Today, the Parliament of Lithuania adopted an important amendment to the Aviation Law. Effective from 1 January 2026, all civil aircraft registered in Lithuania will be treated as movable property. As a direct consequence, notarial certification of aircraft sale and transfer transactions will no longer be required.

Earlier this year, AVERUS, together with CAVIA, called on the legislator and responsible authorities to abolish this outdated requirement, which placed Lithuania among a very small number of jurisdictions still insisting on notarisation of aircraft transfers. In practice, this created disproportionate costs, delays, and competitive disadvantages for commercial and business aviation, particularly in cross-border transactions.

The adopted amendments finally restore regulatory logic and parity:

• aircraft are no longer equated with immovable property merely because of their value;
• The regulatory approach to aircraft is aligned with that already applied to ships.
• Administrative burden and transaction costs for market participants are materially reduced.

This change, along with the Cape Town Convention taking effect on 1 December 2025, strengthens Lithuania’s attractiveness as a jurisdiction for aircraft ownership, financing and trading.

Important legislative update for aviation practice

Today, the Lithuanian Parliament adopted amendments to the Aviation Law that directly address one of the key regulatory issues we have been highlighting in our aviation practice.

What changes?

• From 1 January 2026, all Lithuania-registered civil aircraft will be classified as movable property.
• As a result, notarial certification of aircraft sale and transfer transactions will no longer be required.

Why it matters:

• removes unnecessary transaction costs (notary fees often reaching several thousand euros);
• eliminates delays in cross-border aircraft transactions;
• aligns the legal treatment of aircraft with that of ships;
• improves Lithuania’s competitiveness as a jurisdiction for the aviation business.

More information:

Laura Čereškaitė-Kinčiuvienė