Drone Remote ID: direct remote identification, requirements and technology

If you stand at an airport fence, you know identification from the other side: every airliner carries a registration on its fuselage and sends its data into the air via transponder. For drones, that was a gap for a long time. Now that the EU drone regulation applies in full, there is a system of its own: Remote ID, officially called direct remote identification. This guide explains which drones need it, what data goes over the air, how to enter your e-ID correctly, what the technology can do – and what it explicitly is not.

Remote ID: the short answer

Remote ID is an electronic license plate for drones. Throughout the flight, the drone sends out a data packet at short intervals that devices in the area can receive directly – no mobile network, no server in between. It contains, among other things, the operator’s registration number, the device’s serial number, position, altitude, course and the pilot’s location or the takeoff point.

In the EU, this function is mandatory for class-labeled drones over 250 grams, so in practice C1, C2 and C3. According to the Federal Aviation Office (LBA), class C4 and home-built drones are exempt. Class C0 mini drones and older devices without a class label do not have to broadcast anything in the open category.

Where the requirement comes from

The basis is two EU regulations. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 governs how drones are operated: open, specific and certified category, subcategories A1 to A3, duties for operators and remote pilots. Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 sets out which technical requirements a drone must meet for a given class. The exact rules for direct remote identification were added in 2020 by an amending regulation.

Because remote identification is tied to the class, it only became relevant in everyday flying with class-labeled drones. Since January 1, 2024, the transition period for drones without a class label is over. New devices for the open category now come to market with a class label, and from C1 up that means Remote ID as well. What is behind the labels is explained in the overview Drone classes C0 to C6.

For the pilot, this means in practice: if you fly a drone with remote identification, the function must be active and contain your current operator number. A switched-off or outdated Remote ID is not a formality but a breach of the operating rules.

Who needs Remote ID – and who doesn’t

Drone	Direct remote identification	Typical operating subcategory
C0 (under 250 g)	not required	A1
C1	required	A1, A3
C2	required	A2, A3
C3	required	A3
C4 (model aircraft)	not required	A3
C5, C6	part of the class requirements	Standard scenarios of the “specific” category
Legacy drone without a class	not required in the open category	under 250 g A1, otherwise A3
Home-built drone	exempt according to the LBA	under 250 g A1, otherwise A3

Two points tend to get lost here. First: even without Remote ID, the operator registration remains. From 250 grams, or as soon as your drone has a camera and is not a toy, you register with the LBA – so also with many mini drones. The details are in the guide Registering a drone, and the special rules for light devices are under Drones under 250 grams. Second: if you technically modify a class-labeled drone, according to the LBA you have to remove the class label and may then only fly it in the specific category with an operational authorization. The conditions of the respective authorization apply there.

The data your drone sends

The regulation requires the drone to transmit in real time and at regular intervals throughout the flight. The protocol must be open and documented so that common mobile devices within range can receive the data directly. The content is fixed:

• Operator registration number – your e-ID without the secret PIN characters.
• Drone serial number – a unique identifier under the ANSI/CTA-2063-A standard.
• Timestamp – when the data packet was created.
• Position and altitude – geographic location plus height above ground or above the takeoff point.
• Course and speed – direction of flight relative to true north and ground speed.
• Pilot location – the position of the remote pilot or, if that is not available, the takeoff point.
• Emergency status – a flag showing whether the drone is in an emergency situation.

What is not transmitted: your name, your address or your phone number. The registration number is a key that only authorities with access to the register can match to a person. Still, you should be aware that anyone nearby with a suitable app can see roughly where you are standing.

Entering the e-ID correctly

After registering with the LBA you receive an operator number, the e-ID. It starts with the country code DEU, followed by a string of letters and digits. After a hyphen come three secret characters – the PIN. This split is the core of the security concept.

The LBA explicitly points out that the PIN must stay secret because third parties could otherwise misuse the e-ID. So do not share your full number in forums or in photos – not even as a screenshot of the app settings.

How the technology works

Direct remote identification works as a broadcast: the drone transmits without anyone asking, and every receiver in range listens in. There is no connection setup and no central server. Technically, it runs over radio methods that are also built into smartphones:

• Bluetooth, both in the classic advertising mode of Bluetooth 4 and via the Long Range extension of Bluetooth 5.
• Wi-Fi, either via Wi-Fi Beacon or via Wi-Fi NAN (Neighbor Awareness Networking).

For Europe, the ASD-STAN EN 4709-002 standard describes the format; in the US it is the ASTM F3411 standard. The two are closely aligned, and the data format is essentially the same. The messages are divided into blocks: basic ID with serial number, location message, system message with pilot location, operator ID and, optionally, a free-text description.

There is also network remote identification. Here the data does not go out by radio to the surroundings but over a data connection to a service. It matters mainly in U-space, meaning airspace where drone traffic is coordinated digitally under Regulation (EU) 2021/664. For hobby flights in the open category, the direct, radio-based variant is what counts.

Feature	Remote ID (direct)	ADS-B / Mode S
Who transmits	Class-labeled drones C1 to C3, C5 and C6	manned aircraft with a transponder
Radio link	Bluetooth and Wi-Fi	1090 MHz
Range	Short range, depending on terrain and receiver	very long, reception over many kilometers
Reception	Smartphone apps, special detectors	ADS-B receivers, flight tracker networks
Purpose	Identification on site	Air traffic control and collision avoidance

This is exactly where the most important difference for spotters lies: Remote ID is not ADS-B for drones. Your rooftop ADS-B receiver does not hear the signals, and flight trackers do not show them. Why some manned aircraft are missing there too is explained in Why an aircraft doesn’t show up on Flightradar. How transponders and ADS-B work on manned aircraft is explained in Transponder modes A, C and S and Flight tracking with ADS-B for spotters. For light aviation there is also FLARM, a third system, which appears in the article FLARM and the Open Glider Network.

Detecting drones yourself

Because the protocol is open, anyone can receive Remote ID signals. For Android, for example, there is the open-source OpenDroneID receiver app, which lists detected transmitters, shows their position on a map and traces the flight path. Manufacturers of Remote ID modules also offer their own scanner apps.

In practice, though, there are limits. Whether your smartphone receives every transmission type depends heavily on the model: classic Bluetooth works practically everywhere, but Bluetooth Long Range and Wi-Fi NAN are far from reliably supported by all devices. On newer Android versions, Wi-Fi scans are also throttled by default. And the developers of the OpenDroneID app stress that you should always match a signal against a drone you can actually see – a radio packet alone does not prove what is flying where.

Remote ID and airports

For airports, remote identification is one building block, but not a shield. It helps to quickly identify cooperative drones: anyone operating their device correctly is visible with an ID and pilot location. The problem cases are precisely those Remote ID does not cover – home-built drones, tampered devices or drones without a class. That is why airports also rely on radar, radio direction finding and optical systems. How that works is described in Drone detection and defense at airports.

The articles Drone sightings at airports and The 2018 Gatwick drone incident show what consequences a single drone sighting can have. For you as a pilot, the rule stays simple: the airport surroundings are off limits for hobby flights, regardless of class and Remote ID. The details are in Drones at airports: the rules, and Geozones and the dipul map shows you where exactly the boundaries run.

A look at the US

If you travel to the US with your drone, you will meet a Remote ID system of its own. The FAA set it out in 14 CFR Part 89. It applies to drones that have to be registered with the FAA. There are three ways to meet the requirement:

• Standard Remote ID: The drone broadcasts the data itself, straight from the factory.
• Broadcast module: A retrofit module takes over the broadcasting for older devices.
• FRIA: In FAA-recognized identification areas, such as at model aircraft clubs, you may fly without Remote ID.

In content, the US system resembles the European one, but the legal situation differs in details, for example in how legacy drones and retrofit modules are handled. If you want to fly on vacation, look up the specifics beforehand. For trips within Europe, the guide Taking your drone on vacation helps, for the neighboring countries specifically Flying a drone in Austria and Flying a drone in Switzerland, and for luggage Taking a drone on a plane.

Common mistakes

• Entering the e-ID without the PIN. Then the plausibility check fails, and the drone does not broadcast a valid operator number.
• Writing the PIN on the sticker. That gives away the protection of the number.
• Old number after a new registration. If you get a new e-ID, for example after re-registering, you have to update it in every drone with Remote ID.
• Buying a used drone. Check whether the previous owner’s number is still stored, and enter your own.
• Confusing Remote ID with permission. Being visible does not mean you may fly there.

Regardless of Remote ID, the right A1/A3 competency certificate and drone liability insurance belong to every drone pilot’s basic kit.

Conclusion

Remote ID closes a gap that never existed for manned aircraft: drones now carry a digital registration that anyone nearby can read. In the EU, the requirement applies to class-labeled drones over 250 grams, so C1 to C3. Mini drones, C4 models, home-builts and legacy devices are exempt in the open category. For you as a pilot, the implementation is short: enter the e-ID with the PIN in the app, stick it on the drone without the PIN, keep the function active. And as a spotter, you now know why drones are missing from your flight tracker – and why Remote ID permits nothing at the airport that was forbidden before.