, or a post-N-number positioning flight from a bonded location.

What does the all-in cost actually look like?

Beyond the purchase price, budget $40K-$150K in hard import costs on a mid-to-large cabin jet: DAR conformity inspection $25K-$75K, pre-purchase inspection at an authorized service center $50K-$150K (overlapping but separate work), escrow and closing $5K-$15K, customs broker $3K-$8K, ferry flight and crew $15K-$50K depending on origin, and legal/tax counsel $15K-$40K.

Then the variable costs: any field approvals or STC conversions identified at conformity ($15K-$200K+), squawk rectification from the pre-purchase (the industry rule of thumb is roughly 70% of PPIs surface $50K+ in findings), and first-year US insurance, which loads 50-200% on first-time owners until they build a US claims history. Build all of this into your offer before you sign — not after the conformity inspection surfaces a $180K field approval requirement.

When does importing make sense versus buying a US-registered aircraft?

Importing makes sense when the foreign-registered aircraft is priced 10-20% below comparable US-market inventory, the type and serial are clean for FAA acceptance, and you have the time to absorb a 90-day close. It rarely makes sense for buyers who need to be operating within 60 days, for types with thin FAA precedent, or for aircraft with heavy foreign-STC modification histories. Run the import math — including the carrying cost of capital during the delay — against current US-registered comparables on AMSTAT and JetNet before committing.