Register an aircraft and get its certificate of airworthiness
Kenya Civil Aviation Authority · sources read 3 Oct 2026
Fill in KCAA Form AC-AWS001C and hand it in at the KCAA Registry Office (Tower A, ground floor), paying through KCAA eCitizen; registration takes about 10 days. Then apply for the certificate of airworthiness on Forms AC-AWS002A to C, and register the aircraft's ELT beacon for free.
- Fee
- KSh 15,000Certificate of registration: aeroplane, helicopter or gyroplane (excl. VAT)KSh 10,000Certificate of registration: balloon (excl. VAT)KSh 6,000Certificate of registration: glider (excl. VAT)KSh 10,000Certificate of airworthiness issue: aeroplane, helicopter or gyroplane up to 2,300 kg MTOM (excl. VAT)KSh 8,000Special flight permit: aircraft up to 5,700 kg MTOM (excl. VAT)KSh 5,000Validation or renewal of an aircraft noise certificate (excl. VAT)FreeELT/PLB/EPIRB beacon registration
- How long
- About 10 days for aircraft registration (KCAA service charter)
- Where
- KCAA Registry Office, Tower A, ground floor, Aviation House, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi; pay on the KCAA eCitizen portal; ELT registration online at kcaa.or.ke/elt-forms. Email airworthinessstaff@kcaa.or.ke
What you need
- Form AC-AWS001C (application for registration or re-registration of aircraft)
- Forms AC-AWS002A, AC-AWS002B and AC-AWS002C for the certificate of airworthiness
- Form AC-AWS022 for a noise certificate
- A filled ELT/PLB/EPIRB registration form for the emergency beacon
Steps
- Fill in Form AC-AWS001C and submit it to the KCAA Registry Office, Tower A, ground floor (Aviation House, JKIA).
- Pay the registration fee on the KCAA eCitizen portal (ecitizen.kcaa.or.ke).
- For the certificate of airworthiness, fill in Forms AC-AWS002A, AC-AWS002B and AC-AWS002C and submit them to the same Registry Office. The same forms are used to renew it.
- Apply for a noise certificate on Form AC-AWS022. KCAA issues it from the manufacturer's noise certification, with no extra tests.
- Register the aircraft's emergency beacon (ELT) with KCAA using the ELT registration form on kcaa.or.ke/elt-forms. It's free and takes about 48 hours.
Watch out
- If the aircraft can fly safely but doesn't meet airworthiness rules yet (for example a ferry flight to a repair base or delivery), apply for a special flight permit on Form AC-AWS004-1.
- The certificate of airworthiness shows the aircraft has been maintained under an approved maintenance programme, so keep your maintenance records in order.
- KCAA's service charter puts aircraft registration at KSh 6,000 to 60,000 overall, depending on the aircraft and extras like special registration marks.
Who can apply
- The owner or operator of an aircraft eligible for registration in Kenya. The certificate of registration must be carried on board on every flight.
- For a certificate of airworthiness, the aircraft must have a type certificate accepted by KCAA.
Official sources (9)
- Certificate of Registration (CofR) kcaa.or.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- Certificate of Airworthiness kcaa.or.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- Noise Certificate kcaa.or.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- Special Flight Permit kcaa.or.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- ELT Forms kcaa.or.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- KCAA Service Delivery Charter kcaa.or.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- AIC 08/23: Charges for Air Navigation Services and Regulatory Fees kcaa.or.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- AIC 12/23: Services and payment of services through eCitizen kcaa.or.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- KCAA eCitizen portal ecitizen.kcaa.or.ke · read 3 Oct 2026