Drone Remote ID Rules Explained: The Part 107 Pilot's Guide

Updated July 2026 · Part 107 Quiz editorial team

If you hold a Remote Pilot Certificate and fly under Part 107, your drone almost certainly has to broadcast Remote ID while it's in the air. Remote ID is best understood as a digital license plate for your aircraft: your drone broadcasts identification and location information over a radio signal, and that signal can be picked up by the FAA, by law enforcement, and by members of the public using a smartphone app. This guide covers who has to comply, the three ways to do it, and the details that trip up pilots studying for the exam — because Remote ID questions now appear on the Part 107 exam.

Who Must Comply

Remote ID applies to every drone required to be registered with the FAA. Under Part 107, every drone must be registered regardless of weight, so every Part 107 operation is subject to Remote ID. Recreational flyers only have to register — and therefore only need Remote ID — once their drone weighs 0.55 pounds (250 grams) or more.

Operator compliance became a legal requirement on September 16, 2023. The FAA exercised enforcement discretion through March 16, 2024, but that grace period has ended. Today, Remote ID is simply mandatory for every drone you're required to register.

The Three Compliance Paths

The FAA allows three separate ways to satisfy the Remote ID requirement. Each one broadcasts different information and carries different limits, summarized below.

A Standard Remote ID drone has the broadcast hardware built in at the factory and reports the most information of the three, including where the control station (you) is located, not just where the drone is. A broadcast module is an add-on for older drones without built-in Remote ID; it skips control station location and emergency status, and comes with the operational catches covered next. An FRIA avoids the equipment requirement entirely by confining flight to one approved location.

Broadcast Modules: The Two Gotchas

A broadcast module is often the cheapest way to bring an older drone into compliance, but two details catch pilots off guard on the exam and in the field.

First, the module's serial number has to be entered into the drone's registration in FAA DroneZone — attaching it alone isn't enough. This matters even more if you own multiple aircraft: under Part 107, each drone needs its own separate registration (currently $5, valid for three years). You can move a single broadcast module between aircraft, but its serial number has to be listed on the registration of every aircraft it flies with, not just the first one.

Second, a module-equipped drone must be flown within visual line of sight. Unlike some other Part 107 limits, there's no waiver path around this one — if your compliance method is a broadcast module rather than a built-in Standard Remote ID system, beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations are not an option.

FRIAs

An FAA-Recognized Identification Area (FRIA) is a fixed, FAA-approved location where drones with no Remote ID equipment at all — no built-in broadcast and no module — are permitted to fly. In exchange, you have to stay within the FRIA's boundaries and keep the drone within visual line of sight for the entire flight.

FRIAs aren't something an individual Part 107 pilot applies for. They're typically requested and maintained by community-based organizations, such as model aircraft clubs, and by educational institutions. As an individual pilot you can't establish a personal FRIA, but you're welcome to fly at any FRIA that already exists, the same as anyone else.

How to Verify Your Drone

Not sure whether your drone already meets the Standard Remote ID requirement? The FAA publishes a public UAS Declaration of Compliance (DOC) list, and if your drone — or its current firmware — appears on it, you're compliant without buying anything extra. Most current mainstream drones comply this way, often after a firmware update the manufacturer pushed out to meet the rule. If your drone isn't on the list, your remaining options are a broadcast module or flying exclusively at a FRIA.

Test Yourself

Reading the rule is one thing; recognizing how the FAA phrases it on the actual exam is another. Work through our Remote ID practice questions to see how well the three compliance paths and their limits stuck, or take a full mock exam to see how Remote ID questions mix in with the rest of the Part 107 knowledge areas. For the underlying regulatory language, our Part 107 regulations guide and the rest of the study guide cover the related rules in more depth.

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