N-number renewal, and the cost of forgetting it
A reserved N-number is yours for $10 a year — but the FAA never auto-renews, the expiration date is public, and professional watchers catch good numbers the night they lapse. Renewal is a two-minute task with real stakes.
How renewal works
Every special N-number reservation runs one year. Renewal is $10 through the FAA's online renewal for reserved numbers, and each renewal extends the reservation a year from its expiration date — not from the day you pay, so renewing early costs you nothing. There is no limit on renewals; numbers stay in families and companies for decades at $10 a year.
The purge date is public — and watched
Your reservation's expiration — the FAA calls it the purge date — is visible to anyone who runs your number through the registry (see our lookup guide). That transparency cuts both ways. It lets a buyer see when a number they want might free up. It also means that when your renewal lapses, the release is on a schedule that interested parties can see coming months out.
What actually happens at a lapse
When a purge date passes unrenewed, the number returns to the available pool shortly afterward, where anyone can reserve it for $10. In practice, desirable numbers do not linger: resellers and watchers track upcoming releases and file the same day, often within hours or minutes of the number opening. We watch these releases around the clock, and the pattern is consistent — a clean short number that lapses is typically gone again within a day.
Protecting a number you care about
- Calendar the renewal a month before the purge date — the date is on your confirmation and in the registry.
- Keep your mailing address current with the FAA so renewal correspondence reaches you.
- Holding a number long-term for a future aircraft? Renew early each year; the expiration extends from the old date either way.
- If a number matters to your brand or family, treat the $10 like an insurance premium — recovering a lapsed number costs orders of magnitude more.
Recovering a lapsed number
Move immediately. If the number is still open you can simply re-reserve it — first come, first served. If it has already been caught, look up who holds it now: a reseller will sell it back at market price; a private party may entertain a transfer. And if the number is due to release but hasn't yet, that is the one moment where being first matters more than anything — which is a service we happen to run.
Frequently asked questions
How do I renew my N-number reservation?
Through the FAA's online renewal for special N-numbers (or by mail), for $10 a year. The renewal extends your reservation another year from its expiration. Put the date on your calendar — the stakes of missing it are losing the number.
What is the purge date?
The public expiration date on your reservation, visible to anyone who looks your number up. If the date passes without a renewal, the FAA releases the number back to the available pool shortly afterward.
What happens the moment my reservation lapses?
The number becomes reservable by anyone for $10, and it is racing season: desirable numbers are commonly re-reserved within a day of releasing — resellers watch the release schedule specifically to catch them. A lapsed good number should be assumed gone unless you were watching it.
Can I get my number back after it lapsed?
If nobody has taken it yet, reserve it again immediately — you'd simply be first to re-reserve it. If a reseller caught it, you're buying it back at their price. If a private party took it, a negotiated transfer is the only path. Speed decides which of the three you face.
Does my reservation renew automatically?
No. The FAA does not auto-renew special N-number reservations. Every year the renewal is on you — which is exactly why good numbers lapse constantly and a watching market exists.
Lost a number — or afraid you will?
We watch purge dates around the clock and file the moment a watched number releases. Recover a lapsed number, or put a watch on the one you never want to lose.