San Marino is introducing a new aircraft registry in partnership with Miami-based Aviation Registry Group (ARG), which already administers Aruba’s offshore registry. The landlocked microstate, which has no airport and is surrounded by Italy, will be outsourcing all technical tasks to ARG, which is promising to ensure high safety standards, competitive pricing and flexible service for the new offshore registry, which opens December 1.

Guidelines for the registry, which will be designated by tail numbers beginning with T7, have been agreed that will see ARG’s network of inspectors “recommend” aircraft as suitable for registration by the San Marino authorities. Initially it will accept only privately operated aircraft, though it plans eventually to expand the register to commercially operated aircraft. San Marino has agreed to abide by the standards of the European Aviation Safety Agency.

Aircraft registered in San Marino will not be subject to European Union import duties or value added tax. One significant exception is that they cannot be based in Italy, which recently introduced a new luxury tax on private aircraft. Aircraft can be “imported” into the EU as long as they don’t spend more than 180 days per year there.