For nearly a century, the Federal Aviation Administration allowed aircraft to be registered once, without the necessity for a renewal, until or unless the aircraft was de-registered. The FAA passed a new rule on July 20, 2010 that became effective October 1, 2010, and it requires all aircraft to:
1) Re-Register every three years
A) All current U.S. registered aircraft or those registered prior to October 1, 2010 have been assigned a date on which their certificates of registration will expire. The expiration date is based on the month in which the aircraft was registered to the current owner. All aircraft owners must re-register their aircraft pursuant to the schedule set forth in the Final Rule. The schedule provides for the re-registration of all U.S. registered aircraft for a period of three years.
B) All certificates issued by the FAA after October 1, 2010 including those issued for re-registered aircraft will state an expiration date and will be valid for a period of three years.
2) Renewal
A) All aircraft registrations issued after October 1, 2010 must be renewed prior to the expiration date stated on the certificate of registration. No registration will be valid for longer than three years.
Additional Resources of Information:
Insured Aircraft Title Service, Inc. (ask for IATS Advisory for Re-Registration and Renewal)
