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Drone held in hand at sunset with its registration markingFAADroneZone · $5

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How to register your drone with the FAA

If your drone weighs 250 grams or more, the FAA requires you to register it before you fly outdoors. It costs $5, takes about ten minutes online at FAADroneZone, and covers you for three years. Here is exactly how to do it.

Verified June 13, 2026. Educational, not legal advice. FAA rules change, so confirm current requirements at faa.gov/uas before you fly.

Time

About 10 minutes

Cost

$5 (good for 3 years)

What you need

  • Your drone's make and model
  • A credit or debit card
  • An email address

Who has to register

The weight line is the whole game. Drones that weigh 0.55 lb (250 grams) or more must be registered. The popular sub-250 g models (the DJI Mini series, for instance) are exempt when you fly them recreationally.

Part 107 has no weight exemption

The 250 g exemption only applies to recreational flying. If you fly under Part 107 for any commercial or business purpose, you must register the aircraft no matter how light it is. Not sure which bucket you are in? Our license tool sorts it in 30 seconds.

Register at FAADroneZone, step by step

Registration happens at one official site: faadronezone.faa.gov. Ignore any third-party site that charges more than $5; that is the only legitimate fee.

  1. Create your FAADroneZone account

    Go to faadronezone.faa.gov and register for an account with your email. You must be at least 13 to register a drone yourself; a younger flyer needs an adult to do it for them.

  2. Pick your registration type

    Choose Recreational Flyers for hobby flying, or Part 107 for any paid or business work. This choice changes how your registration applies (see below), so pick the one that matches how you will actually fly.

  3. Enter your information and the drone

    Provide your legal name, physical address, and email, then add your drone's make and model. Recreational registration covers all the drones you own; Part 107 registers each aircraft individually.

  4. Pay the $5 fee

    Pay with a card. The $5 fee covers a three-year registration. You will get a registration certificate and a registration number immediately.

  5. Mark the drone and save your certificate

    Put the registration number on the outside of the aircraft: engraved, on a permanent label, or in permanent marker, somewhere it is readable without tools. Save the certificate to your phone so you can show proof on demand.

Recreational vs. Part 107 registration

The two registration types are not interchangeable, and the difference trips people up:

  • Recreational registration is a single number that covers you and every drone you fly for fun.
  • Part 107 registration is per-aircraft; each drone you fly commercially gets its own number.

Flying both ways?

If you fly the same drone for fun sometimes and for work other times, register it under Part 107. The commercial registration satisfies the recreational requirement too, so you are covered either way.

After you register

Registration is one of three things the FAA may require: the other two are passing a knowledge test (TRUST or Part 107) and complying with Remote ID, the “digital license plate” that broadcasts your drone's location. Most drones built since late 2022 broadcast Remote ID out of the box; older ones need a broadcast module.

Keep your registration certificate accessible whenever you fly, and renew before the three-year mark to stay current.

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