Yes, You Must Register Your Drone
Under federal law, all drones flown under 14 CFR Part 107 must be registered. Recreational drones are exempt only if they weigh .55 pounds (250 grams) or less. For all registered aircraft, the registration number must be visibly displayed on the exterior.
Use this link to apply for your drone’s FAA registration.
Beyond Just FAA Registration for Drones
At the National Aviation Center, we offer comprehensive assistance to aircraft owners across the U.S. to help them navigate the legal requirements for flying. Whether it’s registering your plane, renewing its status, replacing lost documents, or other needs, our platform is designed to streamline your experience.
These laws may apply to your specific circumstances:
§ 47.5 Applicants.
(a) A person who wishes to register an aircraft in the United States must submit an Aircraft Registration Application, AC Form 8050-1 under this part.
(b) An aircraft may be registered only by and in the legal name of its owner.
(c) 49 U.S.C. 44103(c), provides that registration is not evidence of ownership of aircraft in any proceeding in which ownership by a particular person is in issue. The FAA does not issue any certificate of ownership or endorse any information with respect to ownership on a Certificate of Aircraft Registration, AC Form 8050-3. The FAA issues a Certificate of Aircraft Registration, AC Form 8050-3 to the person who appears to be the owner on the basis of the evidence of ownership submitted pursuant to § 47.11 with the Aircraft Registration Application, or recorded at the Registry.
(d) In this part, “owner” includes a buyer in possession, a bailee, or a lessee of an aircraft under a contract of conditional sale, and the assignee of that person.
[Amdt. 47-20, 44 FR 61939, Oct. 29, 1979, as amended by Amdt. 47-27, 70 FR 244, Jan. 3, 2005; Amdt. 47-29, 75 FR 41979, July 20, 2010]
§ 47.7 United States citizens and resident aliens.
(a) U.S. citizens. An applicant for aircraft registration under this part who is a U.S. citizen must certify to this in the Aircraft Registration Application, AC Form 8050-1.
(b) Resident aliens. An applicant for aircraft registration under 49 U.S.C. 44102 who is a resident alien must furnish a representation of permanent residence and the applicant’s alien registration number issued by the Department of Homeland Security.
(c) Trustees. An applicant for aircraft registration under 49 U.S.C. 44102 that holds legal title to an aircraft in trust must comply with the following requirements:
(1) Each trustee must be either a U.S. citizen or a resident alien.
(2) The applicant must submit with the Aircraft Registration Application—
(i) A copy of each document legally affecting a relationship under the trust;
(ii) If each beneficiary under the trust, including each person whose security interest in the aircraft is incorporated in the trust, is either a U.S. citizen or a resident alien, an affidavit by the applicant to that effect; and
(iii) If any beneficiary under the trust, including any person whose security interest in the aircraft is incorporated in the trust, is not a U.S. citizen or resident alien, an affidavit from each trustee stating that the trustee is not aware of any reason, situation, or relationship (involving beneficiaries or other persons who are not U.S. citizens or resident aliens) as a result of which those persons together would have more than 25 percent of the aggregate power to influence or limit the exercise of the trustee’s authority.
(3) If persons who are neither U.S. citizens nor resident aliens have the power to direct or remove a trustee, either directly or indirectly through the control of another person, the trust instrument must provide that those persons together may not have more than 25 percent of the aggregate power to direct or remove a trustee. Nothing in this paragraph prevents those persons from having more than 25 percent of the beneficial interest in the trust.
(d) Partnerships. A partnership may apply for a Certificate of Aircraft Registration, AC Form 8050-3, under 49 U.S.C. 44102 only if each partner, whether a general or limited partner, is an individual who is a citizen of the United States. Nothing in this section makes ineligible for registration an aircraft which is not owned as a partnership asset but is co-owned by—
(1) Resident aliens; or
(2) One or more resident aliens and one or more U.S. citizens.
[Amdt. 47-20, 44 FR 61939, Oct. 29, 1979, as amended by Amdt. 47-27, 70 FR 244, Jan. 3, 2005; Amdt. 47-29, 75 FR 41980, July 20, 2010; Doc. No. FAA-2015-7396; Amdt. 47-30, 80 FR 78645, Dec. 16, 2015]
§ 47.8 Voting trusts.
(a) If a voting trust is used to qualify a domestic corporation as a U.S. citizen, the corporate applicant must submit to the Registry—
(1) A true copy of the fully executed voting trust agreement, which must identify each voting interest of the applicant, and which must be binding upon each voting trustee, the applicant corporation, all foreign stockholders, and each other party to the transaction; and
(2) An affidavit executed by each person designated as voting trustee in the voting trust agreement, in which each affiant represents—
(i) That each voting trustee is a citizen of the United States within the meaning of 49 U.S.C. 40102(a)(15).
(ii) That each voting trustee is not a past, present, or prospective director, officer, employee, attorney, or agent of any other party to the trust agreement;
(iii) That each voting trustee is not a present or prospective beneficiary, creditor, debtor, supplier or contractor of any other party to the trust agreement;
(iv) That each voting trustee is not aware of any reason, situation, or relationship under which any other party to the agreement might influence the exercise of the voting trustee’s totally independent judgment under the voting trust agreement.
(b) Each voting trust agreement submitted under paragraph (a)(1) of this section must provide for the succession of a voting trustee in the event of death, disability, resignation, termination of citizenship, or any other event leading to the replacement of any voting trustee. Upon succession, the replacement voting trustee shall immediately submit to the Registry the affidavit required by paragraph (a)(2) of this section.
(c) If the voting trust terminates or is modified, and the result is less than 75 percent control of the voting interest in the corporation by citizens of the United States, a loss of citizenship of the holder of the Certificate of Aircraft Registration, AC Form 8050-3 occurs, and § 47.41(a)(3) of this part applies.
(d) A voting trust agreement may not empower a trustee to act through a proxy.
[Amdt. 47-20, 44 FR 61939, Oct. 29, 1979, as amended by Amdt. 47-27, 70 FR 245, Jan. 3, 2005; Amdt. 47-29, 75 FR 41980, July 20, 2010]
§ 47.9 Corporations not U.S. citizens.
(a) Each corporation applying for registration of an aircraft under 49 U.S.C. 44102 must submit to the Registry with the Aircraft Registration Application, AC Form 8050-1—
(1) A certified copy of its certificate of incorporation;
(2) A certification that it is lawfully qualified to do business in one or more States;
(3) A certification that the aircraft will be based and primarily used in the United States; and
(4) The location where the records required by paragraph (e) of this section will be maintained.
(b) For the purposes of registration, an aircraft is based and primarily used in the United States if the flight hours accumulated within the United States amount to at least 60 percent of the total flight hours of the aircraft during the period consisting in the remainder of the registration month and the succeeding 6 calendar months and each 6 calendar month period thereafter.
(c) For the purpose of this section, only those flight hours accumulated during non-stop (except for stops in emergencies or for purposes of refueling) flight between two points in the United States, even if the aircraft is outside of the United States during part of the flight, are considered flight hours accumulated within the United States.
(d) In determining compliance with this section, any periods during which the aircraft is not validly registered in the United States are disregarded.
(e) The corporation that registers an aircraft pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 44102 shall maintain, and make available for inspection by the FAA upon request, records containing the total flight hours in the United States of the aircraft for three calendar years after the year in which the flight hours were accumulated.
(f) The corporation that registers an aircraft pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 44102 shall send to the Registry, at the end of each period of time described in paragraphs (b)(1) and (2) of this section, either—
(1) A signed report containing—
(i) The total time in service of the airframe as provided in § 91.417(a)(2)(i), accumulated during that period; and
(ii) The total flight hours in the United States of the aircraft accumulated during that period; or
(2) A signed statement that the total flight hours of the aircraft, while registered in the United States during that period, have been exclusively within the United States.
[Amdt. 47-20, 44 FR 61940, Oct. 29, 1979, as amended by Amdt. 47-24, 54 FR 34330, Aug. 18, 1989; Amdt. 47-27, 70 FR 245, Jan. 3, 2005; Amdt. 47-29, 75 FR 41979, July 20, 2010; Amdt. No. 47-34, 87 FR 75711, Dec. 9, 2022; 88 FR 2813, Jan. 18, 2023]
§ 47.11 Evidence of ownership.
Except as provided in §§ 47.33 and 47.35, each person that submits an Aircraft Registration Application, AC Form 8050-1 under this part must also submit the required evidence of ownership, recordable under §§ 49.13 and 49.17 of this chapter, as follows:
(a) The buyer in possession, the bailee, or the lessee of an aircraft under a contract of conditional sale must submit the contract. The assignee under a contract of conditional sale must submit both the contract (unless it is already recorded at the Registry), and his assignment from the original buyer, bailee, lessee, or prior assignee.
(b) The repossessor of an aircraft must submit—
(1) A Certificate of Repossession of Encumbered Aircraft, FAA Form 8050-4, or its equivalent, signed by the applicant and stating that the aircraft was repossessed or otherwise seized under the security agreement involved and applicable local law;
(2) The security agreement (unless it is already recorded at the Registry), or a copy thereof certified as true under § 49.21 of this chapter; and
(3) When repossession was through foreclosure proceedings resulting in sale, a bill of sale signed by the sheriff, auctioneer, or other authorized person who conducted the sale, and stating that the sale was made under applicable local law.
(c) The buyer of an aircraft at a judicial sale, or at a sale to satisfy a lien or charge, must submit a bill of sale signed by the sheriff, auctioneer, or other authorized person who conducted the sale, and stating that the sale was made under applicable local law.
(d) The owner of an aircraft, the title to which has been in controversy and has been determined by a court, must submit a certified copy of the decision of the court.
(e) The executor or administrator of the estate of the deceased former owner of an aircraft must submit a certified copy of the letters testimentary or letters of administration appointing him executor or administrator. The Certificate of Aircraft Registration, AC Form 8050-3 is issued to the applicant as executor or administrator.
(f) The buyer of an aircraft from the estate of a deceased former owner must submit both a bill of sale, signed for the estate by the executor or administrator, and a certified copy of the letters testimentary or letters of administration. When no executor or administrator has been or is to be appointed, the applicant must submit both a bill of sale, signed by the heir-at-law of the deceased former owner, and an affidavit of the heir-at-law stating that no application for appointment of an executor or administrator has been made, that so far as he can determine none will be made, and that he is the person entitled to, or having the right to dispose of, the aircraft under applicable local law.
(g) The guardian of another person’s property that includes an aircraft must submit a certified copy of the order of the court appointing him guardian. The Certificate of Aircraft Registration is issued to the applicant as guardian.
(h) The trustee of property that includes an aircraft, as described in § 47.7(c), must submit either a certified copy of the order of the court appointing the trustee, or a complete and true copy of the instrument creating the trust. If there is more than one trustee, each trustee must sign the Aircraft Registration Application. The Certificate of Aircraft Registration is issued to a single applicant as trustee, or to several trustees jointly as co-trustees.
[Doc. No. 7190, 31 FR 4495, Mar. 17, 1966, as amended by Amdt. 47-20, 44 FR 61940, Oct. 29, 1979; Amdt. 47-23, 53 FR 1915, Jan. 25, 1988; Amdt. 47-29, 75 FR 41980, July 20, 2010]