Do you have to fly the aircraft to clear it?

No. We clear imports for aircraft we ferry and for aircraft flown by someone else. The customs file stands on its own.

How far in advance should an import be set up?

Start as soon as the arrival airport and date are being discussed. The paperwork itself moves quickly, but port approval and Landing Rights are the parts that need lead time.

Can the owner stay off the entry?

Yes. We can act as importer of record so the owner's name is not on the filing.

Customs

Aircraft import customs clearance into the United States

Bringing an aircraft into the United States means a customs entry, not just a landing. We are bonded with CBP and file the entry ourselves, alongside the Landing Rights request and eAPIS manifest for the arrival flight.

Bonded, and filed by us

Request a quote Call 970-692-1981

Entry filed directly by a CBP-bonded team
Arrival port, date and paperwork planned together
Bill of sale, registration and valuation documents reviewed first
Available whether or not we fly the aircraft in

What an aircraft import entry involves

The entry ties the aircraft to a value, a classification and an importer. That means the transaction documents and the aircraft documents have to agree before the aircraft arrives, because a mismatch discovered on the ramp is far more expensive than one caught a week earlier.

Bill of sale and purchase documentation supporting the declared value
Registration and airworthiness documents for the airframe
Arrival port approved for the aircraft and the arrival time
eAPIS manifest filed for the crew on the inbound leg

Where imports usually go wrong

Most delays come from choosing the arrival airport before checking what that port can process, or from arriving without Landing Rights in place. Both are avoidable, and both are decided at planning time rather than in the air.

Aircraft arriving for maintenance, storage or resale sit in a different position again, so we look at what the aircraft is actually here to do before deciding how the entry should be filed.