1. What TRUST is
TRUST stands for The Recreational UAS Safety Test. It is the aeronautical knowledge and safety test that federal law requires of anyone flying a drone recreationally in the United States. The requirement comes from 49 U.S.C. § 44809, the statutory exception for limited recreational operations: one of the conditions of flying under that exception is that you have passed an approved aeronautical knowledge and safety test, and TRUST is that test.
The content is deliberately practical. TRUST covers airspace basics — the difference between controlled and uncontrolled airspace and why authorization matters near airports — along with the core safety rules of recreational flying: keeping the drone within visual line of sight, altitude limits, yielding to manned aircraft, flying over people and moving vehicles, night operations and lighting, weather, and pre-flight checks. It also covers where you may and may not fly, including restricted areas and temporary flight restrictions.
It is not a licence, not a rating, and not a permit. It is proof that you have been through the safety material once.
2. Who needs it
Every recreational flyer. There is no weight exemption and no beginner allowance. This is the single most misunderstood point about TRUST, because people reasonably assume it works like registration — and it does not.
A 100 g toy drone that is far below the 250 g registration threshold, that you will never have to register, and that came in a box aimed at children, still requires the person flying it to have passed TRUST. Registration depends on the aircraft's takeoff weight; TRUST depends only on the fact that a human being is flying recreationally.
Part 107 certificate holders do not need TRUST for their commercial work — the Remote Pilot Certificate is a far more demanding qualification and covers those operations. But if a Part 107 pilot goes out on a Sunday to fly purely for fun under the recreational exception, TRUST applies to those flights. Many commercial pilots simply take TRUST anyway; it is free and takes half an hour.
Not sure which set of rules you are flying under, or whether registration applies to you as well? The registration checker walks through it in two questions.
3. It is free and you cannot fail
TRUST is free at every FAA-approved test administrator. That is not a promotional price or an introductory offer — administrators are approved on the basis that they provide the test at no charge.
Never pay for TRUST
You also cannot fail. TRUST is built as a sequence of short training sections followed by questions on the same material. Answer incorrectly and the correct answer is shown with an explanation, and you carry on. The design goal is that you finish knowing the rules, not that you are ranked or filtered — there is no score, no pass mark, and no waiting period before a retry.
It is self-paced with no time limit. You can stop, read, look something up, and come back. And once completed, it never expires: there is no renewal, no recurrent training requirement, and no annual refresh.
4. Where to take it
Several organizations are approved by the FAA to administer TRUST. They all deliver the same federally approved content and issue the same valid completion certificate, so choose on interface preference alone — there is no "better" or "more official" administrator:
- Academy of Model Aeronautics — trust.modelaircraft.org
- Pilot Institute — trust.pilotinstitute.com
- UAV Coach
- Drone Trust — trust.dronetrust.com
Each one runs entirely in the browser, requires nothing more than an email address, and produces a downloadable PDF at the end. There is no proctoring, no ID check, and no appointment.
5. The certificate problem
This is the part of TRUST that causes real trouble, and it deserves your full attention for the next thirty seconds.
Neither the FAA nor the test administrator retains a copy of your certificate. By design, no central record of individual TRUST completions is kept for you to look up. There is no account to sign back into, no "resend my certificate" link that will work months later, and no support desk that can retrieve it.
Lose the PDF and you retake the whole test
Spend a minute on this the moment you finish the test:
Save your certificate properly
0 of 6 doneYour ticks are kept for this visit only and are never saved.
Storing it next to your Certificate of Registration is the simplest habit: two PDFs, same folder, same phone, one printed set in the case. Both are documents you may be asked to present while flying.
Skip the paperwork — we file your FAA registration for you
Complete the form in a few minutes and get your certificate by email within 24 hours.
6. TRUST vs registration — how they differ
TRUST and registration are two entirely separate requirements that most recreational flyers need to satisfy both of. Confusing them is the most common compliance gap in the hobby:
| TRUST | Registration | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | $5 |
| Validity | Never expires | Expires after 3 years |
| When it applies | Always, for every recreational flyer | Only for drones over 250 g (recreational) |
| What it is | A safety test you pass | A filing that identifies you and your aircraft |
| What it covers | You, the flyer | The aircraft |
| Proof you receive | Completion certificate (PDF) | Certificate of Registration (PDF) plus a number to mark on the drone |
In short: TRUST is a test, registration is a filing. TRUST is free and permanent and always required recreationally; registration costs $5, lasts three years, and applies to drones over 250 g. Use the drone weight checker if you are not sure which side of the weight threshold your aircraft falls on, and the expiration checker to keep track of the registration date that does run out.
7. What TRUST does not cover
TRUST is not a licence, and the certificate does not grant privileges. Three limits matter in particular:
It does not permit commercial flight. Any flight that is not purely recreational — paid work, real estate photos, roof inspections, footage you monetize, even a free flight done to promote a business — falls under Part 107 and requires a Remote Pilot Certificate earned by passing the aeronautical knowledge test at an approved testing center. TRUST is no substitute for it.
It does not exempt you from registration. If your drone's takeoff weight exceeds 0.55 lb (250 g), it still has to be registered and marked with your registration number, TRUST or no TRUST.
It does not exempt you from Remote ID. The Remote ID broadcast requirement applies to the aircraft independently, whether through built-in Standard Remote ID or an attached broadcast module.
Nor does TRUST authorize you to fly in controlled airspace, over crowds, beyond visual line of sight, or above the recreational altitude limits. It teaches you what those limits are; it does not lift them.
8. Frequently asked questions
- Is the TRUST test required for all recreational drone flyers?
- Yes. Every person flying a drone recreationally in the United States must pass TRUST, regardless of the drone's weight. Even a 100 g drone that never has to be registered still requires the flyer to have completed TRUST.
- How much does the TRUST test cost?
- Nothing. TRUST is free at every FAA-approved test administrator. Anyone charging a fee for the test itself should be avoided.
- How long does the TRUST test take?
- Most flyers finish in 20 to 30 minutes, including the short training sections. It is self-paced with no time limit, so you can take longer if you want to.
- Can you fail the TRUST test?
- No. If you answer a question incorrectly, the correct answer is shown and you continue. TRUST is designed to teach the rules, not to filter people out, so everyone who works through it completes it.
- Does the TRUST certificate expire?
- No. The completion certificate never expires and does not need to be renewed. Drone registration, by contrast, expires after three years.
- What happens if I lose my TRUST certificate?
- You must retake the entire test. Neither the FAA nor the test administrator keeps a copy, and there is no lookup or reissue service. Retaking it is free, but it is easier to save the PDF in several places the first time.
- Do Part 107 pilots need to take TRUST?
- Not for commercial work — a Remote Pilot Certificate covers that. If a Part 107 holder also flies recreationally under the recreational exception, they need TRUST for those flights.
- Does passing TRUST mean I do not have to register my drone?
- No. They are separate requirements. TRUST covers you as a flyer; registration covers the aircraft and is required for drones over 0.55 lb (250 g) flown recreationally.
- Do I have to carry my TRUST certificate while flying?
- Yes. You must be able to present it, digitally or printed, if asked by law enforcement or an FAA representative. Keep an offline copy on your phone.
Your next step
Take TRUST free with any approved administrator, save the PDF in three places, and then deal with registration if your drone is over 250 g. Drone Register is a private convenience service, not a government agency: we check your details, submit the filing, and email your certificate within 24 hours for a service fee shown in full before you pay. We never charge for TRUST, because nobody should.