DroneScoutRemote ID in Iceland
Last reviewed: 2026-10-30
What is Remote ID? How the technology works: the standards, what a broadcast contains, and Bluetooth vs Wi-Fi transmission.
Iceland is not in the EU, but through the EEA agreement it applies the same EASA drone rules, supervised by the Icelandic Transport Authority (Samgöngustofa). Iceland was the last EASA country to do so: Regulation 1360/2024 brought in EU Regulations 2019/945 and 2019/947 on 29 November 2024, replacing the old national rules. Because the EU transition periods had already ended by then, Remote ID applied in Iceland from the first day. See the EU page for the full picture; this page covers what is specific to Iceland.
Which drones must broadcast it?
| Situation | Direct Remote ID |
|---|---|
| Drones with class label C1, C2, C3, C5 or C6 | Built in by the manufacturer, must be switched on |
| Any drone flying in the specific category | Required |
| Class C0 and C4 | Not required |
| Drones without a class label ("legacy" drones) in the open category | Not required |
Registration and the operator number
Operators register at flydrone.is, which is also where visitors from outside the EASA area register. The fee is ISK 5,500 for individuals and ISK 7,000 for companies, and the registration is valid for five years. As in every EASA country, the operator number starts with the country code — ISL for Iceland — and is marked on the drone; that first part is what the drone broadcasts, while the three-character code after the hyphen is private and only entered in the drone.
Operators registered in another EASA country use their existing registration when flying in Iceland, and should not register twice.
Pilot rules in Iceland
The EU class labels and pilot certificates apply in Iceland as everywhere in the EASA area — see the EU page. Iceland sets no lower age of its own, so the EU minimum of 16 applies.
- A1/A3 — the online exam on flydrone.is, free once you have registered. Required for drones over 250 g.
- A2 — after A1/A3 and practical self-training, an exam at Samgöngustofa or at an approved institution.
- Specific category — a declaration for a standard scenario (STS) or an operational authorisation from Samgöngustofa.
Regulation 1360/2024 also adds national rules:
- no flying within 150 m of sensitive public sites — power plants and substations, the Althingi, the presidential residences, ministries, embassies, police stations, prisons and hospitals — without permission from the owner;
- no flying on airport grounds or in the no-drone zones around airports with scheduled flights without the airport operator's permission, except low flights that stay below the surrounding obstacles. The zones are published on the Samgöngustofa website and in the AIP Iceland;
- liability insurance is required for drones over 20 kg, and for flights in subcategory A2 and in the specific and certified categories;
- drones always give way to other air traffic, and temporary bans — such as over Reykjavík's Old Harbour in September 2026 — must be followed;
- breaking the rules can lead to fines or up to five years in prison.
The broadcast carries the operator number, not the pilot's certificate.
How to see it
An Icelandic Direct Remote ID broadcast carries the same fields as anywhere in the EU: operator number, serial number, position and height, course and speed, the pilot's position or take-off point, and an emergency status. DroneScout receives it on Android and iPhone and shows each drone live on a map, using the European standard ASD-STAN EN 4709-002. Which transports your phone can receive varies — see the FAQ — and DroneScout Bridge closes that gap for both platforms.