FAA Drone Registration: The Complete 2026 Guide

Registering a drone with the Federal Aviation Administration is short, cheap, and mandatory for most aircraft flown in the United States. The rules themselves are simple, but the details trip people up: the weight threshold is measured at takeoff, recreational and commercial flying use two different registration models, and the certificate you receive is a PDF rather than a card in the mail. This guide walks through every part of the process as it stands in 2026.

Drone Register is a private convenience service: we check your details, prepare the filing, and email your certificate — for people who would rather not deal with government forms. Whichever route you choose, the requirements below are identical.

1. Who has to register

Any drone weighing more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams) and up to 55 pounds must be registered with the FAA before it flies outdoors in the United States. The number that matters is the takeoff weight: the aircraft as it actually leaves the ground, including the battery, the camera or gimbal, and every accessory you have bolted on — propeller guards, landing gear extensions, filters, strobe lights, or a payload release.

That distinction decides real cases. Several popular sub-250 g models sit within a few grams of the limit straight out of the box, and adding a set of prop guards or a heavier "intelligent flight" battery pushes them over it. Once the drone crosses 250 g at takeoff, registration applies — the manufacturer's marketing weight is irrelevant.

Recreational flyers whose drone weighs 250 g or less are exempt from registration. Part 107 operators are not: if you fly for any commercial or non-recreational purpose, every aircraft must be registered no matter how light it is, including sub-250 g models.

Aircraft weighing more than 55 pounds fall outside this process entirely and require a different FAA registration path.

2. Recreational vs Part 107 registration

The FAA recognizes two ways to fly a small drone, and they register differently. Which one applies to you depends on the purpose of the flight, not on the aircraft or on whether money changes hands directly.

Recreational registration falls under the Exception for Limited Recreational Operations in 49 U.S.C. § 44809. You register once, as a person: a single registration number covers every drone you own and fly recreationally. It costs $5 and is valid for three years. Purely recreational flying — flying for fun, with no commercial purpose whatsoever — is what this exception is for.

Part 107 registration applies to commercial and other non-recreational flights: real estate photos, roof inspections, wedding video, mapping, content you monetize, or work you do for an employer. Under Part 107, each drone is registered individually, at $5 per aircraft, each valid for three years. Part 107 also requires a Remote Pilot Certificate, which is a separate aeronautical knowledge test taken at an approved testing center.

A registration cannot be transferred between the two types. If you registered recreationally and later take on paid work, you register the aircraft again under Part 107. The reverse is also true.

3. What you need before you start

Gather these details first and the registration itself takes only a few minutes. Everything here is information you already have — there is no document to request and nothing to have notarized.

The Remote ID serial number is not the same as the aircraft serial number. Drones with standard Remote ID broadcast a separate identifier assigned by the manufacturer, usually printed in the drone's app under aircraft information or on the compliance label. If you added a broadcast module to an older aircraft, the module carries its own Remote ID serial number, and that is the one to enter. Aircraft you built yourself, without a standard Remote ID capability, are registered as homebuilt.

A P.O. box is acceptable as a mailing address, but the FAA also requires a physical address where you can be reached. Use your legal name as it appears on your government identification, not a nickname or a business trading name.

4. How to register step by step

FAA drone registration is handled online. The government fee is $5 and the process takes about 5 to 10 minutes once you have the details from the previous section in front of you. The flow looks like this:

1. Create an account. You verify your email address and set a password. The account is what you return to later to renew, add an aircraft, or download your certificate again.
2. Choose your registration type. Recreational flying under § 44809, or Part 107 for commercial and other non-recreational operations. Choose carefully: this decision cannot be transferred later.
3. Enter your personal details. Legal name, physical address, mailing address if different, email, and phone number. Confirm you are 13 or older.
4. Add your aircraft. Make, model, and serial number, plus the Remote ID serial number if the drone has one. Recreational flyers do not list each drone; Part 107 operators add every aircraft individually.
5. Read and accept the operating rules. A short set of statements you acknowledge — stay under 400 feet in uncontrolled airspace, keep the drone within visual line of sight, do not fly over people or interfere with manned aircraft, and use an approved authorization for controlled airspace.
6. Pay the $5 fee by credit or debit card.
7. Receive two emails. One is your payment receipt. The other contains the PDF of your Certificate of Aircraft Registration with your registration number, issue date, and expiration date.
8. Mark the drone with the registration number and save the PDF somewhere you can find it while flying.

Save that PDF immediately, and note the expiration date. Three years is long enough that most pilots forget entirely — our expiration checker calculates the exact date and can email you a free reminder before you need to renew.

5. Age and citizenship requirements

You must be at least 13 years old to register a drone with the FAA. If the owner is younger than 13 — a child who received a drone as a gift, for example — then someone 13 or older registers the aircraft on their behalf. In practice that is normally a parent or guardian, who becomes the registered party and is responsible for the registration.

Registration is also open to non-US citizens, but the paperwork differs. A US citizen or resident receives a US aircraft registration. A foreign operator visiting or flying temporarily in the United States is instead issued a recognition of ownership, which serves the same practical purpose for operating legally here but is not a US aircraft registration. Visitors flying recreationally still need to pass TRUST like everyone else.

6. Marking your drone

Once registered, the registration number must be readable on the exterior of the aircraft. There is no required font, color, or size beyond legibility, and no required location on the airframe — it simply has to be visible on the outside and readable without disassembling anything.

There is one permitted exception. The number may be placed inside the battery compartment — but only if that compartment can be opened without any tools. If opening it needs a screwdriver, a hex key, or prying a panel loose, the marking does not comply and must go on the outside instead.

A label printer, a permanent marker, or a small engraved plate all work. Most pilots use a laminated sticker on the underside of the fuselage or on the top shell near the battery. What matters is that it survives normal flying and stays readable — reapply it when it starts to wear off.

7. Carrying proof of registration

The FAA does not mail a physical card for drone registration. What you receive is a PDF Certificate of Aircraft Registration, emailed after payment. Aircraft cards exist for manned aviation; small unmanned aircraft registration is digital only.

You must be able to present that certificate when asked by law enforcement or an FAA representative — either digitally or printed. A PDF saved on your phone counts, and so does a screenshot or a photo, as long as the details are legible. Do not rely on being able to download it on demand: parks, fields, and rural sites are exactly where the signal disappears.

The practical setup is to keep the PDF offline on your phone and a printed copy in the drone case. Then it is with you whether or not the phone has battery.

8. Penalties for not registering

Flying an aircraft that requires registration without a valid registration is a violation of federal law, and the exposure is far out of proportion to the $5 fee.

Civil penalties reach up to $27,500. Criminal penalties reach up to $250,000 and up to three years of imprisonment. The severe end is reserved for serious or willful cases, but the civil exposure is the realistic risk for an ordinary pilot who never got around to registering.

An expired registration is treated the same as no registration at all. A three-year term expires quietly, without any warning from the FAA, so pilots who registered years ago are a common category of unintentional violation. Renewal is $5 and can be done up to 180 days before expiration.

9. Do you also need the TRUST test?

Yes. Every recreational flyer must pass The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST) — and unlike registration, this applies regardless of drone weight. A 249 g drone that is exempt from registration still requires TRUST if you fly it recreationally.

TRUST is free, takes roughly 20 to 30 minutes, and is taken online through an FAA-approved test administrator. It is designed so that you cannot fail permanently: if you answer a question incorrectly, the material is shown again until you get it right. When you finish you download a completion certificate, which you must be able to present alongside your registration certificate when asked. The certificate does not expire, but it is also not re-issued — if you lose it, you retake the test.

Part 107 pilots do not take TRUST. Their equivalent is the Remote Pilot Certificate, earned by passing the aeronautical knowledge test at an approved testing center.

Our full guide to the TRUST test walks through what the test covers and how to save your certificate.

10. What our service includes

The FAA charges a $5 government fee per recreational registration, and the FAA does not require an intermediary to file it.

What we sell is convenience. Drone Register is a private service, not a government agency: we review the details you give us, prepare and submit the registration correctly the first time, and email your Certificate of Registration within 24 hours, together with a safety summary of the recreational rules. Our service fee is charged on top of the government fee, and it is shown in full before you pay. Pilots choose it to avoid creating an account, to avoid mistakes on the serial and Remote ID fields, and to have one place to come back to at renewal — not because it is required.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to register my drone with the FAA?

You must register any drone that weighs more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams) and up to 55 pounds at takeoff. Recreational flyers with a drone under 250 grams are exempt from registration, but anyone flying under Part 107 must register every drone regardless of weight.

How much does FAA drone registration cost?

The FAA fee is $5 and the registration is valid for three years. Drone Register prepares and files the paperwork for you for a service fee on top of the government fee.

How long is a drone registration valid?

Three years from the issue date printed on your Certificate of Aircraft Registration. Renewal also costs $5, and the FAA lets you renew up to 180 days before the expiration date.

Does one registration cover all of my drones?

For recreational flying under 49 U.S.C. 44809, yes — a single registration number covers every drone you own and fly recreationally. Under Part 107, no: each aircraft is registered individually at $5 each and receives its own registration number.

How old do you have to be to register a drone?

You must be at least 13 years old to register a drone with the FAA. If the owner is younger than 13, someone who is 13 or older must register the aircraft on their behalf.

Where do I put the registration number on my drone?

The registration number must be readable on the exterior of the aircraft. It may be placed inside the battery compartment only if that compartment can be opened without any tools.

Does the FAA mail a registration card for drones?

No. Drone registration produces a PDF Certificate of Aircraft Registration that is emailed to you — the FAA does not mail a physical card. You must be able to present that certificate, digitally or printed, when asked by law enforcement or an FAA representative.

What are the penalties for flying an unregistered drone?

Failure to register can bring civil penalties of up to $27,500. Criminal penalties can reach $250,000 and up to three years of imprisonment.

Do I also need to pass the TRUST test?

Yes. Every recreational flyer must pass The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST), regardless of how much the drone weighs. TRUST is free, takes roughly 20 to 30 minutes, and cannot be failed permanently — you simply review any missed question until you get it right.

Can I transfer a recreational registration to Part 107?

No. A registration cannot be transferred between recreational and Part 107. If you start flying commercially, you register each aircraft again under Part 107, and if you move from Part 107 to purely recreational flying, you register under the recreational exception.