Current FAA Registration Intell…..

[Ironflight]

It was not very long ago (even as recent as last year) that initial E-AB registration requests that come into the Aircraft Registration Branch in OKC here handled right right away - and folks often got their registration back in a week. Things have changed (suddenly) this year.

Anticipating a May inspection for the F1 Rocket project, I sent in my registration package in mid-January. heard nothing until two weeks ago when I got a very nice letter saying that they could issue me a registration if I added the “title” of the seller on the Bill of Sale under his signature (uhh…that would be “President” as he was owner of Team Rocket at the time to BOS was filled out 25 years ago….). I fixed that, put it in an envope with a stamp and sent it right back to the post office the same day. My experience in the past with corrections like these is that the application stays on the processor’s desk and he finishes it as soon as he gets the documents back.

Today I checked with them by email askign for a status, and telling them I was trying for an inspection in May. I got a message back that:

“ Currently, there are docs in the Work In Process queue, with a file date of 04/15/2026. When docs come in after corrections, they go back to the end of the Work In Process queue. We are currently processing docs for amateur-built aircraft, with a file date of 02/23/2026. It will be approximately 1.5 - 2 months before we process your documents. You might need to reach out to your inspector to reschedule.”

So things have slowed down considerably and I might not even make Oshkosh even if the airplane is finished!

(DAR’s don’t get any priority BTW…. Registration and Airworthines are two different departments)

We’ll see what happens! If you are planning on getting an inspection before the end of the year, I’d get your registration package in ASAP!

 

[2theskyy]

It was not very long ago (even as recent as last year) that initial E-AB registration requests that come into the Aircraft Registration Branch in OKC here handled right right away - and folks often got their registration back in a week. Things have changed (suddenly) this year.

Anticipating a May inspection for the F1 Rocket project, I sent in my registration package in mid-January. heard nothing until two weeks ago when I got a very nice letter saying that they could issue me a registration if I added the “title” of the seller on the Bill of Sale under his signature (uhh…that would be “President” as he was owner of Team Rocket at the time to BOS was filled out 25 years ago….). I fixed that, put it in an envope with a stamp and sent it right back to the post office the same day. My experience in the past with corrections like these is that the application stays on the processor’s desk and he finishes it as soon as he gets the documents back.

Today I checked with them by email askign for a status, and telling them I was trying for an inspection in May. I got a message back that:

“ Currently, there are docs in the Work In Process queue, with a file date of 04/15/2026. When docs come in after corrections, they go back to the end of the Work In Process queue. We are currently processing docs for amateur-built aircraft, with a file date of 02/23/2026. It will be approximately 1.5 - 2 months before we process your documents. You might need to reach out to your inspector to reschedule.”

So things have slowed down considerably and I might not even make Oshkosh even if the airplane is finished and through Phase 1!

(DAR’s don’t get any priority BTW…. Registration and Airworthines are two different departments)

We’ll see what happens! If you are planning on getting an inspection before the end of the year, I’d get your registration package in ASAP!

Yes sir,
I have found this same processing speed. Although I tried it online and found they wanted the original affidavit of ownership but not original bill of sale (nothing stating this information online). So back of the line for me as well.
As soon as you think you’ve got the system figured out, someone retires and a new person is hired to run the show.
Good times

 

[lr172]

It was not very long ago (even as recent as last year) that initial E-AB registration requests that come into the Aircraft Registration Branch in OKC here handled right right away - and folks often got their registration back in a week. Things have changed (suddenly) this year.

Anticipating a May inspection for the F1 Rocket project, I sent in my registration package in mid-January. heard nothing until two weeks ago when I got a very nice letter saying that they could issue me a registration if I added the “title” of the seller on the Bill of Sale under his signature (uhh…that would be “President” as he was owner of Team Rocket at the time to BOS was filled out 25 years ago….). I fixed that, put it in an envope with a stamp and sent it right back to the post office the same day. My experience in the past with corrections like these is that the application stays on the processor’s desk and he finishes it as soon as he gets the documents back.

Today I checked with them by email askign for a status, and telling them I was trying for an inspection in May. I got a message back that:

“ Currently, there are docs in the Work In Process queue, with a file date of 04/15/2026. When docs come in after corrections, they go back to the end of the Work In Process queue. We are currently processing docs for amateur-built aircraft, with a file date of 02/23/2026. It will be approximately 1.5 - 2 months before we process your documents. You might need to reach out to your inspector to reschedule.”

So things have slowed down considerably and I might not even make Oshkosh even if the airplane is finished and through Phase 1!

(DAR’s don’t get any priority BTW…. Registration and Airworthines are two different departments)

We’ll see what happens! If you are planning on getting an inspection before the end of the year, I’d get your registration package in ASAP!

They must be collaborating with the medical division on how to manage workload.

 

[yjchai]

I applied for registration in January, received notification to pay $10 for N number in March and wait a couple of months, then received approval 5 days ago, a month ahead of the expected time based on their document process date. Now I have FSDO to come out in June for AC. They have a system that nobody figured out.

 

[Daddyman58]

It was not very long ago (even as recent as last year) that initial E-AB registration requests that come into the Aircraft Registration Branch in OKC here handled right right away - and folks often got their registration back in a week. Things have changed (suddenly) this year.

Anticipating a May inspection for the F1 Rocket project, I sent in my registration package in mid-January. heard nothing until two weeks ago when I got a very nice letter saying that they could issue me a registration if I added the “title” of the seller on the Bill of Sale under his signature (uhh…that would be “President” as he was owner of Team Rocket at the time to BOS was filled out 25 years ago….). I fixed that, put it in an envope with a stamp and sent it right back to the post office the same day. My experience in the past with corrections like these is that the application stays on the processor’s desk and he finishes it as soon as he gets the documents back.

Today I checked with them by email askign for a status, and telling them I was trying for an inspection in May. I got a message back that:

“ Currently, there are docs in the Work In Process queue, with a file date of 04/15/2026. When docs come in after corrections, they go back to the end of the Work In Process queue. We are currently processing docs for amateur-built aircraft, with a file date of 02/23/2026. It will be approximately 1.5 - 2 months before we process your documents. You might need to reach out to your inspector to reschedule.”

So things have slowed down considerably and I might not even make Oshkosh even if the airplane is finished!

(DAR’s don’t get any priority BTW…. Registration and Airworthines are two different departments)

We’ll see what happens! If you are planning on getting an inspection before the end of the year, I’d get your registration package in ASAP!

Ironflight,
Good intel.
Daddyman58

 

[rvn817j]

If you really want to get the registration done (and have some extra $$ sitting around), the firm of Crowe & Dunlevy in Oklahoma City used to handle FAA paperwork for the airline(s) that employed me. I'm sure there are other firms that do similar work. Most have personal relationships with the bureaucracy and visit the registration office regularly. You also might check on walking your paperwork through the building (FAA Registry Oklahoma City) yourself, but my knowledge is years old and perhaps outdated. Good luck.

 

[Brantel]

Wow! I was one that made it thru fast back on 01/20/26. My package arrived there and the next day I had a temporary registration in my Email. Sorry to hear that things have slowed down dramatically. Maybe E-SLA's are handled differently than E-AB's?

 

[Ironflight]

Wow! I was one that made it thru fast back on 01/20/26. My package arrived there and the next day I had a temporary registration in my Email. Sorry to hear that things have slowed down dramatically. Maybe E-SLA's are handled differently than E-AB's?

I think I remember you posted about getting it, which was the motivating factor for me getting mine together and mailing it in. Clearly something drastically changed in OKC about that time. I have a few folks from alphabet organizations looking in to it for me, but we’ll see if that has any effect.

What I have never understood is how the local OKC “expeditors” can actually walk up to a counter and get things done while they wait while mail applications get stuck in a stack that takes months to resolve. Same application, same request by a citizen of an agency - should be handled the same…either fast or slow. If it is really as easy as any random citizen walking up to the counter, I’d buy a ticket to OKC….but I don’t think it really works quite that way….

 

[WWhunter]

Paul,

Here's a story that might make you feel better....I sent the paperwork in for the RV-8 I purchased nearly exactly a year ago! Still haven't gotten everything resolved. The gentleman that I bought the plane from had is wife also sign the BOS (she seemed to be the one that 'wore tha pants per se). Unfortunately, her name was not one the registration. The FAA preceeded to put it into both their names. This caused it to get kicked back and for some reason I never recieved the returned paperwork. Sent to the wrong address or something.

When I called FAA to see what the hold up was, they mentioned it was returned undeliverable. ARGH.
I finally got all the paperwork back, fixed what they said needing fixing, basically a new BOS removing the previous sellers wife from the BOS, a new BOS to me, and then sent it back. Unfortuanately, there was another issue, so back it came again. They should not have made a new registration with the wife on it, which caused another issue. I think there were two different people working on it and they had different ideas of what was needed.

I am currently on hold with the FAA awaiting an attendant to let me know what is going on.

Needless to say, it is nearly a year since I first sent in the paperwork.

Keith

 

[Marlonyoung]

Was also surprised by the change in processing, when I did my RV4 about 4 years ago they processed it in less than a week; Still waiting for the submission for my RV8. When I called this morning, they are processing documents submitted on FEBRUARY 23, 2026.

On the plus side I acquired a Stits Playboy and the AW Certificate had an old N Number. Submitted a request on the AWC system and within a few days got an email from a local FISDO suggesting I do it differently to make it easier. Resubmitted the request on AWC and got the replacement with the corrected or updated N Number in a few days AND even without asking they added the new language of 65.104, 65.107 and 65.109 AND DROPPED the old language in the original AWC about flight over densely populated areas except for TO/Landing.

Completed in about 10 days (since I chose to resubmit per Inspectors suggestion) .

 

[LettersFromFlyoverCountry]

I guess I was lucky. Sent my stuff down to OkC last year (before all that drama last fall) and got it back in a week.

I wonder why it changed?

(psst: it's a rhetorical question)

 

[Beechx1]

There are organizations in OKC that specilize in doing the FAA's work for them so that it actually gets done (much like DARs and DPEs). The service I used said that they look at all your parperwork to make sure it is correct, work with you to correct it if needed, then walk across the street to the FAA person responsible and get the stamp of approval right there and send the registration back to you for a couple hundred $$. It worked just like they said it would. The whole process took a couple of days.

A friend of mine was applying for a registration for his at the same time and went the FAA way. His registration took a couple of months. Unfortunatly, I don't recall the name of the organization I used.

 

[Pdp7427]

So I sent my things in electronically a couple of weeks ago. would it be a bad idea to have an expeditor start working on it??

Edit: how does temporary Authority to operate relate to this situation, and is the Airworthiness overlap the issue here?

https://www.gilchristaviation.com/p...an-aircraft-while-waiting-on-faa-registration

"Fortunately, there are a couple ways to operate an aircraft before the FAA issues a COR. One way involves placing a second copy of the Application onboard the aircraft once the original has been duly filed with the FAA. This second copy of the Application grants temporary authority to operate the aircraft for up to 90 days while awaiting the COR."

I also understand that in 2023 it went from 90 days to 12 months. but again, I think that AWC may be the issue without a completed registration.

last edit: this seems to be the case as I continue to read and learn... Oh well I didn't wait until that LAST minute, but if it kicks back to me for any issues or errors I'll be stuck in holding for a while.

 

[DanH]

Vogons, no doubt.



They are one of the most unpleasant races in the Galaxy. Not actually evil, but bad-tempered, bureaucratic, officious and callous. They wouldn't even lift a finger to save their own grandmothers from the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal without orders—signed in triplicate, sent in, sent back, queried, lost, found, subjected to public inquiry, lost again, and finally buried in soft peat for three months...
Douglas Adams, Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy

 

[HFS]

I've been trying to get a reserved N-number transferred to the new owner of my partially completed kit since August of last year, and have had no (read zero) luck. Recently I engaged an "expeditor" from OKC to see if that helps - so far, no joy ...

HFS

 

[Low Pass]

Not FAA, but it is federal gub'ment... I got my online renewed passport in 2-3 weeks here recently! Super easy process with my own new pic, online payment and submission.

 

[Jerry Fischer]

Not FAA, but it is federal gub'ment... I got my online renewed passport in 2-3 weeks here recently! Super easy process with my own new pic, online payment and submission.

Guess my post was too inflammatory.

 

[Low Pass]

Guess my post was too inflammatory.

No, not at all. I just thought I’d throw a little good news out there. Very impressed with their new procedure. Will be able to fly my RV to the Bahamas with my new passport. Relevance.

 

[Mark Dickens]

Not FAA, but it is federal gub'ment... I got my online renewed passport in 2-3 weeks here recently! Super easy process with my own new pic, online payment and submission.

Not to get or stay off topic, but I renewed my passport in 10 days with the online process. I was astounded. Now if they would just implement the same process at the FAA! I am thinking (if Lycoming gets me my engine on schedule) that first flight will be early fall so I need to get my registration moving pretty soon!

 

[Fenderbean]

If you are just wanting to reserve a tail number, is it still a long wait? I have one that is purging from the system I wanted to jump on. I wanted to call but it sounds like its prob impossible to get anyone now.

 

[Marlonyoung]

reserving a tail number Is done all online, and if available you can reserve it right there

https://aircraft.faa.gov/e.gov/NN/reserve.aspx

 

[Quotafiller]

I tried to use an expediter on January 2025. I was told that the expediter can't do anything on New builds. Might still be worth a try i guess as mentioned the process changes with new leadership

 

[Mtbguy]

I’ve experienced the same long delays. Purchased my plane last fall and have made three attempts to get it registered, now I’m about to send it back for a fourth time. Each time with a 2-3 month delay. I have registered many planes in the past in my LLC. The latest paperwork sent back to me now wants to see the “Articles of Incorporation” for my LLC showing me as the manager. WTH

 

[JonJay]

In my business, I called this “throwing it over the fence”. Nobody solved the problem, they just threw it over the fence and moved on until it came back. Then, they would throw it over the fence again.
Thanks for the update Paul. The last time I dealt with a registration issue, just a few years ago, it was handled smoothly, efficiently, and timely. Sad to see it degrade.

 

[rvbuilder2002]

I’ve experienced the same long delays. Purchased my plane last fall and have made three attempts to get it registered, now I’m about to send it back for a fourth time. Each time with a 2-3 month delay. I have registered many planes in the past in my LLC. The latest paperwork sent back to me now wants to see the “Articles of Incorporation” for my LLC showing me as the manager. WTH

Just an FYI for context

In the past theFAA has always treated registration transfers differently than a new initial registration.

There were times in the past when new registrations would be issued within 2 to 3 weeks, that a registration transfer took nine months or more.

Considering Paul’s experience, who knows what the correlation is now at this point.

 

[Fenderbean]

reserving a tail number Is done all online, and if available you can reserve it right there

https://aircraft.faa.gov/e.gov/NN/reserve.aspx

Understood, I was going to try and call to verify they tail # would would be available on the Purge date or how that works.

 

[Mel]

Understood, I was going to try and call to verify they tail # would would be available on the Purge date or how that works.

Simply check the site first thing every morning. As soon as it shows "available", pounce on it. You will not get confirmation for a while, but it will immediately show up as unavailable.

 

[dstates]

Simply check the site first thing every morning. As soon as it shows "available", pounce on it. You will not get confirmation for a while, but it will immediately show up as unavailable.

I becomes available at midnight. I tried to pounce on a few short n-numbers on their purge date but the companies that reserve and sell the short n numbers beat me even though at most I hit submit a few seconds after it was available. They must have some software to help them snipe them.

 

[Mel]

I becomes available at midnight. I tried to pounce on a few short n-numbers on their purge date but the companies that reserve and sell the short n numbers beat me even though at most I hit submit a few seconds after it was available. They must have some software to help them snipe them.

Yeah, My EAA Chapter is 168, so I have 168TX. At one time a federal agency reserved all numbers that included "168". I managed to get 168EX and 268TX.

I have no intention of using either of these. If anyone wants one, let me know.

 

[strikerpilot]

Applied in end of dec 2025. they had a question that I answered in feb. got it yesterday.

 

[Fenderbean]

I becomes available at midnight. I tried to pounce on a few short n-numbers on their purge date but the companies that reserve and sell the short n numbers beat me even though at most I hit submit a few seconds after it was available. They must have some software to help them snipe them.

Craziness

 

[gasman]

I becomes available at midnight. I tried to pounce on a few short n-numbers on their purge date but the companies that reserve and sell the short n numbers beat me even though at most I hit submit a few seconds after it was available. They must have some software to help them snipe them.

For this reason the FAA should increase reserve fees to $100 per year with a max hold of 6 years.

 

[RV7A Flyer]

For this reason the FAA should increase reserve fees to $100 per year with a max hold of 6 years.

Section 804 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 says the FAA is supposed to study this and report to the committee within 18 months (seems like a long time to me, but hey...).

SEC. 804. ACCOUNTABILITY FOR AIRCRAFT REGISTRATION NUMBERS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of en-
actment of this Act, the Administrator shall initiate a review of the
process for reserving aircraft registration numbers to ensure that
such process offers an equal opportunity for members of the gen-
eral public to obtain specific aircraft registration numbers.
(b) ASSESSMENT.—In conducting the review under subsection
(a), the Administrator shall assess the following:
(1) Whether the use of readily available software to pre-
vent computer or web-based auto-fill systems from reserving
aircraft registration numbers in bulk would improve participa-
tion in the reservation process by the general public.
(2) Whether a limit should be imposed on the number of
consecutive years a person may reserve an aircraft registration
number.
(c) BRIEFING.—Not later than 18 months after the date of en-
actment of this Act, the Administrator shall brief the appropriate
committees of Congress on the review conducted under subsection
(a), including any recommendations of the Administrator to im-
prove equal participation in the process for reserving aircraft reg-
istration numbers by the general public.

 

[-135Driver]

Aircraft Registration Branch in OKC received my aircraft registration package on 3 March 2026. Today I received an email with my temporary certificate of registration. The email address it came from was [email protected] It looked strange at first, but it made it to my inbox without issue and was legitimate.

 

[Ironflight]

Just following up on this post - my Registration is now valid on the Registry web site! Haven’t received any emails or anything in the mail yet, but my Managing Specialist (I can’t do my own inspection as a DAR…) called me to say we’re good to go for this Friday’s inspection. I must admit, we had several behind-the-scenes efforts going to make sure this got done by the end of the week as travel plans and a few other housekeeping things for the good of the agency were in place.

 

[Mel]

Just following up on this post - my Registration is now valid on the Registry web site! Haven’t received any emails or anything in the mail yet, but my Managing Specialist (I can’t do my own inspection as a DAR…) called me to say we’re good to go for this Friday’s inspection. I must admit, we had several behind-the-scenes efforts going to make sure this got done by the end of the week as travel plans and a few other housekeeping things for the good of the agency were in place.

Did you leave one jam nut for the inspector to find?

 

[Ironflight]

Did you leave one jam nut for the inspector to find?

Maybe two……

 

[Marlonyoung]

Fed Exed mine to FAA March 12, got an email with a temp certificate yesterday May 26.

 

[Mike S]

Did you leave one jam nut for the inspector to find?

Maybe two……

Ummm, I dont believe Vic is doing the inspection......

 

[bonefishdave]

It was not very long ago (even as recent as last year) that initial E-AB registration requests that come into the Aircraft Registration Branch in OKC here handled right right away - and folks often got their registration back in a week. Things have changed (suddenly) this year.

Anticipating a May inspection for the F1 Rocket project, I sent in my registration package in mid-January. heard nothing until two weeks ago when I got a very nice letter saying that they could issue me a registration if I added the “title” of the seller on the Bill of Sale under his signature (uhh…that would be “President” as he was owner of Team Rocket at the time to BOS was filled out 25 years ago….). I fixed that, put it in an envope with a stamp and sent it right back to the post office the same day. My experience in the past with corrections like these is that the application stays on the processor’s desk and he finishes it as soon as he gets the documents back.

Today I checked with them by email askign for a status, and telling them I was trying for an inspection in May. I got a message back that:

“ Currently, there are docs in the Work In Process queue, with a file date of 04/15/2026. When docs come in after corrections, they go back to the end of the Work In Process queue. We are currently processing docs for amateur-built aircraft, with a file date of 02/23/2026. It will be approximately 1.5 - 2 months before we process your documents. You might need to reach out to your inspector to reschedule.”

So things have slowed down considerably and I might not even make Oshkosh even if the airplane is finished!

(DAR’s don’t get any priority BTW…. Registration and Airworthines are two different departments)

We’ll see what happens! If you are planning on getting an inspection before the end of the year, I’d get your registration package in ASAP!

If you want to get it fast hire a title company in Oklahoma to do this for you. They charge a couple of hundred bucks but you’ll have a temp registration emailed to you in a few days shortly followed by the actual registration. I use insured aircraft title company but there are many others.

 

[Ironflight]

If you want to get it fast hire a title company in Oklahoma to do this for you. They charge a couple of hundred bucks but you’ll have a temp registration emailed to you in a few days shortly followed by the actual registration. I use insured aircraft title company but there are many others.

Have you done that in past couple of months? I know of at least one case where a company was hired six weeks ago and nothing has happened yet. I have heard second hand that the “expediters” have been shut out of the Registry for the past couple of months - but that’s second hand. Would love to hear that that is still a valid path to getting stuff quick.

 

[Cessnadog]

This thread prompted me to send mine in way earlier than I had planned. I had always heard that these were turned in a week or so.
Based on the latest timelines I am seeing above, this has the potential to delay my inspection.

Makes the annual donation to VAF worth it, as I would have REALLY been delayed otherwise.

At least I still have work to do while the time slips by….

 

[bonefishdave]

Have you done that in past couple of months? I know of at least one case where a company was hired six weeks ago and nothing has happened yet. I have heard second hand that the “expediters” have been shut out of the Registry for the past couple of months - but that’s second hand. Would love to hear that that is still a valid path to getting stuff quick.

Ok so here is the intel on that. I just spoke with the title company. You can request expedited service for either an international flight or an aircraft that has never been registered. However it’s up to the agent at the FAA whether they handle first time registrations as expedited or not. I’d suggest giving them a call, I think she said there is an 80 dollar fee, but I’m not sure if that fee was for expedited, or that is the fee charged for handling the paper work. I can tell you that two years ago my friend got his in a week and it was a first time registration. If it were me and I was trying for airventure, I’d roll the dice and hope for a nice agent at the faa. Maybe include in the notes that you are on a deadline to get the aircraft there

 

[flyabq]

If you are just wanting to reserve a tail number, is it still a long wait? I have one that is purging from the system I wanted to jump on. I wanted to call but it sounds like its prob impossible to get anyone now.

That is still working faster. I just did this a few days ago and it reflected on the website that they were reserved right away. Still waiting on the actual letter. Hopefully next week they said

 

[Fenderbean]

That is still working faster. I just did this a few days ago and it reflected on the website that they were reserved right away. Still waiting on the actual letter. Hopefully next week they said

So you called and registered your tail number?

 

[flyabq]

So you called and registered your tail number?

I submitted on the website. I called later to inquire as to the timing and also to make sure I did it correctly as I was getting this for my school