Based on the FAA’s Remote ID pages and 14 CFR Part 89, linked below.
Remote ID is like a digital license plate for drones. While your drone flies, it broadcasts identification and location information that other people, including the FAA and law enforcement, can receive. If your drone is registered, or is required to be, it must comply with Remote ID, whether you fly for fun or for work (FAA).
Does my drone need Remote ID?
- Yes if it weighs 250 g (0.55 lb) or more, or if you fly it under Part 107 at any weight, because those drones must be registered.
- No if it’s under 250 g and flown only for recreation, because it doesn’t need registration. (If you choose to register it anyway, Remote ID applies.)
The requirement has applied since September 16, 2023.
The three ways to comply
1. A Standard Remote ID drone
The broadcast is built in by the manufacturer. It sends the drone’s ID, location, altitude and speed, plus the control station’s location. Most current mainstream consumer drones are built this way. You just enter its Remote ID serial number when you register.
2. A Remote ID broadcast module
A small add-on device for older drones without built-in Remote ID. It broadcasts the drone’s ID and location plus the takeoff location. If you use a module, you must be able to see the drone at all times. Recreational flyers can move one module between drones in the same inventory, as long as each drone’s make and model is listed.
3. Fly inside a FRIA
An FAA-Recognized Identification Area (FRIA) is a defined place, often a flying club field, where drones without Remote ID can fly within visual line of sight. Look them up on the FAA’s FRIA page.
How to check that your drone or module counts
Only devices on an FAA-accepted Declaration of Compliance count. Search the FAA’s Declaration of Compliance system before you buy or register. You can’t submit a declaration yourself; that has to come from the manufacturer.
Registering with Remote ID
In FAADroneZone, add the device, answer “Yes” to the Remote ID question, choose “Standard Remote ID” or “Remote ID broadcast module,” and enter the serial number. The serial is usually on the device, the controller, or a menu in the app. Full steps: How to Register Your Drone.
What Remote ID doesn’t do
- It doesn’t broadcast your name or address publicly. The FAA links the serial number to your registration.
- It doesn’t replace TRUST, a Part 107 certificate, or airspace authorization. See the Drone Rules hub.
