Aircraft Registration Process
Aircraft Registration Application Process for Private Operator
OTAR: Part 125 Complex General Aviation including Corporate Operations
Our staff endeavours to ensure a simple and efficient registration process.
General Information
Aircraft operated in the Private Category must not be used for commercial operations which are defined as those being for “hire or reward”.
Should you be interested in conducting commercial operations please contact the CAACI for information concerning application for an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) under OTAR Part 121 or Part 135.
Other than aircraft where the Operational Base is approved to be in the Cayman Islands, it is the CAACI’s policy to only accept aircraft of a Certified Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) exceeding 12,500lbs/5,700kg for registration on the C.I. Aircraft Registry.
Exceptions are considered, and decisions for acceptance are based on generality of interests to aviation on the Cayman Islands aircraft register in respect of modern light turbojet, turboprop aircraft and helicopters based on Cayman Islands registered yachts.
For aircraft with a manufacturing year of 1990 or earlier:
There is no set age restriction. However, before a Registration Application is submitted for CAACI acceptance, applicants within this category are requested to inquire directly to our Air Safety Division to the Director of Air Safety Regulation or the Manager of Airworthiness at registrationenquiries@caacayman.com. The inquiry should be in regard to the suitability of the aircraft for inclusion on the Cayman Islands Aircraft Register.
The following details of the aircraft should be provided:
- Its designation
- Year of manufacture
- TCDS compliance
- Current State of register
- Précis of Operating history and details of any modifications incorporated required to comply with current certification and operating requirements.
Each aircraft will be considered on a case by case basis.
The first step in the process to register an aircraft in the Cayman Islands under OTAR Part 125 – Private Operators, is the submission of the electronic Registration Application along with the financial and legal due diligence of the registering owner through the electronic Aircraft Register/data management portal VP-C Online. Please visit this website to request an electronic registration application.
Upon receiving a completed Registration Application, CAACI will commence a financial and legal “due diligence” assessment to determine if the aircraft/owner meets the necessary criteria and suitability for the Registry. A necessary criteria that should be met before the application process begins is the eligibility of the registering owner in the Territory under the Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) (Amendment) Order 2014. Please review the list of eligible owners to determine eligibility of the applicant. Once eligibility of the applicant has been confirmed, the registration process can commence. The “Due Diligence Checklist” should then be completed and the associated documentation submitted with the Registration Application as soon as possible in order to expedite the due diligence phase of the registration process.
Prior to the application proceeding beyond the due diligence phase, a deposit of 50% the cost of the Certificate of Airworthiness to a minimum of US$2,439.05(CI$2,000) is required to be paid to the CAACI. To request a deposit billing in advance of the submission of the Registration Application, details of the aircraft including the aircraft type, manufacturer’s serial number, the Maximum Take-Off Weight and the requested registration mark should be sent by email to registrationenquiries@caacayman.com.
Please direct all aircraft registration inquiries to registrationenquiries@caacayman.com
The aircraft registration mark can be selected through the online Registration Application. Alternatively, a registration mark can be reserved for the aircraft, giving details of the aircraft and the name of the proposed registering owner, or if that is not yet available then the name of the registering agent. These details can be sent to registrationenquiries@caacayman.com to request a specific registration mark or check availability of a registration mark. The aircraft registration mark would be 5 letters starting with VP-C. If a specific mark is not required, the next available mark in sequence can be reserved. The cost of the reservation is CI$500/US$609.76 and is refundable if the registration application is received within 3 months of the reservation.
Once the Registration Application has been completed with all of the required due diligence items, the application is then submitted online. The Application is reviewed and notice of approval to the applicant is usually given within 3 days of submission of the application. Upon approval, the registration application is escalated to our Air Safety Regulation (ASR) Division for completion of the registration process with the submission by the applicant of required aircraft applications and documents. The scheduling of a survey/inspection of the aircraft for grant of the initial Certificate of Airworthiness is also done at this time
The next step in the process requires that various technical forms relating to the aircraft and its flight operations be completed and submitted to the CAACI via VP-C Online. All documents and forms should be submitted via VP-C Online.
Note: Scanned or faxed copies of most application forms are acceptable for processing; however, originals must also be mailed in so they can be placed on the CAACI files. The exception to this is Personnel Licencing which requires that certified hard copies of documents be submitted before validations can be issued.
After submission of all of the required forms for the aircraft, you will be contacted by the CAACI to schedule an aircraft survey. This survey will be completed by one of our experienced surveyors and normally takes two days to complete including an on-site with the aircraft. Please see ASR Airworthiness Certification Section for more information on maintenance requirements.
Assuming that the airworthiness survey is satisfactory the surveyor will make a recommendation for the issuance of the Certificate of Airworthiness. Once the CAACI receives an Export Certificate of Airworthiness or equivalent document from the existing state of registry, the de-registration process from the current state of registry can be initiated.
Deregistration of the aircraft from the state which the aircraft is being transferred from should not be commenced until the Due Diligence process is completed by the CAACI and notification has been received that the aircraft has been accepted onto the Cayman registry. In most cases the aircraft should also not be deregistered until the aircraft survey by the CAACI has been completed successfully and the Airworthiness Manager has indicated that the registration in the Cayman Islands can proceed. It is important to note that an aircraft cannot be flown once it has been deregistered from the exporting state until it is registered in the Cayman Islands and issued with a Certificate of Airworthiness and all associated documents. In certain circumstances a Special Flight Authority can be issued for ferry or test flight purposes after the Certificate of Registration is issued and prior to issue of the Certificate of Airworthiness.
Upon receiving notification from the existing State of Registry that the aircraft has been removed from that register, a Cayman Islands Certificate of Registration, Certificate of Airworthiness and all associated aircraft certification documents can be issued.
- Request an online Registration Application through VP-C Online/ registrationenquiries@caacayman.com
- Submission of due diligence documents and the online registration application
- CAACI will send a billing to applicant – a 50% deposit of the initial Certificate of Airworthiness
- Payment of 50% deposit by applicant
- Notice of acceptance to registry to applicant (within 3 business days of submission)
- Phase 2 of registration process – online submission of aircraft survey request, aircraft documentation, technical approval requests
- Airworthiness Survey of Aircraft
- Deregistration From Existing State of Registry (If Applicable)
- Issue of Cayman Islands Certificate of Registration