FAA Fast Tracks Electronic Registrations
Aircraft registrations can now be applied for and issued electronically.
The FAA published a final rule last week that allows online submission of aircraft registration documents. Previous regulations required registrants to submit original documents and ink-signed documents to register aircraft, but the new rule does away with almost all of that. In some cases, certified or true copies will be needed. It's hoped the modernization move will speed up the process and chip away at the monthslong delays in processing aircraft registrations. A companion rule also allows the FAA to email the completed registration certificates.
According to AOPA, the backlog of registrations topped six months in 2022 and after years of lobbying, Congress included language in the latest reauthorization bill that compelled the FAA to get the electronic filing systems in place. The agency will still accept mailed-in original documents and mail out the hard copies of the registrations but says it would prefer people to use the online system.