Registering your drone: operator registration with the LBA and attaching the e-ID correctly

You’ve unpacked your new drone, charged the batteries, and really all you want is a few aerial shots from the edge of the field behind the airfield. Before a propeller turns for the first time, though, there is a step in Germany that many people overlook: the operator registration with the Federal Aviation Office (Luftfahrt-Bundesamt, LBA). This guide shows you when you have to register, which details you need, what it costs and how to attach the e-ID to your drone correctly. And since we’re plane spotters here: in the end it’s also about what registration does not allow – namely flights near airports.

Registering your drone: the short answer

You register as an operator online with the Federal Aviation Office, pay a one-time €20 as a private individual and receive an electronic registration number, the e-ID. You attach the public part of this number to every drone you operate. This is mandatory from 250 grams takeoff mass and also below that, as soon as a camera is on board and the device is not a toy. For your hobby, that means: almost every camera drone you can buy at an electronics store falls under it.

The distinction between two roles is important. The operator is the person or organization that owns the drone or has rented it and is responsible for its use. The remote pilot is the person who actually controls the drone. If you fly your own drone in your free time, you are both. The operator registration belongs to the first role, the EU A1/A3 certificate of competency to the second.

The legal basis in two sentences

Since December 31, 2020, uniform rules for unmanned aircraft have applied in the EU. The core is Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, which among other things specifies that drone operators register in the member state where they live – for organizations, it is the principal place of business.

In Germany, the Federal Aviation Office in Braunschweig is responsible. The national implementation is in the Air Traffic Act (Luftverkehrsgesetz, LuftVG), and the fees are governed by the cost ordinance of the aviation administration. Under the rules of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency EASA, the registration number you get here is valid in all EASA member states. Double registration in several countries is expressly not provided for.

Who has to register – and who doesn’t?

The rule sounds simple, but it has an exception that regularly causes confusion. The table summarizes the cases:

Your drone	Registration required?	Reason
250 grams or heavier	yes	Obligation regardless of equipment
under 250 grams with a camera	yes	Sensor can capture personal data
under 250 grams with a camera, approved as a toy	no	Toys under Directive 2009/48/EC are exempt
under 250 grams without a camera or comparable sensor	no	neither the weight criterion nor the data protection criterion is met
Operation in the specific category	yes	applies regardless of weight

The sticking point is the lightweights. Many manufacturers advertise “under 250 grams,” and this is readily turned into “registration-free.” That is not true: if the mini drone has a camera and is not a designated toy, you still need the e-ID. What else applies to the small models is explained in the article Drones under 250 grams. Whether your drone carries a class marking and what it means, you’ll find under Drone classes C0 to C6.

Special case: model aircraft club

If you are a member of an air sports association such as the DMFV or the MFSD, the association, according to the LBA, handles the registration for you in the operator database. You are still responsible for keeping your data up to date yourself. More on flying within a club framework is in Model flying in a club.

What you need for registration

Without the following details, registration in the LBA portal can’t be completed. It’s best to have them ready beforehand.

As a private individual (natural person):

• full name, exactly as on your ID, and date of birth
• scan of a valid national ID card or passport as PNG or JPG, on which name, date of birth and validity are legible
• address, email address and phone number
• name of the insurer and number of the insurance policy

As a company or club (legal entity):

• full name, as it appears for example in the commercial or club register
• proof of the organization’s existence, for example a register extract, as PDF or image file
• address, email address and phone number
• insurer and policy number

There is exactly one e-ID per person. The minimum age for operator registration in Germany is 16 years, according to the LBA.

Insurance first, then registration

Liability insurance for drone operation is mandatory in Germany under Section 43 LuftVG – regardless of weight. Check whether your private liability policy expressly includes drones; that is not a given with every policy. You should have proof of insurance with you when flying. Which policies exist and what to look out for is explained in the guide Drone insurance: requirement and choice.

The process step by step

Registration runs entirely online. The way there leads through the drone section on the website of the Federal Aviation Office, from where the LBA links to its registration portal.

If you’re planning your first flight for a specific weekend, start with enough lead time. The same applies if you want to take the A1/A3 competency certificate in parallel: it runs through the same LBA user account but is a separate process with its own fee of €25.

How the e-ID is structured

The e-ID consists of two parts separated by a hyphen. The LBA gives the pattern DEU87astrdge12kc-xyz as an example:

• Before the hyphen is the actual operator ID: the country code DEU, followed by a string of letters and digits. This part is public and goes on the drone.
• After the hyphen comes a short PIN. It stays secret and is only needed when you enter the number into a remote identification system. It never belongs on the drone.

Don’t confuse the e-ID with the number on your competency certificate. This remote pilot ID identifies you as a person who is allowed to fly. The e-ID, by contrast, identifies you as the one responsible for the drone.

Attaching the e-ID to the drone

Many outdated tips are still circulating here. The current status according to the LBA:

• Attach it physically: The number must be physically on the drone – even if you have already entered it into remote identification.
• In a suitable place: The LBA doesn’t prescribe a minimum size. The number must be legible, though. The battery compartment is only intended for models of existing aircraft, for example a scale model airliner. On a normal drone, the ID belongs on the outside of the fuselage.
• QR code allowed: Instead of plain text, you may use a QR code as long as it can be read without difficulty.
• Fireproof is no longer a must: Fireproof marking is no longer required. A durable, weatherproof sticker is enough in practice.
• Without the PIN: Only the part before the hyphen.

Printed foil stickers or engraved plates in small but clearly legible type have proven themselves. Stick the number in a place that doesn’t constantly rub during transport, and check it after every season.

Entering the e-ID into remote identification

Drones with a class marking over 250 grams must have a direct remote identification function – exceptions apply, according to the LBA, to class C4 and to home-built drones. This function transmits your operator ID, among other things, during the flight. In the manufacturer’s app, you enter the complete e-ID, that is, with the PIN. Afterwards only the ID without the PIN is broadcast. How the system works technically is explained in the article Remote ID for drones.

After registration: keeping your data up to date

With the e-ID, the matter is not settled forever. Under Section 66a LuftVG, you must report changes without delay in your LBA user account. These include:

• a move and thus a new address
• a new email address or phone number
• a name change
• a change of insurance or a new policy number

The LBA names no expiration date for the e-ID, and the fee is one-time according to the LBA. If you don’t fly for a while, you can set your status in the user account to “inactive” and reactivate it later. If you want to get rid of the registration for good, you apply for deletion by form. Once it has been deleted after the archiving period expires, it can’t be recovered – a later re-registration costs fees again.

Moving abroad

If you move to another EU country, you delete the German registration, according to the LBA, and sign up anew in the new country of residence. If you move to a country outside the EU, you can keep the German registration. The LBA treats Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland like EU states in this respect – so a move there also means a new registration. For vacation flights, by contrast, you need no additional registration, because the number is valid in all EASA states. What you should still check before a flight abroad is covered in Taking your drone on vacation. For neighboring countries with their own zone systems, the guides to Austria and Switzerland are worth a look.

Common mistakes in registration

• “Under 250 grams, so nothing to do.” With a camera and without toy status, that is wrong.
• Registration per drone. You only need one e-ID for all devices. A second registration only causes costs and chaos.
• PIN on the sticker. The PIN never belongs on the drone, nor in forums or social media posts.
• Forgetting insurance. If the policy expires or you switch providers, you have to update the new details.
• Confusing registration with flight permission. The e-ID only says who is responsible. Where you may fly is governed by the geographical areas.

As a plane spotter, you should take the last point especially seriously.

What the e-ID does not allow: flights at the airport

A registered drone is not a drone with special rights. Around airports in Germany, under Section 21h of the Air Traffic Regulations (Luftverkehrs-Ordnung), a distance of 1,000 meters from the airport boundary applies, plus corridors along the extended runway centerlines. In the open category, in which private pilots operate, operation there is not permitted. In control zones you additionally need an air traffic control clearance. All details are in the guide Drones near airports, and the binding zones are shown on the map of the Digital Platform for Unmanned Aviation (dipul) – explained in Geozones and the dipul map.

Remote identification also makes your drone visible to authorities and airport operators. How airports detect and counter drones is described in Drone detection at airports. The consequences of sightings for flight operations are shown in Drone sightings at airports – a well-known example is the Gatwick incident of 2018.

For aircraft pictures you don’t need the drone anyway. A telephoto lens from a public spot gets you closer to registrations and liveries than any drone you could legally fly. Where that is allowed at the fence is covered in Is plane spotting legal?, and which gear is worth it is shown in the Gear checklist. For moving pictures, Filming plane spotting videos helps.

Conclusion

Operator registration with the Federal Aviation Office is quickly done: clarify insurance, scan your ID, register in the LBA portal, pay €20 and wait for the e-ID. After that, you attach the ID without the PIN to each of your drones and, for devices with remote identification, enter it in the manufacturer’s app. The obligation kicks in earlier than many think – even for mini drones with a camera. And as important as registration is, it remains a formality: where you may fly is decided by the geozones, and at the airport the answer for hobby pilots is almost always no.