Cayman Islands aircraft registration

How much is aircraft registration in the Cayman Islands?Link to this section#

The registration fee is the charge the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands levies under the Air Navigation (Fees) Regulations for registration and its certificate: Registration and its certificate cost CI$500, plus a first airworthiness certificate priced by weight and surveyor time at CI$250 an hour.?The Air Navigation (Fees) Regulations, 2010 (Cayman Islands), made under the Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) Order 2007, S.I. 2007 No. 3468, Supplement No. 17 published with Gazette No. 22 dated 25 October 2010, CAACI's published copywww.caacayman.com · regs. 9(1), 9(4)×Retrieved 2026-09-01Open source ↗!Informational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. There is no annual registration fee; the recurring charge under the same Regulations is the Certificate of Airworthiness renewal: There is no annual registration fee; the recurring charge is the Certificate of Airworthiness renewal, from CI$1,000 a year.?The Air Navigation (Fees) Regulations, 2010 (Cayman Islands), made under the Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) Order 2007, S.I. 2007 No. 3468, Supplement No. 17 published with Gazette No. 22 dated 25 October 2010, CAACI's published copywww.caacayman.com · reg. 11(1)×Retrieved 2026-08-29Open source ↗!Informational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. Continuing airworthiness runs on the Overseas Territories Aviation Requirements: Continuing airworthiness runs on Overseas Territories Aviation Requirements (OTAR) Part 39 rather than an EASA-style continuing airworthiness management organization (CAMO), with a named Technical Coordinator for private aircraft.?Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands, Airworthiness: Continuing Airworthinesswww.caacayman.com×Retrieved 2026-08-12Open source ↗!Informational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. WhichFlagToFly lists each line with its source and check date in the Cayman Islands aircraft fee rows.

Is the Cayman Islands an EASA register?Link to this section#

No. The Cayman Islands is outside the EASA system; the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands regulates under the Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) Order and accepts named foreign approvals: Not an EASA state: it runs UK Overseas Territories rules and accepts EASA, FAA and Canadian approvals. Only commercial EU flights need EASA clearance.?Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands, Legislation (Air Navigation Order)www.caacayman.com×Retrieved 2026-08-29Open source ↗!Informational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. Article 83bis transfers are available to the Overseas Territories but gated by a UK entrustment under Air Safety Support International's policy statement: Article 83bis agreements are available and Cayman has at least one, with Saudi Arabia, covering three commercial operators; each new one needs separate UK government permission first.?Air Safety Support International Ltd, Policy Statement 40, 'The Use of Article 83bis Agreements in the Overseas Territories', Issue 5.00, 8 December 2022www.airsafety.aero · para. 1×Retrieved 2026-09-01Effective 2018-07-16Open source ↗!Informational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. The Cayman Islands EASA row carries the Order reference.

Can a commercial operator use the Cayman Islands register?Link to this section#

Yes, under a separate part of the Overseas Territories Aviation Requirements: the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands keeps private-category aircraft out of hire-or-reward operations and requires an Air Operator Certificate for commercial work: Private aircraft register under Overseas Territories Aviation Requirements (OTAR) Part 125; flying for hire or reward needs an Air Operator Certificate under OTAR Part 121 or 135.?Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands, Aircraft Registration Process (page last modified 2025-06-06)www.caacayman.com×Retrieved 2026-08-12Open source ↗!Informational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. The Authority also applies a weight policy and a consultative age policy to the aircraft itself: No fixed age limit, but the aircraft normally has to weigh more than 5,700 kg (12,500 lb), and 1990-or-earlier aircraft need a prior inquiry.?Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands, Aircraft Registration Process (page last modified 2025-06-06)www.caacayman.com×Retrieved 2026-08-29Open source ↗!Informational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. The Cayman Islands operations row quotes the Authority.

How long does Cayman Islands aircraft registration take?Link to this section#

Registration time on the Cayman Islands Aircraft Registry runs in two phases the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands describes: due diligence on the registering owner, then aircraft documents and survey: Registration normally takes 3 to 6 weeks: about 2 to 3 days of due diligence, then documents and a two-day survey.?Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands, Aircraft Registration Process (page last modified 2025-06-06)www.caacayman.com · Summary of the Registration Process (Phases 1 and 2)×Retrieved 2026-09-12Open source ↗!Informational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. The Cayman registration mark is set under the Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) Order: Cayman marks are five letters starting VP-C, and a chosen mark can be reserved for CI$500, refunded if the application arrives within three months; VQ-C is the separate block the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands (CAACI) keeps for lessors' transition aircraft.?Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands, Aircraft Registration Process (page last modified 2025-06-06)www.caacayman.com×Retrieved 2026-09-01Open source ↗!Informational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. The Cayman Islands timeline row carries the Authority's process description.

What does a financed aircraft need on the Cayman Islands register?Link to this section#

The Cape Town Convention and its Aircraft Protocol are in force for the Cayman Islands by territorial extension of the United Kingdom's ratification, and IDERA filings go to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands: The Cape Town Convention has applied to the Cayman Islands since 1 November 2015; irrevocable de-registration and export request authorization (IDERA) filings go to the registry, notarized, for CI$250.?Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands, Mortgaging of Aircraft (page last modified 2021-04-12)www.caacayman.com×Retrieved 2026-08-29Effective 2015-11-01Open source ↗!Informational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. Aircraft mortgages go on the Cayman Islands Register of Aircraft Mortgages under the Mortgaging of Aircraft Regulations, for aircraft already on the register: Mortgage registration costs CI$1,250 to CI$5,000 by sum secured, and the aircraft must be on the Cayman register first.?The Air Navigation (Fees) Regulations, 2010 (Cayman Islands), made under the Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) Order 2007, S.I. 2007 No. 3468, Supplement No. 17 published with Gazette No. 22 dated 25 October 2010, CAACI's published copywww.caacayman.com · reg. 9(2)×Retrieved 2026-09-01Open source ↗!Informational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. The Cayman Islands Cape Town row carries the instrument references.

Can a non-resident own an aircraft registered in the Cayman Islands?Link to this section#

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands tests the owner against a qualified-person rule, with a narrower private route open to an unqualified owner resident in the Islands. The rule as published: Owners must be UK, Commonwealth (Cayman included), EEA or Swiss nationals or companies based there; an unqualified owner resident in Cayman may register for private use only, and a qualifying demise charterer can register instead.?The Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/2870), article 16, current consolidated text on legislation.gov.ukwww.legislation.gov.uk · art. 16(1)×Retrieved 2026-08-29Effective 2021-07-22Open source ↗!Informational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. The Cayman eligibility row carries the Overseas Territories requirement.

How do I transfer an aircraft to the Cayman Islands register?Link to this section#

Two authorities act in a transfer: one removes the aircraft and frees its marks, and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands enters it and certifies it afresh. What the Authority requires before removal: Deregistration costs CI$500 plus actual costs, the account with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands (CAACI) must be settled first, and every registered mortgagee or the holder of an irrevocable de-registration and export request authorization (IDERA) has to consent.?Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands, Deregistration Process (page last modified 2023-10-02)www.caacayman.com×Retrieved 2026-08-29Open source ↗!Informational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. The Cayman deregistration row carries the consents. The two charges that bracket a transfer:

Does the Cayman Islands charge import duty on an aircraft?Link to this section#

Import duty attaches to the territory an aircraft is imported into rather than to the register it flies under, and an aircraft based elsewhere may never be imported at all. What the Cayman Islands charges on an aircraft brought in: The Cayman Islands has no VAT; import duty of 22 percent applies to a non-commercial aircraft imported into the Islands, executive jets included, but not to aircraft used exclusively on international voyages.?Cayman Islands Customs Tariff Act (2026 Revision), Supplement No. 3 published with Legislation Gazette No. 5 of 3 February 2026, revised as at 31 December 2025legislation.gov.ky · Schedule 1, heading 88.02×Retrieved 2026-08-29Open source ↗!Informational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. The Cayman import row carries the tariff.

How should an owner choose whether to register an aircraft in the Cayman Islands?Link to this section#

Three inputs decide whether the Cayman Islands Aircraft Registry fits an aircraft: whether the owner qualifies under the Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) Order or registers through a demise charterer; whether it flies privately or needs an Air Operator Certificate; and where it will be based, which sets the customs duty exposure. An owner takes those to a professional with the Civil Aviation Authority's positions beside them.