Cross-border transition
Registry change records review for a new state of registry
A registry change records review checks an aircraft's records against what a new state of registry requires before it will place the aircraft on its register and issue its own certificate of airworthiness. It is built for lessors, airlines, and acquisition teams changing the aircraft's registration state. It covers the configuration baseline, the airworthiness review or equivalent the new registry recognizes, marking and noise and emissions records, and the continuing-airworthiness arrangement the new registry expects. You receive a registry-readiness view, a gap list against the new registry's demand, and the records each open item needs.
When this review is needed
- An aircraft is changing its state of registry and the new registry will issue its own certificate of airworthiness against records it accepts.
- A new registry requires an airworthiness review or an equivalent that the existing file may not directly satisfy.
- Marking, noise, or emissions records held for the old registry need confirming against the new registry's standard.
- The continuing-airworthiness arrangement the aircraft has been managed under must be matched to what the new registry expects.
The problem
A change of state of registry is not a paperwork rename. The new registry issues its own certificate of airworthiness and decides which of the existing records it will accept, which it will recognize through a bilateral, and which it will require to be redone its own way. An airworthiness review valid under the prior registry may not transfer, a noise certificate may be held to a different standard, and the continuing-airworthiness arrangement may need to match a structure the new registry expects before the aircraft can stay on its register.
What gets reviewed
- The new state of registry's requirements for issuing its own certificate of airworthiness
- The configuration and modification baseline the new registry will register the aircraft against
- The airworthiness review or equivalent the new registry recognizes, and whether the existing one transfers
- Marking, noise, and emissions records against the new registry's accepted standard
- The continuing-airworthiness arrangement the new registry expects the aircraft to be managed under
- Records the prior registry held that the new registry will accept, bridge, or require to be redone
Scope this review
Tell us the asset, the event, and the evidence in scope, and we will outline a focused first engagement.
Send a representative, redacted record set and we will scope the review.
What gets validated
- The configuration baseline the new registry will register matches the modification and conformity records
- The airworthiness review status is acceptable to the new registry or a path to a recognized review is identified
- Noise and emissions records meet the standard the new registry applies to the type
- Identification and marking records reflect the registration the aircraft is moving to
- The continuing-airworthiness arrangement matches the structure the new registry expects
- Records the prior registry held are mapped as accepted, bridged, or to be redone under the new registry
Evidence normally required
- The new state of registry's published requirements for certificate-of-airworthiness issue
- Current airworthiness review certificate or equivalent and its supporting evidence
- Configuration, modification, noise, and emissions records
- Continuing-airworthiness arrangement and program records
- The existing certificate of airworthiness file and registration documents
Common discrepancies
- An airworthiness review valid under the prior registry that the new registry will not accept as is
- A noise certificate held to a standard the new registry applies differently to the type
- A continuing-airworthiness arrangement that does not match the structure the new registry expects
- A configuration baseline the new registry will register that the modification records do not fully support
- Identification or marking records still tied to the registration the aircraft is leaving
What is at stake
An aircraft whose records do not meet the new registry's demand cannot get its certificate of airworthiness, and it sits grounded on the new register while the file is rebuilt. A review the new registry will not accept may have to be repeated, and a continuing-airworthiness arrangement that does not match the new registry's expectation can delay the registration even when the underlying maintenance is sound.
How the work runs
Read the new registry's demand
Establish what the new state of registry requires to issue its own certificate of airworthiness for the type.
Match existing records
Place the existing file against the new registry's demand and mark what transfers, what bridges, and what must be redone.
Test the review and arrangement
Confirm the airworthiness review and continuing-airworthiness arrangement are acceptable to the new registry or scope the path to them.
Register the gaps
List each open item with the record it needs so the registry change can proceed without the aircraft grounding on the new register.
What the buyer receives
- A registry-readiness view against the new state of registry's certificate-of-airworthiness demand
- A gap list with the records each open item needs to satisfy the new registry
- A map of which existing records the new registry accepts, bridges, or requires to be redone
Who uses the output
- Asset and acquisition teams confirming registry readiness before committing the change
- Continuing-airworthiness teams aligning the arrangement with the new registry's expectation
- Records teams assembling the file the new registry needs for certificate issue
How the work fits into the transaction or program
The review precedes the registration change so the new registry's demand is understood while the existing records can still be matched or rebuilt. It pairs with the export evidence map, since the export certificate feeds the new registry's file, and it feeds the certificate-of-airworthiness application the new registry will act on.
Start with a single asset
Start with a single tail and expand once the workflow is proven.
Jurisdiction-specific considerations
A certificate of airworthiness is issued by the state of registry, so a change of registry means a new certificate against the new registry's rules. What the prior registry accepted does not bind the new one, and an airworthiness review or noise standard recognized under the old registry transfers only where the new registry, or a bilateral arrangement between them, allows it.
Regulatory limits
The review confirms whether the records meet the new registry's stated demand and where they fall short. It does not register the aircraft, issue a certificate of airworthiness or an airworthiness review, make an airworthiness determination, or bind the new registry to accept any record.
What this review does not cover
- Application for registration or issuance of any certificate of airworthiness
- Performance of an airworthiness review or any return-to-service action
- Physical inspection or conformity survey of the aircraft
Specific to this review
- The certificate of airworthiness is issued by the state of registry, so changing registry means a new certificate against the new registry's rules rather than a transfer of the old one.
- An airworthiness review valid under the prior registry transfers only where the new registry or a bilateral allows it, so it is checked rather than carried over.
- Noise and emissions records can be held to a different standard by the new registry, so a certificate accepted before is verified against the receiving registry's standard for the type.
- The continuing-airworthiness arrangement is part of the registry's demand, so a sound maintenance history can still stall the change if the arrangement does not match the new registry's structure.
Sources
International Civil Aviation Organization. International standards for the airworthiness of aircraft and the framework states use for type and continuing airworthiness.
International Civil Aviation Organization. International standards for aircraft operation, including maintenance program and recordkeeping expectations.
European Union / EASA. Continuing airworthiness, maintenance records, CAMO responsibilities, and the airworthiness review process in the EASA system.
Transport Canada. Canadian airworthiness, maintenance records (CAR 605/571), and Airworthiness Directive requirements (CAR 593).
U.S. Government (eCFR). Type certificates, STCs (Subpart E), TSO authorizations (Subpart O), PMA (Subpart K), and export airworthiness approvals (Subpart L).
Frequently asked questions
Does the existing certificate of airworthiness transfer to the new registry?
No. The certificate of airworthiness belongs to the state of registry. A change of registry means the new registry issues its own certificate against its own rules, so the review tests the records against the new registry's demand rather than assuming the old certificate carries over.
Relevant glossary terms
Related pages
Where this fits
Talk to an engineer who has done this work
We will walk through your current state, the records or evidence involved, and a scoped first engagement.
Walk through your situation with an engineer who has done this work.