FAA says recreational drones will have to be registered

So if you’re getting a drone for Christmas, you can’t just go out and fly it. First you have to go online and register.

It’s a new rule the Federal Aviation Administration announced Monday. Owners must be at least 13 years of age to register their drone(s), and will have to provide both email and home addresses to complete the process. With a federal law going into effect December 21, owners will have until February 19, 2016, to register their drones or run the risk of being fined up to $250,000 or even spending three years behind bars.

Unless the FAA follows a key recommendation of the task force to build the drone registry in a way that distributes the crush of visitors, however, this website could be a huge headache for consumers who want to get into the air on Christmas Day.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, who will speaking in March at South by Southwest Interactive, said in a statement, “Make no mistake: unmanned aircraft enthusiast are aviators, and with that title comes a great deal of responsibility”, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

The new registration rule allows the government to educate flyers before they operate the drones. “I’m excited to welcome these new aviators into the culture of safety and responsibility that defines American innovation”.

The online drone registry applies only to hobbyists and not business owners, who have been eager to use the flying machines to help cut costs on tasks including low-priced surveillance for farms or oil pipelines, or as a means to film news video or to deliver packages.

We’ve explained everything you need to know about the new regulation, below, including how to register. Business uses still require individual FAA approvals, which the agency has been granting for some time. Owners may register through a web-based system at www.faa.gov/uas/registration.

The FAA’s rule does not require a point-of-sale registration, meaning it is on the owner to abide by the registration.

Sadly, the FAA will still charge a fee for the registration process.

You’ll need to mark your drone with its special registration number.

There is a $5 fee to register, though if you register before 20 January 2016 the fee will be waived/refunded.

There are other restrictions already in place for when and where you can fly a drone. There’s no form yet for those using drones for commercial purposes, but the FAA promised to get on that by spring in its announcement.