My information may be a bit out of date since this was a few years back. I am aware of the process of registering one Coupe imported from Canada, and was directly involved with an Alon from England.
First the plane is de-registered from its country of origin and re-registered in the US. Easy----the hardest part is changing the numbers on the plane. Next an annual is done to insure that the plane meets its type certificate AND that every modification, is done correctly and covered by paper AND the same for every repair AND the same for all ADs. This can be a nightmare. An example: A repair was done to a wing and you have to prove that it was done correctly and find an IA willing to cover it with a 337. An STC was applied and no certificate is present, nor 337 made out to cover the modification. You must get a permission certificate and enter the 337. When all this is done, and the IA inspecting the airplane is satisfied that the plane meets its type certificate and all documentation is present and correct, you are ready to obtain an Airworthiness Certificate. You can either contact the FSDO and ask for an inspection, or contact a D.A.R. In most cases the FSDO will tell you their too busy and refer you to a Designated Airworthiness Representative. You have to convince him or her that the plane does indeed meet its type certificate and that all paperwork is correct. Some of the questions that the D.A.R. asked on the Coupe out of Canada were. "Is the Carb air box correct? Prove it" Ditto the carb itself and a myriad of other details. When he or her is satisfied you will be issued an Airworthiness Certificate. If you used a DAR you will write a check at this point. In the case of the Canadian Coupe the DAR did miss a couple of items. However I do the annual on this plane and since the DAR said it was airworthy I have to agree. :-) Cheers: Paul N1431A KPLU
