Business Aviation is a global marketplace, built on international travel and transactions. So how much should your home location impact your choice of registry? Gerrard Cowan asks industry experts to outline the key factors.
While aircraft must be registered with a national register, there’s nothing that legally requires an aircraft to be registered where it is based or where it operates, says Katie Bancroft, Business Aviation Senior Associate at law firm Jaffa & Co.
Pointing to a rise in the use of such registries as Aruba, the Cayman Islands, Isle of Man and San Marino (among others) in recent years, she adds that the question of which registry to use should be an early one for any owner.
“In reality, registration is just one element in the overall architecture of an aircraft acquisition,” she highlights. “It must be considered alongside – and in some instances, as an intrinsic part of – other elements of the purchase and operation to ensure that they play out smoothly, efficiently and without unforeseen restrictions or interruptions.”
If, for example, you’re based in a country with a poor reputation in terms of maintenance, service levels and regulation, it might make sense to look elsewhere, according to Max Hooper, Co-Founder of Corporate Jet Consulting (CJC).
This strategy gains further support if you face difficulties around aircraft finance and insurance and worry that the registration might hinder day-to-day operations in areas such as crewing and trip planning. “Owners also tend to avoid registering that aircraft where there are unstable governments and weak rule of law,” Hooper adds.
This article was originally published by AvBuyer on February 16, 2026.