FAR 91.203 — Required Aircraft Documents
FAR 91.203 lists the certificates a civil aircraft must carry to fly: airworthiness, registration, and how they must be displayed. Plain English for pilots.
In Plain English
FAR 91.203 tells you what paperwork has to be on board before you can legally fly a civil aircraft. If any required item is missing, the aircraft is not legal to operate.
The required documents are:
- An appropriate and current airworthiness certificate. With limited exceptions (like a special flight permit), it must show the aircraft's registration number.
- An effective U.S. registration certificate issued to the owner — or, for domestic operations, the second copy of the Aircraft Registration Application under § 47.31(c), or a foreign registration certificate for foreign-registered aircraft.
Display rules:
- The airworthiness certificate (or a special flight authorization under § 91.715) must be displayed at the cabin or cockpit entrance so passengers or crew can read it.
Special situations:
- If a fuel tank is installed in the passenger or baggage compartment, the installation must comply with part 43, and a copy of FAA Form 337 authorizing it must be on board.
- A civil airplane operating into or out of a U.S. airport must meet the fuel venting and exhaust emissions rules of part 34.
Operationally, this is the foundation of the common AROW check (Airworthiness, Registration, Operating limitations, Weight & balance) every pilot does on preflight.
Regulation Text
14 CFR § 91.203§ 91.203 Civil aircraft: Certifications required.
(a) Except as provided in § 91.715, no person may operate a civil aircraft unless it has within it the following:
(1) An appropriate and current airworthiness certificate. Each U.S. airworthiness certificate used to comply with this subparagraph (except a special flight permit, a copy of the applicable operations specifications issued under § 21.197(c) of this chapter, appropriate sections of the air carrier manual required by parts 121 and 135 of this chapter containing that portion of the operations specifications issued under § 21.197(c), or an authorization under § 91.611) must have on it the registration number assigned to the aircraft under part 47 or 48 of this chapter. However, the airworthiness certificate need not have on it an assigned special identification number before 10 days after that number is first affixed to the aircraft. A revised airworthiness certificate having on it an assigned special identification number, that has been affixed to an aircraft, may only be obtained upon application to the responsible Flight Standards office.
(2) An effective U.S. registration certificate issued to its owner or, for operation within the United States, the second copy of the Aircraft registration Application as provided for in § 47.31(c), a Certificate of Aircraft registration as provided in part 48, or a registration certification issued under the laws of a foreign country.
(b) No person may operate a civil aircraft unless the airworthiness certificate required by paragraph (a) of this section or a special flight authorization issued under § 91.715 is displayed at the cabin or cockpit entrance so that it is legible to passengers or crew.
(c) No person may operate an aircraft with a fuel tank installed within the passenger compartment or a baggage compartment unless the installation was accomplished pursuant to part 43 of this chapter, and a copy of FAA Form 337 authorizing that installation is on board the aircraft.
(d) No person may operate a civil airplane (domestic or foreign) into or out of an airport in the United States unless it complies with the fuel venting and exhaust emissions requirements of part 34 of this chapter.
[Docket 18334, 54 FR 34292, Aug. 18, 1989, as amended by Amdt. 91-218, 55 FR 32861, Aug. 10, 1990; Amdt. 91-318, 75 FR 41983, July 20, 2010; Amdt. 91-338, 80 FR 78648, Dec. 16, 2015; Docket FAA-2018-0119, Amdt. 91-350, 83 FR 9171, Mar. 5, 2018; Docket FAA-2022-1355, Amdt. 91-366, 87 FR 75846, Dec. 9, 2022]
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You are flying VFR in Class E airspace at 8,500 feet MSL during the day. What are your minimum visibility and cloud clearance requirements?
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Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1What documents are required to be on board a civil aircraft before flight?
Per FAR 91.203, the aircraft must have an appropriate and current airworthiness certificate and an effective U.S. registration certificate (or equivalent application/foreign registration as listed in the rule).
Q2Where must the airworthiness certificate be displayed, and why?
FAR 91.203(b) requires the airworthiness certificate (or special flight authorization under § 91.715) to be displayed at the cabin or cockpit entrance so it is legible to passengers or crew.
Q3If a ferry tank is installed in the baggage compartment, what additional paperwork must be on board?
Under FAR 91.203(c), the installation must be done in accordance with part 43, and a copy of FAA Form 337 authorizing the installation must be carried on the aircraft.
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