UAS Remote Identification

Remote identification (Remote ID) is here.

Are you ready?

Drones are fundamentally changing aviation, and the FAA is committed to working towards fully integrating drones into the National Airspace System (NAS).

Beginning September 16, 2023, all drone pilots who are required to register their UAS must operate in accordance with the rule on Remote ID.

Safety and security are top priorities for the FAA and Remote ID for drones is crucial to our integration efforts.

What is Remote ID? Remote ID is the ability of a drone in flight to provide identification and location information that can be received by other parties through a broadcast signal.

Why do we need it? Remote ID lays the foundation of the safety and security groundwork needed for more complex drone operations. Remote ID also helps the FAA, law enforcement, and other federal agencies locate the control station when a drone appears to be flying in an unsafe manner or where it is not allowed to fly.

How to be Remote ID Ready

There are three ways drone pilots can meet the identification requirements of the Remote ID rule:

• Operate a Standard Remote ID drone (PDF) that broadcasts identification and location information of the drone and control station. A Standard Remote ID drone is one that is produced with built-in Remote ID broadcast capabilities in accordance with the Remote ID rule's requirements.

• Operate a drone with a Remote ID broadcast module (PDF). A broadcast module is a device that broadcasts identification and location information about the drone and its take-off location in accordance with the Remote ID rule's requirements. The broadcast module can be added to a drone to retrofit it with Remote ID capabilities. Pilots operating a drone with a Remote ID broadcast module must be able to see their drone at all times during flight.

• Operate without Remote ID equipment (PDF) at FAA-recognized identification areas (FRIAs) sponsored by community-based organizations (CBOs) or educational institutions. FRIAs are the only locations where UAS (drones and radio-controlled airplanes) may operate without broadcasting Remote ID message elements.

Get Remote ID Ready

Which Drone Pilots Must Comply With the Rule?

Beginning September 16, 2023, ALL drone pilots required to register, including those who fly for recreation, business, or public safety, must operate their drone in accordance with the rule on Remote ID.

Registering Drones

Recreational drone pilots may register once and apply their registration number to all the devices listed in their inventory.

During registration, you must list the serial number(s) of each Standard Remote ID drone and/or the Remote ID broadcast module. If you use a Remote ID broadcast module, the Remote ID serial number attached to the module must be listed for each non-Standard Remote ID drone you add to your inventory.

This will permit you to move the module from one non-Standard Remote ID drone to another so long as each of the drones make/model are listed within the same inventory.

This is not the case for Part 107 pilots, who must register each individual device (Standard Remote ID drone or Remote ID broadcast module) separately within their inventory, and each device will get a unique registration number.

Before You Get Started:

• Ensure your device has an FAA-approved Remote ID Declaration of Compliance

  • Have your Remote ID serial number handy. If you are not sure how to locate it, please check with the manufacturer for assistance.

• If you previously listed a drone and answered “No” to the Remote ID question, you will now create a new listing for that same drone.
  

Recreational Flyers Registration

Recreational flyers will need to add each Standard Remote ID drone and/or the Remote ID broadcast module to their inventory, then if applicable, remove the non-Standard Remote ID drone(s) that it replaces.

• Log in to FAADroneZone

  • Click on the button labeled “Launch Drone Owners and Pilots Dashboard”

  • Be sure you are on the Recreational Flyer Dashboard

• Click on “Manage Device Inventory”

  • Click on “Add Device”

  • Answer the Remote ID question “Yes”

  • Choose the device type from the drop down menu (Remote ID broadcast module or Standard Remote ID drone):

    • If using one broadcast module on multiple non-Standard Remote ID drones, select broadcast module for each and input the particular drone(s) make/model while using the same Remote ID serial number from the module in the following step.

  • Enter the Remote ID serial number (NOTE: this number may be on either the device or the controller)

  • Click on “Add Device”

• Return to “Your Inventory”

• If you’d like to cancel the previously registered non-Standard Remote ID drone

  • While in your inventory, click on the three vertical dots associated with the drone under the “Actions” column and select “Cancel” from the drop down menu

  • Note: a canceled device will remain in your inventory as “cancelled”
    

Part 107 – Editing an Existing Registration

• Log in to FAADroneZone

  • Click on the button labeled “Launch Drone Owners and Pilots Dashboard”

  • Make sure you are on the Part 107 Dashboard

• Click on "Manage Device Inventory"

  • Click on the three vertical dots associated with the drone in the “Actions” column and select “Edit” from the drop down menu

  • Edit the answer to the Remote ID question to “Yes”

  • Enter the Remote ID serial number from either the updated Standard Remote ID drone or the Remote ID broadcast module: (NOTE: this number may be listed on either the device or the controller)

  • Click on “Save”
    

Part 107 - Registering a New Device

• Log in to FAADroneZone

  • Click on the button labeled “Launch Drone Owners and Pilots Dashboard”

  • Make sure you are on the Part 107 Dashboard

• Click on "Manage Device Inventory"

  • Click on “Add Device”

  • Answer the Remote ID question “Yes”

  • Choose the device type from the drop down menu (Remote ID broadcast module or Standard Remote ID drone):

    • If using a broadcast module, list the drones make/model while adding the broadcast modules Remote ID serial number in the following step.

  • Enter the Remote ID serial number (NOTE: this number may be listed on either the device or the controller)

  • Click on “Add Device”

  • Continue on with the registration process.

Session ID

In the future, operators of Standard Remote ID drones may be able to choose between broadcasting their drone's ID (Remote ID-compliant serial number) or a Session ID.

The FAA is developing a strategy for assignment of Session ID to drone pilots and will consider existing policies when developing the Session ID policy. The Session ID will be uniquely identifiable such that law enforcement and the FAA can correlate each Session ID to a specific drone's registration, but this ability will not be publicly available. The FAA will seek public comment on the Session ID policy prior to finalizing it.

Remote ID Background

The FAA's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Remote Identification of Unmanned Aircraft Systems was published on December 31, 2019. The FAA received over 53,000 comments on the NPRM during the 60-day comment period following publication. The FAA reviewed all of the comments and considered them when writing the final rule. The final rule (PDF) was published in the Federal Register on January 15, 2021 with an original effective date of March 16, 2021. Corrections made to the rule and published in the Federal Register on March 10, 2021 delayed the effective date to April 21, 2021.

The deadline for operational compliance is September 16, 2023.

Got Questions? Contact the UAS Support Center