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UK Civil Aviation Regulations

These are published by the CAA on our UK Regulations pages. EU Regulations and EASA Access Guides published by EASA no longer apply in the UK. Our website and publications are being reviewed to update all references. Any references to EU law and EASA Access guides should be disregarded and where applicable the equivalent UK versions referred to instead.



UK regulations aligned British Civil Airworthiness Requirements (BCAR) Section A with European regulations in August 2012. The changes apply to aircraft excluded from Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 as retained (and amended in UK domestic law) under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the UK Basic Regulation), including those aircraft listed in Annex I, commonly referred to non-Part 21 aircraft.

Mandatory Requirements for Airworthiness (CAP 747) contains the list of non-Part 21 aircraft types. It also provides a statement of the general categories of aircraft that are excluded from the UK Basic Regulation and so remain subject to rules under The Air Navigation Order. These changes apply to non-Part 21 aircraft that operate on a Certificate of Airworthiness (C of A).

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has determined that some aircraft types are required to meet Additional Requirements for Importation (ARIs) prior to the issue of a Certificate of Airworthiness (C of A).

The CAA issue a non-expiring C of A, National Airworthiness Review Certificate (National ARC) and noise certificate (if required) for each aircraft. After receipt of your non-expiring C of A and initial National ARC, the National ARC can be extended for two years, after which time a full airworthiness review will be required prior to a new National ARC being issued.

For a used non-Part 21 craft being imported into the UK a check flight is required to support the airworthiness review.

Pre-Requisites

The recommendation for the initial issue of a National ARC may only be made by a BCAR A8-25 (CAMO) or an A8-15 (M3) organisation that holds appropriate approval for this purpose.

Non-military State aircraft, those used for commercial air transport, or public transport are to be managed by an A8-25 (CAMO) and maintained by an A8-23 (M1) organisation.

Remaining C of A aircraft may have their continuing airworthiness managed by an A8-25 (CAMO) or they can have an annual review performed by an A8-25 (CAMO). For those aircraft below 2730kg MTOW the annual review can also be carried out by an appropriately licensed engineer.

For aircraft below 2730kg MTOW, maintenance may be performed by an A8-23 (M1), A8-24 (M2) approved organisation or independent certifying staff.

In order to successfully make an application you must provide:

  • details of the aircraft
  • approved organisation details
  • location of the aircraft for survey (if required)

Please note: The aircraft must be registered in the UK prior to the issue of any Airworthiness Certificate.

As required by UK Reg (EU) No 1079/2012 (the UK Voice Channel Spacing Regulation), all new aircraft issued with an individual Certificate of Airworthiness after 17 November 2013, which have VHF radios fitted, are required to have a radio with an 8.33KHz channel spacing. It is the owners / operator's responsibility to ensure that the aircraft is appropriately equipped with such a radio.

What else do I need to know?

A Satisfactory Airworthiness Review in accordance with BCAR Section A (A8-25 para 10 or A8-15 para 3) must be completed and a National ARC Issue Recommendation made for all aircraft imported from outside the UK prior to the issue of the Certificate of Airworthiness. This should be provided to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) prior to any survey.

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How do I apply?

Complete the C of A Online Form to submit your application and payment.

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What do I need to include with my application?

  • Completed CofA Online Form.
  • Aircraft details (reg/type/s/n/engines and props if applicable/weights etc). *
  • Details of the organisation supporting the application (they may be the applicant/presenter or support the organisation/individual presenting the aircraft). *
  • If a non-Part 21 aircraft type is classified as an orphan, they must supply a copy of their Type Responsibility Agreement (TRA) (BCAR Section A5-1 can be referred to).
  • Confirmation of the certification status applicable to the aircraft. *
  • Details of the Approved Maintenance Programme.
  • Details of the Flight Manual (if applicable).
  • Confirmation of the place of survey. *
  • Confirmation of Mandatory Requirements for Airworthiness (CAP747) compliance.
  • Confirmation of the mod status of the aircraft.
  • Airworthiness Transfer Documentation.

*Mandatory information required

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How much does it cost?



The non-Part 21 Fee Calculator provides details of the current charges.

In the event of a discrepancy between the information here and the Scheme of Charges, the Scheme of Charges takes precedence.

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How long does It take?



The application will be reviewed to determine if Airworthiness Surveyor involvement is required.

The Service Standard for the processing of instructions for your application to our Resource Scheduling Team is 15 working days from receipt of your correctly completed application and clearance of the required fee.

Please note, the application should include all required supporting documents, accepted exceptions, validations and qualifying data.

The applicant will be contacted by our Resource Scheduling Team to arrange date(s) for survey of the aircraft and the associated aircraft records. A Certificate of Airworthiness, Airworthiness Review Certificate and Noise Certificate (if required) will be issued when the aircraft has been shown to meet the applicable requirements and is deemed airworthy.

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What happens next?

  • Complete the C of A Online Form and pay the applicable fee online.
  • The application will be passed to the Technical Section for review.
  • Further information to substantiate the application may be required - the BCAR Maintenance Organisation or CAMO will usually be the contact for this information.
  • Upon successful review of the application, it will be determined if Surveyor Involvement is required.
  • The Resource Scheduling team will arrange for the Regional Office Surveyor to survey the aircraft
  • A Certificate of Airworthiness, Airworthiness Review Certificate and Noise Certificate (if applicable) will be issued once the Regional Office Surveyor is satisfied that all necessary paperwork is in order and that the aircraft is airworthy.
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How long is it valid for?



All non-Part-21 aircraft registered in the UK and operating on a Certificate of Airworthiness (C of A) are issued with a non-expiring C of A, validated annually by a National Airworthiness Review Certificate (N ARC).

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