Remote ID for drones in the EU: which drones must broadcast it, what it sends and how to enter your operator number

The EU calls this direct remote identification (DRI). "Direct" means the drone broadcasts its data locally over radio and anyone nearby with a phone can pick it up, with no network, subscription or server in between.

What the drone broadcasts

Regulation (EU) 2019/945 lists the minimum data that must be transmitted in real time for the whole flight, in a way that existing mobile devices can receive:

• your operator registration number
• the serial number of the drone, or of the add-on module if the drone is privately built
• a time stamp, the drone's position and its height above the ground or the take-off point
• its course and ground speed
• the position of the remote pilot (or, according to ULC and the ASD-STAN standard description, the take-off point if the pilot's position is not available)
• an emergency status indicator

Someone standing in a field with a phone can see where your drone is, where you are standing and which operator number it belongs to. Your name and address are not broadcast.

In practice the signal goes out over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, because those are the only radios every phone already has. The ASD-STAN introduction to the European standard EN 4709-002 gives these ranges under ideal, unobstructed conditions: about 250 m for classic Bluetooth 4 advertising, about 1 km for Bluetooth 5 Long Range, and about 2 km for Wi-Fi NAN and Wi-Fi Beacon. The same document says real-world range in a city can easily be half that. Not every phone can receive every format: iPhones receive Bluetooth 4 only, while the Long Range and Wi-Fi NAN formats need selected newer Android models.

Who has to broadcast

The rules come from the class requirements in Regulation 2019/945 and the open category rules in Regulation 2019/947. ULC sums them up on its remote ID page.

Remote ID is required for:

• drones with a C1, C2, C3, C5 or C6 class label. Manufacturers build the system into these drones.
• every drone flown in the specific category below 120 m, whatever its class

Remote ID is not required for:

• drones with a C0 or C4 class label
• tethered drones (classes C3, C5 or C6 on a tether)
• drones without a class label placed on the market before 1 January 2024 and flown in subcategory A1 (under 250 g) or A3 (under 25 kg)
• privately built drones flown in A1 (under 250 g and below 19 m/s maximum speed) or A3 (under 25 kg)

EASA adds one more detail: member states may define zones where remote ID is not mandatory.

Remote ID follows the class label, not the weight. A C1 drone broadcasts even in A1. A C0 drone under 250 g does not have to, even though it flies in the same subcategory.

FPV quads

Most freestyle and long-range FPV quads are privately built or carry no class label, and they fly in A1 or A3. In those subcategories they are on the exempt list, so you do not need a module. Weigh the quad with the battery and camera you actually fly. A privately built quad counts as A1 only if it is under 250 g and its maximum speed is below 19 m/s. Everything else goes to A3: under 25 kg, far from people and at least 150 m from residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas.

Things change if you fly in the specific category, for example under a standard scenario or an operational authorisation. Then remote ID is required for any drone below 120 m. For drones that have no built-in system, Regulation 2019/945 provides for add-on modules: small standalone transmitters that you attach to the drone and load with your operator number. EASA keeps a list of them on its specific category page. The broadcast then carries the module's serial number instead of the drone's, and the ASD-STAN document notes that an add-on does not have to send the emergency status.

Your operator number has two parts

When you register as an operator, the authority gives you a number with a public part and three secret characters. The ASD-STAN document explains how they fit together. You enter the whole string into the drone. The drone uses the three secret characters to check that the number is valid, does not store them and does not broadcast them. Only the public part, including its checksum character, goes over the air. If you make a typo, the regulation requires the drone to show an error.

In Poland you register with ULC. The operator number also goes on every drone you own, and EASA says the number displayed on the drone and the number uploaded into remote ID must be the same. ULC wants the marking legible, durable and visible during an inspection. If the drone is too small for that, ULC accepts the number inside the battery compartment, as long as you can get to it.

Entering the number in DJI Fly

On DJI drones that use DJI Fly, the procedure published by the Belgian school FDR1 and the German site drohnen.de goes like this:

1. Update DJI Fly, the drone firmware and the remote controller firmware.
2. Turn on the drone and the controller and go to the camera view in DJI Fly.
3. Tap the three dots in the top right corner and open the Safety tab.
4. Scroll down to the remote ID item (in English "UAS Remote Identification") and open it.
5. Enter the full number, including the hyphen and the three characters after it.

If the number is correct, the app shows "Entered successfully". When you open the menu again later, you will see only the public part without the secret characters. If you get an error message, check the number for typos.

FDR1 points out that if the option is missing, the drone probably has no remote ID system. A Reddit discussion adds another case: a Mini 4 Pro with the heavier Plus battery goes over 250 g, and users report that the menu does not show up then. If you see something similar, check your drone's manual and the DJI support page rather than guessing.

Checking that it works

You can check the broadcast yourself with a free phone app. One example is Drone Scanner from Dronetag, which reads remote ID over the phone's Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Remember the phone limits described above: an iPhone will only pick up the Bluetooth 4 signal. Start the drone, open the app and look for your operator number and position on the map.

Before you fly

1. Check your drone's class label. C1, C2, C3, C5 or C6 means remote ID is mandatory in the open category.
2. Look up the full operator number with the three secret characters in your ULC account.
3. Enter it into the drone and check that the app accepts it.
4. Put the same number on every drone you own.
5. If you fly in the specific category with a drone that has no built-in system, fit an add-on module.
6. Keep the firmware updated. The rules say the system has to be active and up to date, not just present.