What is required to export an aircraft from the United States?
An aircraft leaving the United States for a foreign buyer is an export, and it is cleared rather than simply flown out. That means an export filing tied to a declared value and a named exporter of record, transaction documents that match the airframe, an outbound eAPIS manifest, and, where the buyer's authority requires it, an export certificate of airworthiness and FAA deregistration timed against the new registration. Super Universal files export entries directly as a CBP-bonded party and can act as exporter of record.
Key takeaways
- The export filing and the departure are two different events
- Deregistration timing is the most common cause of an aircraft sitting on the ramp
- An export certificate of airworthiness is a receiving-authority requirement, not a customs one
- The seller does not have to be the exporter of record on the filing
An export is a filing, not a departure
Owners often assume that once the aircraft is airborne the export is done. It is the other way round. The export record is created before departure, and it ties the airframe to a declared value, a classification, a destination country and a named exporter of record.
Because we are bonded with CBP, we prepare and file that record ourselves for aircraft we ferry and for aircraft flown out by owner or third-party crews.
Deregistration is where the schedule breaks
Most foreign authorities will not issue a registration until the aircraft is off the US register, and the FAA will not deregister until the transaction documents are in order. Meanwhile the aircraft cannot depart on its old marks once deregistration has taken effect, and cannot arrive on new marks it does not yet hold.
That is a narrow window, and it is the reason export movements are sequenced backwards from the receiving authority's requirements rather than forwards from the ferry date. We plan the departure around the certificate, not the certificate around the departure.
What the receiving authority usually wants
Customs governs the export record. The receiving civil aviation authority governs whether the aircraft can be placed on its register, and that list is usually longer.
- Export certificate of airworthiness issued by the FAA where the authority requires it
- Aircraft records, airworthiness directives status and maintenance history in an acceptable format
- Bill of sale and clear title, with any liens released on the international registry where applicable
- FAA deregistration confirmation, timed against the new registration
- A ferry permit or temporary marks arrangement where the aircraft flies before the new certificate issues
Exporter of record and privacy
The exporter of record is the party responsible for the accuracy of the export filing. It does not have to be the seller, and on transactions where the parties do not want their names visible on the record, or where a seller has no appetite for the filing obligation, we can act as exporter of record instead.
That is a customs filing role. It does not affect title, ownership or the terms of the sale.
Common questions
Last reviewed September 10, 2026 by the Super Universal operations desk.