Remote ID in the United States

Last reviewed: 2026-10-06

What is Remote ID? How the technology works: the standards, what a broadcast contains, and Bluetooth vs Wi-Fi transmission.

In the United States, Remote ID is set by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 14 CFR Part 89. Drone operators have had to comply since 16 September 2023, and the FAA's enforcement grace period ended on 16 March 2024.

Which drones must broadcast it?

Unlike the EU and the UK, which follow class labels, the US rule is tied to registration:

Drone	Remote ID
Flown recreationally, 250 g (0.55 lb) or more	Required
Flown under Part 107 (commercial), any weight	Required
Flown recreationally, under 250 g	Not required

Three ways to comply

Standard Remote ID drone — Remote ID built in by the manufacturer. Most new drones sold in the US today.
Remote ID broadcast module — a small add-on for legacy drones built without Remote ID. Newly manufactured drones must have standard Remote ID built in. It broadcasts the take-off point instead of the pilot's live position, and can only be used within visual line of sight.
FAA-Recognized Identification Area (FRIA) — drones without Remote ID may fly only inside these designated sites, run by community-based organisations or educational institutions.

What does the broadcast contain?

A standard Remote ID drone broadcasts:

a unique identifier — the drone's serial number, or a session ID
the drone's position, altitude and velocity
the position and altitude of the control station (the pilot)
a time mark
an emergency status

Broadcast modules send the take-off location instead of the control station position. The broadcast goes out over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, typically using the ASTM F3411 standard, and anyone nearby with a suitable receiver can read it. Linking a serial number to the owner's identity is restricted to the FAA and law enforcement — the public broadcast does not name the pilot.

Part 107 and the coming Part 108

Part 107 is the FAA's rule for commercial (non-recreational) drone flights: the pilot needs a Remote Pilot Certificate and keeps the drone within visual line of sight, at most 400 ft above the ground. Every drone flown under Part 107 must be registered and broadcast Remote ID, whatever its weight — so even a sub-250 g drone flown for work shows up. Flying beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) under Part 107 needs an FAA waiver. Recreational flyers need no certificate, but must pass the free online Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST).

Part 108 is the FAA's proposed rule to make BVLOS flights — package delivery, agriculture, inspections — routine, without a waiver per operation. The FAA published the proposal on 7 August 2025; the final rule has been under White House review since 10 July 2026 and is not in force yet. As proposed, it tightens Remote ID for these flights:

every Part 108 drone needs standard Remote ID built in — a broadcast module is not enough;
the broadcast adds a BVLOS status and the drone's take-off location; the pilot's position may be left out when the flight runs without a flight coordinator;
the broadcast must reach far enough for other aircraft nearby to use it for situational awareness.

For people on the ground, Part 108 means more drones flying far from their pilot — and their Remote ID broadcast is how you see them.

Blue UAS, the security drone law and the FCC

Separate from Remote ID, the US limits who may buy which drones:

American Security Drone Act — since 22 December 2025, federal agencies, and contractors and grant recipients spending federal money, may no longer buy or fly drones from covered foreign entities, which include Chinese manufacturers such as DJI and Autel.
Blue UAS — the Department of Defense's vetting of drones for government use: the Cleared List of complete drones (more than 50 platforms from US and allied makers) and the Framework of approved components for building them. The Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) runs it since late 2025.
FCC Covered List — on 22 December 2025 the FCC added foreign-made drones and their critical components. New models can no longer get FCC equipment authorization, so they cannot be imported or sold. That is why new DJI models do not come to the US. Exceptions run until 1 January 2028 for Blue UAS products and drones with at least 65% US-made content. Models authorized before — including DJI's current line-up — may still be sold and flown. DJI is challenging the decision in court.

None of this switches Remote ID off: DJI and other foreign-made drones already flying keep broadcasting, and DroneScout shows them like any other drone.

Building drones for government customers? Our DroneBeacon db300 standard Remote ID transponder has been on the Blue UAS Framework since 10 July 2026 (search for "db300"). As of October 2026, it is the only standard Remote ID module on the Framework. It is NDAA-compliant and connects to the flight controller over MAVLink or DroneCAN — see DroneBeacon on dronescout.co.

How to see it

DroneScout implements ASTM F3411, the standard used by US Remote ID drones and broadcast modules, over Bluetooth Legacy, Bluetooth Long Range S8, Wi-Fi Beacon and Wi-Fi NaN. It shows each broadcasting drone live on a map on Android and iPhone, including the pilot or take-off position. Which transports your phone can receive varies — see the FAQ — and DroneScout Bridge closes that gap for both platforms.