Jersey Aircraft Registration (ZJ-) - A Guide

The Jersey Aircraft Registry launched in November 2015 to provide a customer focused service for the registration of private and corporately owned business aircraft and helicopters.

About Jersey

Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands.

The Channel Islands are situated approximately 14 miles off the Northwest coast of France and are made up of two administrative jurisdictions, or Bailiwicks, Guernsey & Jersey.

There are no formal links between the two Bailiwicks although they both share the same relationship with the United Kingdom (UK) and Europe.

They are both part of the British Isles but not of the United Kingdom and as such, are dependent on the Crown for the administration of foreign affairs and defence. Otherwise the Islands are independent jurisdictions and are governed by their own ‘Parliaments’, the States of Guernsey and the States of Jersey.

Jersey is widely recognised as one of the world’s premier international finance centres, having a unique mix of talent, independence and natural assets which has enabled financial services to flourish for almost 50 years.

What are the aircraft registration markings for a Jersey registered aircraft?

The Jersey aircraft registration prefix nationality mark is ‘ZJ-’ followed by a hyphen and three characters, i.e. ZJ-ETS, ZJ-ONE, ZJ-HIT

What features might encourage an owner to register their aircraft in Jersey?

A combination of some, if not all, of the following features of the Jersey aircraft register may be attractive to owners and operators:

• High regulatory standards
• Flexibility of aircraft airworthiness, operating and licensing system – i.e. US/FAA or EASA/JAA
• High service levels
• Wide international ownership eligibility
• Registration of aircraft engine mortgages
• An online registration system, available 24-hours a day, across all time zones
• Neutral Nationality registration prefix ‘ZJ-’
• Registration marks can be recycled on different aircraft
• The ZJ- followed by a three letter combination allows significant personalization of the registration markings
• Competitive scheme of charges
• No insurance premium tax (6% in UK)
• European time zone
• Jersey is a well respected financial services centre on the OECD ‘white list’
• Clear and simple taxation regime
• Stable legal and political environment
• Jersey is outside the EU VAT territory

Oceanskies Aircraft Registration Services

Oceanskies is an independent dedicated yacht and aircraft registration consultancy based in Guernsey whose principals have many years experience of registering aircraft in the main aircraft registry jurisdictions such as the Isle of Man, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Malta and the USA.

Oceanskies will consult with the owner and/or operator to determine the best registration jurisdiction for their aircraft based on intended operational parameters.

Using its independence and experience of ownership, registration, importation and documentation of private and corporate aircraft and helicopters Oceanskies are able to provide aircraft registration services in the chosen jurisdiction either as a stand alone service or as part of a turn-key ownership package.

Oceanskies EU Aircraft Importation & VAT Deferment Services

Oceanskies is also able to assist with aircraft importation into the EU and facilitate a zero VAT and duty importation enabling free circulation of the aircraft with Europe.

Next Steps

We encourage owners, their advisers and any intermediary who might be considering options for the registration of their aircraft or reviewing their existing aircraft registration to contact us to discuss potential options.

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