Guide sets out 10 legal steps to buy a private jet; Cape Town Convention now has 87 states plus the EU
Why It MattersThe guide shows that a jet purchase hinges on filings, registry choice and escrow-protected deposits that fix priority before any money moves, so a buyer's legal sequencing governs risk more than price.
What happened
A legal guide to buying a private jet describes the purchase as three parallel projects: a sale contract for a high-value moving asset, a change of nationality registration, and a set of filings that determine priority over the aircraft if problems arise. The priority layer is governed by the Cape Town Convention and its Aircraft Protocol, which the guide says now has 87 contracting states plus the European Union. Georgia and Lithuania were the latest to come into force, on 1 December 2025.
The guide sets out ten steps: deciding ownership and operation; choosing a register; agreeing a letter of intent and deposit; running title and registry searches; signing the aircraft purchase agreement; carrying out a pre-purchase inspection; arranging finance and security; completing sanctions, anti-money laundering and know-your-customer checks; closing; and registration, insurance and import tax. Several steps overlap in practice, and registration paperwork is usually prepared in advance so it can be filed within minutes of closing.
Choosing a register
On register choice, the guide notes that the UK Civil Aviation Authority will not register an aircraft still registered elsewhere. It requires a de-registration statement, or a statement of non-registration for a new aircraft. The UK fee is £98 up to 15,000kg and £196 above that, with applications usually handled within three working days.
The US fee is $5.00. US ownership rules require, for corporations, a US-citizen president and two-thirds of directors and 75% US-held voting interest. A US-organised non-citizen corporation can register only if the aircraft is based and primarily used in the US.
Letter of intent and title searches
The letter of intent should record aircraft identity, price, deposit, inspection facility and timetable. The deposit is held by a neutral escrow agent and is refundable if no purchase agreement is signed or the aircraft is rejected after inspection.
For title searches, buyers check the national register and the International Registry of Mobile Assets. The Registry is operated by Aviareto in Dublin as Registrar under ICAO supervision, and it returns a priority search certificate for the airframe and each engine.
Industry impact & what to watch
Framing a jet purchase as a sale, a registration and a priority filing explains why the same transaction can be safe or exposed depending on sequence. Because the Cape Town priority layer rewards whoever files and searches correctly, the order of searches, escrow, inspection and filing carries more risk than the headline price. That is also why registration paperwork is prepared ahead and lodged within minutes of closing.
The spread of the Convention to 87 states plus the EU makes the International Registry a common reference point across many jurisdictions. Register choice still splits buyers along national rules: the UK requires prior de-registration, while US registration carries citizenship and voting-interest tests for corporations.
The next point to follow is the guide's coverage of finance, security and sanctions checks at closing, where the priority filings and the know-your-customer work have to land together.
