Aircraft registration

Registration of aircraft

Registration means that an aircraft is entered in the Icelandic Aircraft Register, acquires Icelandic nationality and becomes part of the system of supervision and rights that applies to aircraft in Iceland. The main rules are set out in Chapter V of the Act on Aviation No. 80/2022.

Who may register an aircraft in Iceland?

Under Article 42 of the Act on Aviation, an aircraft may be registered in Iceland if it is owned by the Icelandic State, municipalities or public institutions in Iceland, Icelandic citizens or citizens of states with which Iceland has concluded an agreement, or legal entities that have their head office or principal place of business in Iceland or in a state with which Iceland has concluded an agreement.

Application and required documents

An application for registration of an aircraft must be submitted together with supporting documents showing that the applicant is the owner of the aircraft and identifying who has control of it. If the applicant’s ownership is subject to conditions or restrictions that may result in ownership passing to another party, this must be stated in the application.

An aircraft will generally not be registered unless it has a valid type certificate, restricted type certificate or permit to fly issued by EASA or considered valid by the Icelandic Transport Authority. However, certain aircraft that fall outside the EASA system may be registered, including amateur-built aircraft and light aircraft considered to be low-risk, provided they meet the applicable airworthiness requirements and their safe operation can be ensured.

An aircraft that is already registered abroad will not be registered in Iceland until it has been removed from the foreign register.

Changes after registration

Registration is not a final formality that brings all obligations of the owner or person in control to an end. If ownership of an aircraft changes, if the owner changes their nationality, or if a change is made to the aircraft that is relevant to its identification, the owner must notify the Icelandic Transport Authority of the change without delay and submit the necessary documents. If ownership is transferred by agreement, the transferor is also subject to the duty to notify.

Special rules also apply to sales by instalments with retention of title and to hire-purchase or finance lease agreements. Such agreements must be notified to the Icelandic Transport Authority without delay, and the duty to notify rests with both the owner and the person in control. If a registered aircraft is placed in the custody of a lessee or another party who uses it at their own expense, that party must obtain the approval of the Icelandic Transport Authority before use begins.

Deregistration of aircraft

An aircraft must be removed from the register when the registered owner requests this, when the conditions for registration are no longer met and the Icelandic Transport Authority does not permit the registration to remain in force, when the aircraft has been dismantled or destroyed, or when the aircraft has disappeared and three months have passed since the last flight began without it being known that the aircraft is still intact.

If registered rights are attached to an aircraft and those rights are to be recognised as valid in Iceland under international legal obligations, the aircraft may not be entered in the Icelandic register unless the holders of those rights have been fully satisfied, they consent to the transfer, or the rights have lapsed following a compulsory sale. This point can be highly significant where an aircraft is financed by mortgage, finance lease or other security rights.

An aircraft may also be removed from the register if it has not had a valid certificate of airworthiness, restricted certificate of airworthiness or national certificate of airworthiness, permit to fly or authorisation for three years, and the owner does not obtain such certificate, permit or authorisation within the time limit set by the Icelandic Transport Authority. If registered rights are attached to the aircraft, it should generally not be removed from the Aircraft Register unless the rights holder consents, unless special exceptions apply.

Applications

• SKR-01 Application for registration of aircraft

• SKR-02 Application for amendment of aircraft registration

• SKR-06 Request of Deregistration

Acts and regulations

Act on Aviation No. 80/2022.
Regulation on Deregistration of Aircraft No. 1038/2025.