Who may register an aircraft
Who may register an aircraft across every register we track for aircraft.
What is meant by who may register an aircraft?
Who the registry accepts as registered owner or operator: a citizen, resident, local company, trust, or foreign owner via a local representative.
Why does who may register an aircraft matter when choosing a register?
Eligibility decides whether a flag is open to you at all, and it usually sets the ownership structure, and the cost of that structure, before any fee is paid.
Every register for aircraft, side by side
Where a register has not published an answer, none is shown, and where the only figure available is an estimate, it is labeled as one.
| Register | Answer |
|---|---|
| ArubaThe Registry of Aruba | Aruba residents, Aruban companies, or companies of the EU, EEA, Switzerland, Canada, the UK, the USA or a listed state may register; no Aruban company needed.Regeling inschrijving en inschrijvingskenmerk (ministeriele regeling ter uitvoering van artikel 6 van de Luchtvaartverordening, AB 1991 no. GT 36), Centraal Wettenregister consolidated text of 4 October 2024, incorporating AB 1993 no. 47, AB 1997 nos. 9 and 10, AB 2014 no. 15, AB 2018 no. 28, AB 2019 no. 33, AB 2021 no. 142 and AB 2023 no. 53, published by the Government of Aruba via gobierno.aw (index page https://www.gobierno.aw/nl/0907-luchtvaart), articles 2 to 3d, read together with The Registry of Aruba, 'Registration Framework' (Documents / Registration / Registration Framework) on registration by domicile and with The Registry of Aruba, circular DOM 01 'Aruba Enacts New Aircraft Registration Legislation', Rev. 3 | 2022, Annex 1, for the annexed list of qualifying statescuatro.sim-cdn.nl · art. 2, eerste lidRetrieved 2026-08-29Open sourceInformational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. |
| BermudaBermuda Aircraft Registry | Commonwealth, EEA or Swiss citizens, nationals and companies may own a Bermuda aircraft; others use a Bermuda company or a demise charter.The Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013 No. 2870), latest available revised text, legislation.gov.uk, The National Archiveswww.legislation.gov.uk · art. 16(1)Retrieved 2026-08-29Effective 2021-07-22Open sourceInformational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. |
| Cayman IslandsCayman Islands Aircraft Registry | 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 sourceInformational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. |
| GuernseyGuernsey Aircraft Registry | Commonwealth, EEA and EFTA nationals, and companies based there, in the British Islands, the UAE or the USA, can register directly; anyone else registers through a Guernsey resident agent or a Guernsey company.Office of the Aircraft Registrar, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey Advisory Circular GAC REG-1, 'Aircraft Registration: Eligibility and Admission Criteria', Fourth Issue, April 2026cidca.aero · GAC REG-1, para 5.3Retrieved 2026-08-29Open sourceInformational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. |
| Isle of ManIsle of Man Aircraft Registry | Qualified owners are Commonwealth, EEA and Swiss citizens, and companies based in the Commonwealth, the EEA, Switzerland, the USA, China, Hong Kong or Japan; anyone else can register through a demise charter to a qualified person.Isle of Man Aircraft Registry, 'Qualified Ownership' (with Registry Publication 2 'Qualified ownership of aircraft registered in the Isle of Man', 23 May 2024, and article 7 of the Civil Aviation (Aircraft Registration and Marking) Order 2022)www.iomaircraftregistry.comRetrieved 2026-08-29Open sourceInformational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. |
| MaltaMalta Aircraft Register | Malta, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens and companies may register any aircraft; owners from any OECD country may register private aircraft via a resident agent.Aircraft Registration Act (Cap. 503, Laws of Malta), consolidated text in force as at 01/01/2024, legislation.mt (Office of the State Advocate)legislation.mt · art. 6(1)Retrieved 2026-08-29Open sourceInformational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. |
| San MarinoSan Marino Aircraft Registry | San Marino takes foreign owners: a foreign individual or company from a non-blacklisted jurisdiction may own a T7 aircraft once it appoints a San Marino domicile representative on Form SM 27; no San Marino company is needed.Civil Aviation Authority of the Republic of San Marino, CAP 01 | Registration of Aircraft (body pages Revision 25, 01 May 2026; Appendix 1 Revision 26, 01 August 2026) (§1.2 Eligibility for Registration), with Republic of San Marino, Law no. 125 of 29 July 2014 (Law Reforming Civil Aviation), as amended by Delegated Decree no. 153 of 13 October 2015 and Delegated Decree no. 9 of 8 February 2016, official English texts published by the Civil Aviation Authority (article 38), the registry's 'Eligibility for Registration' and 'Domicile Representative' pages, and, for the blacklist condition those pages impose without naming a list, San Marino's high-risk countries list published by the Agenzia di Informazione Finanziaria under Law no. 92 of 17 June 2008www.smar.aero · §1.2Retrieved 2026-09-01Open sourceInformational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. |
Where to go next
This item is one of many that bear on the choice. Set it beside the rest before you choose a register, and tell us if a register you need is not covered yet.