How much does it cost to register an aircraft? FAA, UK, Dutch and German fees

An owner registers an aircraft with the national aviation authority, and the authority charges a fee for it. The fees are small next to the other costs of owning an aircraft, but they differ a lot between countries, and so do the rules when several people own the aircraft together. This guide lists what the FAA, the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the Dutch Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) and the German Federal Aviation Office (LBA) charge for a light aircraft such as a Cessna 172, quoted from their own rules and fee schedules, read on 28 October 2026, and what the US, UK and Dutch registers ask of co-owners.

Short answer: Registering a light aircraft costs $5 with the FAA (valid seven years, renewable for $5), £98 with the UK CAA for any aircraft up to 15,000 kg, €97 with the Dutch ILT for an aircraft up to 2,000 kg, and €80 with the German LBA for an aircraft up to 2,000 kg (plus €70 when the entry changes, for example for a new owner). A chosen registration mark costs extra: $10 in the US, £428 on top of the £98 in the UK. US co-owners who are not partners all sign the application, and a partnership has one general partner sign; in the UK three or more owners are advised to register as a group with one or two trustees; in the Netherlands all owners sign a statement naming one of them as the contact.

What registering a light aircraft costs

United States (FAA)

$5

Certificate of Aircraft Registration

Renewal (registration valid seven years)

$5

Special (chosen) registration number

$10

Change, reassign or reserve a number

$10

United Kingdom (CAA)

£98

Certificate of registration, up to 15,000 kg

Out-of-sequence (chosen) mark, on top

£428

Reserve a chosen mark, per six months

£214

Netherlands (ILT)

€97

Issue a registration certificate or change the entry, up to 2,000 kg

The same, above 2,000 kg

€194

Germany (LBA)

€80

Registration and entry in the aircraft register, up to 2,000 kg

Change of the entry (new owner or keeper)

€70

Reserve a registration mark

€30

United States: $5, valid seven years

The FAA's fees are in 14 CFR 47.17: "Certificate of Aircraft Registration (each aircraft) $5.00", and "Renewal Certificate of Aircraft Registration 5.00". A first registration "expires seven years after the last day of the month in which it is issued.", and the owner can renew it, for $5, in the six months before it expires. A chosen N-number costs "Special registration number (each number) 10.00", and "To change, reassign, or reserve a registration number 10.00".

United Kingdom: £98, and £428 for a chosen mark

The CAA's Scheme of Charges for aircraft registration (ORS5 No. 451, in force from 1 April 2026) has one band for light aircraft: "Balloons and aircraft having an MTWA not exceeding 15,000 kg £98". An out-of-sequence mark — a G-registration you choose — costs the £98 "plus a charge of £428", and reserving one costs "a charge of £214 for each six-month period of reservation or part thereof". When the aircraft changes hands it is registered again, for another £98: "It is the new owner's responsibility to re-register the aircraft under their own name within 28 days."

Netherlands: €97 up to 2,000 kg

In the Netherlands the ILT charges under the Regeling tarieven transportsectoren, in force from 1 January 2026. For an aircraft up to 2,000 kg the ILT charges €97 to issue a registration certificate or to change the entry: "alsmede voor het verlengen, het wijzigen of het doorhalen van de inschrijving voor luchtvaartuigen ≤ 2.000 kg een tarief verschuldigd van € 97." Above 2,000 kg it "is een tarief verschuldigd van € 194".

Germany: €80, and €70 for a new owner

Germany's fees are in the LuftKostV, the cost regulation of the aviation administration. Registering an aeroplane and entering it in the aircraft register (Luftfahrzeugrolle) costs €80 for a maximum mass "bis 2 000 kg 80 EUR". A change of owner or keeper is recorded as a change of the entry, which costs €70: "Für die Änderung der Luftfahrzeugrolle fällt eine Gebühr von 70,00 EUR an." Reserving a mark is "Vormerkung eines Kennzeichens (§ 19 Absatz 2 LuftVZO) 30 EUR".

Registering an aircraft you own with others

Registering an aircraft you own with others

United States	Co-owners who are not partners all sign; a partnership names each general partner and one signs
United Kingdom	Three or more owners: advised to register as a group, with one or two owners as trustees
Netherlands	Two or more private individuals: details of every owner and a statement signed by all, naming one as the contact
Germany	Not covered in the sources we read

Each register handles co-ownership in its own way, and the choice affects what a change in the group costs. In the US, co-owners who are not in business as partners all sign: "each person who shares title to the aircraft under the arrangement must sign the application, document, or request." A partnership gives its full name, must "State the name of each general partner on the application, document, or request", and has one general partner sign.

In the UK, "Jointly owned aircraft can be registered in the name of each individual owner, but in cases where there are three or more individual owners of an aircraft it is recommended that you form a group of co-ownership syndicate", so that "any member may leave or join the group without the need to re-register the aircraft every time (which would incur a fee)." "One or two of the owners must be nominated as trustee(s) of the group." If a trustee leaves, the aircraft must be registered again, and "In addition to the usual application process, a group must supply details of its members." That route is only for owners: "Please note that 'non-equity' groups cannot be registered in this way as the group members do not hold any ownership of the aircraft itself." How UK groups are set up and what members pay is in how do aircraft shares work in the UK.

In the Netherlands, when two or more private individuals own the aircraft, the application needs the details of every owner and "b. een door alle eigenaren ondertekende verklaring, waarin een van hen als contactpersoon wordt aangewezen." — a statement signed by all owners that names one of them as the contact.

What it means for a partnership

The fee is the smallest cost of a shared aircraft; who is on the register is the larger question, because it decides who must sign when an owner leaves or a new one joins. Write it into the aircraft partnership agreement, next to how the group splits the fixed costs and the hourly rate. What the aircraft then costs each owner per year is in how much it costs to own a plane and our aircraft ownership cost calculator.

Pilot-Next keeps the money side of such a group straight: each owner's fixed share is billed as a recurring fee, and each settled flight at the group's rate. It does not keep the aircraft register; that stays with the regulator.