We have found in the past that an Export Annual does not expedite the importing of your plane. Your mechanic must still do a 100hr/annual inspection upon arrival of the plane, then file the papers to apply for a new Certificate of Airworthiness and a new registration number. The Export Annual only confirms that certain items have been complied with, but your mechanic must still do his inspection.

We highly recommend that you have a pre-buy inspection done, paying particular attention to the aircraft logs for proper documentation and history of the plane. Our purchase agreement covers a wide range of pre-defined items that the owner must comply with before the sale completes. IE: All AD's must be complied with, All Equipment must be working, and the plane must be Airworthy. It will be up to the owner, at his expense, to correct any deficiencies prior to closing, otherwise you can elect to not purchase his plane and have your deposit refunded.

If there are any modifications done to the plane since it left the factory, then each modification must have supporting paperwork, otherwise you must obtain the proper paper work (which will delay the importation of your aircraft).  IE: STOL Kits, Float Kits, Performance Mods, Engine Upgrades, Camera Hatches, and Damage Repairs, must all be supported by STC's, Form 337's, or Conformity Inspection Reports.

After your new plane arrives home, an Import Inspection will be done by your mechanic (which is nothing more than a 100 hour inspection), during which your mechanic will remove the old Registration Markings from the plane and apply your new registration markings to the plane.

A letter must be issued by your mechanic to the vendor of the aircraft indicating that the previous registration markings have been removed. The Vendor must attach this letter to the Bill of Sale to de-register the aircraft from his country's Registry. If this isn't done, the vendor will be hounded indefinitely by the Governing Agency until he provides the letter. The reason this letter must be provided is that neither country can have the same aircraft registered at the same time.

This entire process need take no longer than a week or two to accomplish, but as you may guess, can be delayed by our speedy government services, so plan on a month and be pleasantly surprised when it occurs sooner.
 

When importing to the United States there is no import or excise tax due. This makes life very simple and affordable. When importing to Canada there is a Goods and Services Tax that must be paid immediately. The rate is 7% of the Canadian Value paid for the plane. Corporations or individuals holding a valid GST Registration Number will be able to credit their account for this tax expenditure. Private individuals are SOL.

As always, all of our staff are here to help you with your questions, just call or email any one of us, at anytime.