Still a Common Question: FAA’s Aircraft Registration Validity Explained
On January 23, 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented a regulatory update that directly impacts all U.S. registered aircraft. As part of an amendment to 14 CFR § 47.40, the validity period of aircraft registration certificates was officially extended from 3 years to 7 years, with no action required from the operator.
This change applied to all types of operations, both commercial and non-commercial, and it was implemented through a Direct Final Rule published in the Federal Register.
Key Facts to Know
· Certificates issued before January 23, 2023 have been automatically extended to a 7-year validity in the FAA’s internal registry, even if the printed certificate still shows the old 3-year term.
· Certificates issued after January 23, 2023 already display the full 7-year term on the document.
· Any certificate showing an expiration date of January 31, 2023 or later is considered valid, regardless of certificate / database mismatch
The following statement from the FAA’s Aircraft Inquiry site helps reassure operators and authorities in cases where the printed certificate does not yet reflect the updated validity
“The duration of aircraft registration certificates has been extended up to 7 years. The Registry will be issuing revised certificates in batches based on the former expiration date. For verification purposes, even though the expiration date on the registration certificate may not match the expiration date in the FAA Aircraft Registration database, any registration certificate displaying an expiration date of January 31, 2023 or later is still valid. This applies to all foreign Civil Aviation Authorities or anyone else with a verification need.”
What Should Operators Do?
The FAA Civil Aviation Registry is handling the update and continues to issue revised certificates progressively.
However, if you have not yet received your updated certificate and are planning to operate internationally—particularly in countries where authorities conduct strict documentation reviews—we strongly recommend the following steps before departure:
• Contact the Civil Aviation Authority of the destination country in advance
• Request written confirmation that they recognize the FAA’s 7-year registration validity.
• Verbal confirmation may not be sufficient and could lead to issues upon arrival.
Even though this update has been in effect since early 2023, it’s still a topic that comes up frequently especially during international operations. Whether it’s an operator double checking or a foreign authority requesting clarification, questions about registration validity remain part of daily operations. That’s why it’s important to keep this information top of mind and ensure that everyone involved understands how the FAA’s 7-year rule works and how to handle it when it comes up.
