Is your drone flight Remote ID compliant? Here are the 4 types of legal drone flights

Editor’s note: This article about how to be Remote ID compliant was originally posted in April 2023. On Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, the FAA announced that it would extend the Remote ID enforcement date by six months to March 16, 2024, giving drone pilots additional time to get into compliance. Learn more about the Remote ID extension here.

While Remote ID regulation technically went into effect in September 2022, it’s not until March 2024 that drone pilots are legally required to abide by the rules and ensure their aircraft is Remote ID compliant.

The lead time gives drone owners sufficient time to actually upgrade their aircraft. It also gives pilots time to figure out how to become Remote ID compliant. But come March 2024, all drone pilots required to register their UAS must operate their aircraft following the final rule on remote ID.

What is the final rule for Remote ID?

In short, the final rule for remote ID mandates that drones must provide identification and location information, which other parties can then read. Consider a sort of electronic licensing plate system for drones, with a built-in layer of location information.

Under the new rule, most drones will have to broadcast certain information about themselves (such as their serial number) and their operation (such as their current position, emergency status, speed, the controller’s position, and a timestamp).

So as a drone pilot, is it still legal to fly your drone? What do you need to do (if anything) to your existing aircraft to make it Remote ID compliant?

Here’s a breakdown of the four types of legal drone flights under the Remote ID rule. Also, what you need to do by March 2024 if your drone isn’t currently up to par:

If your drone weighs less than 250 grams (and you only fly recreationally)

If your drone weighs less than 250 grams, good news! You don’t have to do anything. Keep calm and carry on flying.

The final rule on remote ID only applies to drone pilots in the U.S. who are required to register their drones. Which drone pilots do not have to register their drones in the U.S.? That distinction goes to folks flying drones that weigh less than 250 grams.

Drones under 250 grams are kind of a big deal worldwide because many types of federal drone regulations do not apply to aircraft of that size.

Except for those that weigh 0.55 pounds or less (less than 250 grams) and are flown exclusively for recreational purposes, the FAA mandates that all drones must be registered. In the U.S. that means:

1. For recreational operations, you do not need to register drones under 250 grams with the FAA.
2. Drones under 250 grams do not need to be Remote ID compliant.

That includes tiny drones like the DJI Mini 3 Pro and the Autel Evo Nano drone. Even better is these drones tend to be cheaper — most of these drones cost less than $500.

If your drone has built-in Remote ID capability

Most new drones sold in the U.S. from major manufacturers like DJI and Skydio likely fit this bill. Odds are, older drones or DIY-oriented drones typically would not have this feature.

If your drone has built-in Remote ID capability, it broadcasts its unique drone ID, location, altitude, velocity, control station location, and elevation, time mark, and emergency status throughout the period from takeoff to shutdown.

How do I know if my drone has Remote ID capability built-in?

If you own a drone that already has this capability built-in, it should be fairly obvious through a few avenues. The manufacturers’ website, such as on the online shopping page, will likely feature it alongside other product specs. The drone itself might also display the printing. For example, DJI models with Remote ID functionality include the notation “ASTM F3411-22a-RID-B” on the regulatory label attached to the drone.

You may have received a notification via your drone’s flight planning tools to conduct a software or firmware update. This also enables this capability — and doesn’t require extra hardware. Among the drones that have already offered up these updates include:

• DJI Air 2S
• DJI Avata
• DJI Mavic 3 series (including Enterprise series)
• DJI Matrice 300 RTK
• DJI Matrice 30 series
• DJI Mini 3 Pro
• Skydio 2+
• Sony Airpeak S1

Skydio drones purchased before Sept. 16, 2022 must be updated with new software (download the Skydio 2/2+ update here and download the Skydio X2E update here). Skydio also has issued Remote ID label templates that are based on FAA Standard Remote ID Compliant label, which should be taped or otherwise securely affixed to your drone.

If you own a drone not listed above, don’t panic. First off, this is just a short list of some of the most popular drones. Secondly, more updates are coming — it’s often just taking time for the engineers to build them. The rule doesn’t go into effect until September 16, 2023, so an option to update may be coming.

For example, Skydio said it plans to enable Standard Remote ID compliance for older drone models before the deadline with a software update and label — no hardware modifications required. For example, DJI has also said that some of its last-generation drones including the P4 RTK and the Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced, will see a firmware version to make them Remote ID compliant.

If you purchase a new drone from here on out then your drone likely is already Remote ID compliant. Assuming you purchased something brand-new from an authorized retailer (not a used drone sold on the resale market), then your drone likely is already compliant. Manufactured drones produced after Sept. 16, 2022 and operated in the U.S. must be Remote ID compliant, according to the FAA’s Remote ID rule.

DJI confirmed to The Drone Girl that all DJI Enterprise drones introduced to the market after September 2022 are already designed to comply with Remote ID. Similarly, Skydio said that any Skydio 2, 2+ or X2E drone produced after September 16, 2022 is good to go.

If your drone does not have built-in Remote ID capability

If your drone does not have built-in Remote ID capabilities, you’ll likely need a separate Remote ID module. You can attach this to your drone (unless you’re flying in an FAA-Recognized Identification Area, which you can read more about below).

This module needs to broadcast the drone’s unique ID, location, altitude, velocity, takeoff location and elevation and time mark from takeoff to shutdown.

And even still, operators limit these types of drone flights to visual line of sight operations.

How can I get a remote ID module for my drone?

If your drone doesn’t have a built-in module, then you need to purchase a broadcast module. From there, you’ll then attach to the drone. There are about a half dozen companies that make remote ID modules. Dronetag has a whole line of remote ID modules to consider. It is also generally the best, especially if you have a DJI drone.

Read more: The best Remote ID module for drone pilots

Here are some recommendations for the best remote ID modules:

Best remote ID module overall: Zing Z-RID broadcast module

The Zing Z-RID broadcast module strikes the perfect balance of easy to use and install, with an affordable price point (it costs $179 when you use Zing coupon code DRONEGIRL, otherwise it’s $199).

At 35 grams, it’s a plug and play solution. Simply charge it via USB-C, then stick it on your drone via the 3M Velcro lock, power it on and go.

They design it in Miami and manufacture it in California’s Silicon Valley, making it an American-made product. Check out my full Zing Z-RID broadcast module review here.

Alternative top pick: Dronetag Beacon

If you’re seeking a similar product to the Zing Z-RID broadcast module (perhaps it’s sold out or back-ordered), then consider Dronetag Beacon Broadcast Remote ID Module, which is also pretty small, weighing 16 grams.

It offers what is essentially the bare minimum to fly your drone under Remote ID compliance. The Dronetag Beacon can fit most drones and can transmit your drone’s location via Bluetooth to up to a 3 km (1.86 miles) range.

It supports drones including the:

• Mavic 2 Pro
• Phantom 4 Pro
• Mavic Air 2

Best remote ID module for advanced flight: Dronetag Mini

The Drone Tag Mini is an advanced Remote ID offering full-featured, unlimited range.

It works by transferring your drone’s position and identification to the company’s cloud. By transmitting your drone’s info via Bluetooth to up to 3 km (1.86 miles), you’ll be able to display your real-time flight data in the company’s own app (also called Dronetag).

It weighs 32 grams and is attachable to any drone with a strong, re-closable dual lock fastener. It sells for $329 on Adorama.

Best American-made remote ID module for homebuilt drones: Dronetag DRI

If you have a standard Pixhawk controller running PX4 or Ardupilot, you can get away with paying way less. That’s because you can guy the Dronetag DRI, which costs just €49 (about $52).

It’s also the smallest remote ID module we’ve seen so far on the market, weighing only 1.5 grams.

Best alternative for homebuilt drones: Flite Test FT EZ ID – Remote ID Module

The Flite Test FT EZ ID – Remote ID Module is still for homebuilt drones largely, but it’s compatible with far more options than just the Dronetag DRI. This module draws its power (an average of ten milliamps) from the aircraft, so you’ll need to have some technical knowledge to connect it to your drone’s battery. Therefore, it won’t be compatible with something like a DJI drone that uses an Intelligent Flight Battery.

An Ohio-based company called Tritium Electronics manufactures it in America. It sells for $99.

If you’re flying in an FAA-Recognized Identification Area (FRIA)

If your drone has neither built-in Remote ID capabilities nor a separate module, and it’s more than 250 grams and/or flown for commercial purposes, you’re not out of options completely.

You can fly a drone without Remote ID capabilities (or aren’t required to broadcast information even if it does have those capabilities) in what’s called an FAA-Recognized Identification Area. These are geographic areas (typically open fields and fairgrounds) that are recognized by the FAA where unmanned aircraft not equipped with Remote ID are still allowed to fly.

Again though, there are some limitations. Drones flying in these areas without Remote ID must operate within a visual line of sight. While anyone can fly there, FRIAs can only be requested by community-based organizations and educational institutions, such as colleges, trade schools and universities.

To request more sites, link up with local groups such as flying clubs, model aircraft groups, or universities, as these tend to own such sites. For now, you can’t actually see the approved FRIAS.

However, it seems likely that they’ll align with the existing recreational flyer sites, which are publicly displayed. The FAA has a map through ArcGIS that can be a bit cumbersome to navigate. But, if you click the layer tab and select the boxes for “Recreational Flyer Fixed Sites,” they display quite nicely.

Other exceptions to the Remote ID rule

There are a few other situations where drones might not necessarily be Remote ID complaint, such as drones operated for the military. The Remote ID rule expressly exempts drones operated by the United States military. That means some aircraft designed for these use cases (such as Skydio’s defense oriented drones in the X2D series), are intended to be offline and may not be Remote ID compliant.

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