On October 8, 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a final rule requiring individuals with a foreign address and no U.S. physical address on file to designate a U.S. agent for service of process. This applies to those holding or applying for FAA certificates, ratings, or authorizations under specific sections of the 14 CFR regulations.

The U.S. agent will be responsible for receiving legal and safety-critical documents from the FAA on behalf of the individual. This rule aims to facilitate faster and more efficient communication between the FAA and individual certificate holders abroad.

The FAA encounters difficulties in serving documents to approximately 115,000 individuals with foreign addresses who hold or apply for FAA certificates, ratings, or authorizations and do not have a U.S. physical address on record.

The rule applies to individuals with addresses outside the U.S. who hold or apply for FAA certificates, ratings, or authorizations under specific parts of 14 CFR (47, 61, 63, 65, 67, 107) and do not have a U.S. physical address on record with the FAA.

According to Rule § 3.302, a U.S. agent for service is an entity or an adult (18 years or older) with a U.S. physical address designated by the certificate holder or applicant to receive FAA documents on their behalf. PO boxes or mail drops are not acceptable. The agent will receive documents from the FAA and forward them to the individual's provided email or physical address.

Failure to designate a U.S. agent for service will result in the individual being unable to exercise any FAA-issued certificates, ratings, or authorizations. Additionally, the aircraft registration certificate of individual aircraft owners will be considered ineffective. Enforcement actions may also be taken under FAA Enforcement and Compliance Order 2150.3. New certificates will not be issued to applicants with a foreign address unless they designate a U.S. agent, and current applications under review will be notified and given a chance to comply before certificates, ratings, or authorizations are issued.