Registration fee and participation levy

Each July, aircraft owners who don't pay a passenger levy pay a registration fee for their aircraft, and a participation levy based on aircraft weight. This contributes to the CAA's safety oversight of aviation for the benefit of everyone.

Reminders for aircraft owners

The annual registration fee and participation levy will be due 01 Jul 2020, see Buying or selling an aircraft as at 1 July. Please make sure any related applications - deregistration, levy deferral, change of possession - are submitted (with applicable fees paid) with enough time to process before this date.

Please remember to tell us if your details change, especially your email address, visit Change of address.

Make sure your ELT beacon is registered with www.beacons.org.nz(external link) and the information is up-to-date.

If you subscribe to aeronautical publications, remember that is separate, visit Aeropath(external link).

What are the fee and levy used for?

The registration fee and the participation levy help fund our work, particularly:

• Safety investigation and analysis – industry-wide accident and incident trends are developed, which steer our safety initiatives.
• Safety promotion – the aviation safety magazine, Vector, is provided free to aviation community participants, as are booklets, posters, safety videos, and other products.
• Four aviation safety advisors provide face-to-face contact, advice and information throughout the country.
• In the interests of aviation safety, random surveillance, spot checks, and occasionally, enforcement action is required to ensure compliance with safety standards.

How much do I pay?

Click on the links below to see current fees and levies.

Fees, levies, and charges

2017 fees and levies booklet [PDF 362 KB]

Can I put off paying?

If your aircraft is inoperable at 1 July and remains that way for at least three months, you can put off paying the participation levy.

24047/13 Application for Deferral of Participation Levy [PDF 393 KB]

What if my aircraft is not in use?

If your aircraft is not airworthy or not being used (for example, it’s being repaired or restored) you can deregister it. You can reserve the registration mark if you choose to deregister. You should weigh deregistration – and therefore not having to pay the levy or fee while it’s deregistered – against the cost of new registration, when you want to fly the aircraft again.

Once deregistered, the aircraft’s airworthiness certificate is revoked.

24047/5 De-registration of aircraft [PDF 1.9 MB]

What if I’m buying or selling an aircraft as at 1 July?

The owner of the aircraft on 1 July each year has to pay the annual registration and participation levy.

If the aircraft is sold, and the change of possession processed before 1 July, the new owner is responsible for the payment.

If purchasing an aircraft after 30 June, the new owner should make sure the annual registration fee and the participation levy have been paid. If not, the aircraft could be de-registered.

What will happen if I just don’t pay?

If the fee or levy is not paid within six months of being invoiced, the Director of Civil Aviation may revoke your aircraft’s certificate of registration and airworthiness certificate – effectively de-registering the aircraft.