How To Easily Register Your Drone or Quadcopter with the FAA

With new laws and restrictions hitting the airspace due to the spike in drone ownership, you are now required to “register” your aircraft. Don’t be intimidated. That word makes it seem so much worse than it is, but it’s actually very simple! As long as you’re just flying for fun (not for business purposes), then you only have to take a few simple steps and you’re on your way. We’ll show you how to register your drone or quadcopter in 15 minutes at most.

We did it and it only took about 5 minutes.  All you have to do is create an account and pay a $5 registration fee. To make life even easier, we’ve created a step by step guide to help you register your drone.

We want to ensure it’s as quick and painless as possible. Let’s get started, shall we?

How to Register Your Drone or Quadcopter

1.) Find out if you even need to register

At the bottom of this page we’ve provided a table of all the latest quadcopters on the market. There you can see whether your drone needs to be registered or not. Keep in mind, if you’re buying a tiny quad to fly in your house or around the office, odds are you will not need to go through the process. It all comes down to the weight of your quadcopter. If it weighs more than .55 lbs, then you are required to take these steps towards registration. Just review the additional requirements below and then we will get started!

Requirements for registering your drone or quadcopter:

• Must be 13+ years old to register.
  • Younger than 13? Must have someone who is 13 years old or older register it for you.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident.
• “Visiting foreign nationals must register their UAS upon arrival in the United States (online registration serves as a certificate of ownership).

2.) Visit the FAA’s website to register your drone

Go to resitermyuas.faa.gov to begin the process.

 3.) Create an account

Once clicking through to the link provided above, select “register” and you’ll be taken to a form page. You’ll need to create an account using your email and a new password.

4.) Confirm your account

Now go to your email inbox. You’ll receive an email from UASRegistration@faa.gov almost instantly. If nothing shows up after a few minutes, you can have the site resend a confirmation email. Once you’ve received your confirmation email, click on the blue url at the bottom to confirm and you’ll be brought back to the site.

5.) Agree to Registration Site System Use Notice

When routed back to the site, the Terms and Conditions will pop up. Feel free to read through and click on the additional link to find out exactly what they’re using your information for. The most important portion to read and understand is found below:

“For any lawful Government purposes, such as identifying wrongful attempts to upload or change information in the system or otherwise cause damage to the web service, the Government may monitor and intercept information transiting or stored on the system. Use of this system constitutes consent to such monitoring or interception. Unauthorized or improper use of this information system may result in civil and criminal penalties.”

Seems fair, right? Remember, the information you provide is for Government-authorized use only. Once you’re done reviewing and don’t have a problem with anything you’ve read, select “I Agree.” You’ll be taken back to the login screen. Now that you’ve created and confirmed an account, you must log back in to finish up the final steps.

 6.) Select Model Aircraft

Now that you’re logged in, make sure you select “Model Aircraft” on the left hand side . This is for pilots who are just flying as a hobby. If you’re planning on using it for commercial use, you’ll need to follow different steps. Please see this article if you plan on flying commercially.

7.) Pay Registration Fee

In order to receive the registration code, you must pay a $5 fee. It’s unbelievably cheap. We would’ve guessed at least $20… But hey, we’re not complaining. Trust us when we say it’s worth it. If you avoid registration and end up receiving a ticket, you’ll be looking at a much larger fee. Now you’ll enter in your name, alternate email, physical address, and mailing address (if different than physical).  There are certain pieces that aren’t required such as your phone number and suffix.

 8.) Acknowledgement of Safety Guidance

After you’re done filling out your account information, you must read through and accept the “Acknowledgment of Safety Guidance.” You’re agreeing that you’ll fly below 400 feet, the drone will be in your visual line of sight, and you’re aware of FAA airspace require (definitely give this a read), Also, you will not fly directly over people, stadiums, or sporting events, near aircraft (airports in general), under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or near emergency response efforts. There have been instances where pilots fly above forest fires… this can be extremely dangerous. After reviewing, check off “I have read and understand the safety guidance” and click “Next.”

9.) Pay the $5 Registration Fee

Enter in your payment information such as credit card number and billing address. Afterwards you will be taken to a review page. Make sure all of the information you provided is correct. Then confirm registration. You will then receive a unique registration number. It will apply to any and all quadcopters up to 3 years. After 3 years, you are required to register again.

10.) Label your UAS with the provided registration number

After entering in a method of payment, you’ll be taken to”Review and Pay,” hit next and confirm your registration. Immediately, a registration code will appear on a screen with listed requirements (below). Review the marking requirements and you can click “done.”

Once you’ve  clicked through, you can manage your account, and email or print your “Small UAS Certification of Registration.” Take that back to the office and tell everyone you’re a pilot now. Hey, technically you’re certified by the FAA… ha!

Remember, you must mark all aircraft with your registration code before operating. The number must be “visible without tools.” See below for more information. We’ve provided some instructions below, but for more information on tagging and other quires, please visit faa.gov.

Now you’re free to move about the country! Looking for a drone that dosn't need to be registered? Most of these drones under $100 don't meet the weight requirements for needing to register with the FAA. See below for a list of specific drones and wether or not they need to be registered: 

Does your aircraft need to be registered?