Reserving an N-number, step by step
Reserving a tail number directly with the FAA costs $10 and takes about five minutes when the number is genuinely available. Here is the exact process, what each confirmation actually means, and where people get burned.
Step 1: confirm the number is actually available
Before anything else, run the number through the FAA's N-Number Inquiry (our lookup guide shows how to read every result). Only a number with no registration and no active reservation can be reserved. A number that is “reserved” has a public expiration date — if that is your situation, skip to the watching strategy below.
Step 2: the online reservation form
The FAA's “Request Special N-Number Online” form asks for the number you want (without the leading N), the applicant's legal name and mailing address, and an email. The name you enter is the name the reservation belongs to — an individual, an LLC, a trust — so decide up front who should own it. If the number fails the format rules or is not available, the form refuses before any payment step.
Step 3: the $10 payment on pay.gov
Payment is a standard card checkout through pay.gov, the federal payment portal. You receive a remittance ID — keep it. One important nuance: that receipt confirms your requestwas submitted, not that the number is yours. The FAA's own page says you will receive written confirmation of either the reservation or non-availability.
Step 4: what confirmation really looks like
Two things tell you the number is truly yours: the FAA registry showing your name as the Reserving Party (it updates once each federal working day), and the confirmation letter that arrives by mail. Processing can take weeks — the letter often trails the registry. Until one of those shows your name, the honest status is “pending.”
If the number you want is taken
Most good numbers are. Every reservation carries a public purge date, and holders miss renewals constantly. When a reservation lapses, the number returns to the open pool — and desirable ones are re-reserved almost immediately, often by resellers. Getting a lapsed number at the $10 price means knowing the purge date and filing the moment it opens. That is precisely the service we run: we watch the number and file the reservation in your name the night it releases.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to reserve an N-number?
Ten dollars, paid to the FAA by card through pay.gov at the end of the online reservation form. The reservation lasts one year and renews for $10 a year after that.
Is my number reserved as soon as I pay?
Not quite. The payment receipt (a pay.gov remittance ID) confirms the FAA received your request. The FAA then processes it and mails you written confirmation of either the reservation or non-availability. Until the registry shows the number under your name, treat it as pending.
How long does the FAA take to confirm a reservation?
The online submission takes minutes, but written confirmation arrives by mail and FAA processing can take several weeks. The registry itself updates once each federal working day, so a successful reservation typically appears there sooner than the letter arrives.
Can I reserve an N-number without owning an aircraft?
Yes. No aircraft is required. People reserve numbers years ahead of a purchase, for a future build, or to hold a meaningful combination. It stays yours as long as you renew.
Why was my reservation request refused?
The common reasons: the number doesn't fit the FAA format (digit first, no I or O, at most two trailing letters), it is already assigned or reserved, or it is in post-expiration processing and not yet reservable even though it looks unclaimed. The form refuses at step one in those cases and you are not charged.
Want it reserved in your name, without the vigil?
Tell us the number. If it's open we file the same day; if it's held we watch its purge date and strike the night it lapses. You pay nothing unless we secure it.