FAA Aircraft Registration Apostille

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Issuing agency

Federal Aviation Administration (Civil Aviation Registry)

We can obtain it?

No — you order certified records from the FAA registry

Certification first?

Yes — certified copies from the FAA registry

Also known as

aircraft title, registration certificate, N-number records, CofR

Cross-border aircraft transactions run on paperwork, and foreign civil aviation authorities won't register an aircraft on a U.S. seller's word alone. Certified FAA registration and title records — authenticated — are what satisfy them.

Timing matters more here than on almost any document we handle, because the registration chain and the money usually move together at closing.

What FAA aircraft records are

The FAA Civil Aviation Registry in Oklahoma City maintains the U.S. aircraft registry — registration, ownership, and recorded security interests for every N-numbered aircraft. It issues certified copies of those records, bearing the registry's certification, which is what makes them usable as legal evidence abroad rather than informational printouts.

A free lookup on the FAA's public registry site is useful for checking details, but it carries no certification and no foreign authority will accept it.

Why it needs an apostille abroad

A foreign civil aviation authority cannot verify U.S. registry records independently. The apostille certifies the FAA registry's certification and seal as genuine across the 120-plus Hague Convention countries. Non-Hague destinations require that authentication followed by embassy or consulate legalization.

Ordering certified copies from the FAA registry

Certified copies are ordered from the FAA Civil Aviation Registry, with fees per record. Be specific about what you need — registration, title and ownership records, lien or security-interest records, or a deregistration certificate — because these are separate items and foreign authorities ask for particular ones.

Once the certified copies arrive, send them to us and we authenticate them together.

Which records you'll need

It depends on the transaction, but an export or foreign-registration file commonly involves:

• Certificate of Registration — the current U.S. registration.
• Title and ownership records — the chain of ownership from the registry.
• Lien / security interest records — evidence of recorded encumbrances, or that none exist.
• Deregistration certificate — issued when the aircraft comes off the U.S. registry, and normally required before a foreign authority will register it.

Foreign registries differ on exactly what they want apostilled. Tell us the destination and we'll confirm the set — and authenticate them as a batch, which is faster and cheaper than one at a time.

Document preparation requirements

• Order certified copies from the FAA registry — not public lookup printouts.
• Submit them exactly as certified, with certification intact.
• Do not notarize them — a notary can't certify a federal record.
• Don't laminate, staple across the certification, highlight, or annotate.
• Tell us the destination and closing date up front — they determine the route and schedule.

The step-by-step process

1. Tell us destination and closing date

   The buyer's authority and your timeline determine which records are needed and how fast the chain has to run.

2. Order certified copies

   Request the required records from the FAA Civil Aviation Registry.

3. Send them to us & we review

   We verify each certification is in a form the Department of State will authenticate.

4. Federal authentication in D.C.

   We hand-deliver the certified records to the Office of Authentications, batched where possible.

5. Apostilles issued

   You receive apostilles (Hague) or authentication certificates (non-Hague) on each record.

6. Embassy legalization & translation, if required

   For non-Hague destinations we handle legalization, and arrange certified translation where the aviation authority requires it.

Common rejection reasons — and how to avoid them

Common uses

• Aircraft export and international sale — evidencing ownership and registration to the buyer's authority.
• Foreign aircraft registration — placing the aircraft on another country's registry.
• Financing and leasing — where a lender or lessor abroad requires verified records.
• Lien and title verification — proving encumbrances or their absence in a cross-border deal.

Hague vs. non-Hague countries

Pick your destination below, or see all countries we serve.

Official references: FAA — Aircraft Registration · U.S. Department of State — Authenticate Your Document. Government fees are set by these agencies and are separate from our service fee.