How to get a remote pilot certificate (the drone license)

Key facts

• You must be at least 16 years old to be eligible for a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating.14 CFR 107.61(a)
• The minimum age to take the UAG knowledge test is 14.FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix
• After the test, it may take up to 48 hours for your result to appear in IACRA, where you enter the 17-digit Knowledge Test Exam ID.FAA, Become a Certificated Remote Pilot
• On the knowledge test path, you print your temporary certificate from IACRA after the TSA security background check is complete.FAA, Become a Certificated Remote Pilot
• When you fly, keep your certificate and identification in your physical possession and readily accessible.14 CFR 107.7(a)(1)
• The certificate does not expire, but you must complete recurrent training every 24 calendar months to use it.FAA UAS FAQ; 14 CFR 107.65

To fly a small drone under Part 107, you need a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating (14 CFR 107.12). “Drone license” is the common name for it, but it is not the FAA’s term. AC 107-2A notes that in aviation the FAA typically refers to “licensing” as “certification” (AC 107-2A, 6.1).

Most first-time applicants follow one path: get an FAA Tracking Number in IACRA, pass the Unmanned Aircraft General - Small (UAG) knowledge test, apply on FAA Form 8710-13 in IACRA, clear a TSA security background check, then print a temporary certificate while the permanent one is mailed (FAA, Become a Drone Pilot). Pilots who already hold a part 61 certificate have a second path, covered below.

Who needs a remote pilot certificate

You may not act as remote pilot in command unless you hold a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating and meet the knowledge recency rule in 14 CFR 107.65 (14 CFR 107.12(b)). Someone without a certificate may manipulate the flight controls only under the direct supervision of a remote pilot in command who can immediately take direct control of the aircraft (14 CFR 107.12(a)(2)).

The AIM puts the scope plainly: anyone who operates a civil small UAS for any operation that is not for recreational or pleasure purposes must hold this certificate. Recreational flyers take TRUST instead (AIM 11-5-1).

Eligibility under 14 CFR 107.61

Age 14 for the test, 16 for the certificate. The testing matrix lists 14 as the minimum age for the UAG test (FAA testing matrix). The identification you present for the test must show a date of birth proving you meet, or will meet, the age requirement for the certificate before your test report expires (14 CFR 107.67(b)(3)). A passing report is valid for 24 calendar months when you apply (FAA-S-ACS-10B, Appendix 3).

Drug and alcohol grounds. Eligibility is subject to 14 CFR 107.57 and 107.59. A conviction under a federal or state drug statute, or an act prohibited by 14 CFR 91.17(a) or 91.19(a), is grounds for denial of an application for up to 1 year, or suspension or revocation of a certificate (14 CFR 107.57). Refusing an alcohol test requested under 14 CFR 91.17, or refusing to release the results, carries the same consequences (14 CFR 107.59).

Steps for first-time applicants

The FAA lists seven steps (FAA, Become a Drone Pilot):

1. Get an FAA Tracking Number (FTN) by creating an IACRA profile before you register for a knowledge test.
2. Schedule the test with an FAA-approved knowledge testing center, and bring a government-issued photo ID. Format, scheduling and test-day rules are in the Part 107 test guide.
3. Pass the UAG test. The Part 107 study guide breaks down the five areas it covers.
4. Complete FAA Form 8710-13 in IACRA. Select Start New Application, then Application Type “Pilot”, Certifications “Remote Pilot”, Other Path Information, and Start Application. When prompted, enter the 17-digit Knowledge Test Exam ID. It may take up to 48 hours from the test date for the test to appear in IACRA. Sign electronically and submit.
5. Wait for the TSA security background check. When it is complete, you receive a confirmation email with instructions for printing a copy of your temporary remote pilot certificate from IACRA.
6. Receive the permanent certificate by mail once all other FAA-internal processing is complete.
7. Have the certificate available whenever you fly.

On this path you do not need to meet with an FAA-authorized individual, because your identity is established at the testing center (FAA-S-ACS-10B, Appendix 3).

TSA vetting, temporary and permanent certificates

After the FAA receives your application, the TSA vets you before a temporary certificate is issued. If vetting is unsuccessful, you are disqualified and receive neither a temporary nor a permanent certificate. You may appeal that decision to the TSA (AC 107-2A, 6.5). This applies to all applicants regardless of nationality (AIM 11-5-4).

A paper application is possible: you mail Form 8710-13 with the original knowledge test report to the FAA Airmen Certification Branch (AC 107-2A, 6.4.1). The trade-off is that an applicant without a part 61 certificate gets no temporary certificate on paper, and paper applications delay the permanent certificate (AC 107-2A, 6.4.1) (FAA-S-ACS-10B, Appendix 3). The AC calls the online IACRA form the fastest and simplest method (AC 107-2A, 6.4.1).

The path for part 61 pilots

If you hold a part 61 pilot certificate other than a student pilot certificate and meet the flight review requirements of 14 CFR 61.56, you may complete training instead of the knowledge test (14 CFR 107.61(d)(2)). The FAA’s steps (FAA, Become a Drone Pilot):

1. Create or log into your account on the FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) website.
2. Complete the Part 107 Small UAS Initial (ALC-451) online training course.
3. Create or log into your IACRA account.
4. Complete Form 8710-13 in IACRA and submit it.
5. Make an appointment to validate your identity at a Flight Standards District Office, or with a designated pilot examiner, an airman certification representative or a certificated flight instructor. Bring the completed Form 8710-13, proof of your current flight review, photo ID and your course completion certificate.
6. The representative signs your application and issues a temporary certificate. The permanent certificate arrives by U.S. mail within several weeks.

CFIs cannot issue temporary certificates. They can process applications for applicants who do not want one (FAA, Become a Drone Pilot). A part 61 pilot may also choose to take the UAG test instead (AIM 11-5-1).

After you hold the certificate

Carry it. When exercising the privileges of the certificate, you must have the certificate and identification in your physical possession and readily accessible (14 CFR 107.7(a)(1)). You must present both for inspection on request from the FAA, an authorized representative of the NTSB or TSA, or any federal, state or local law enforcement officer (14 CFR 107.7(a)(2)).

It does not expire. The FAA says the certificate is permanent unless revoked (FAA UAS FAQ).

Stay current. To exercise remote pilot in command privileges, you must have passed the initial test or completed recurrent training (or, for current part 61 pilots, the part 61 training) within the previous 24 calendar months (14 CFR 107.65). The FAA’s recurrent courses are online (FAA, Become a Drone Pilot), and the recurrent training guide explains how the months are counted. For the operating limits that apply once you fly, see Part 107 rules.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from these public FAA documents and the eCFR. If the FAA updates one, the source wins.

1. FAA, Become a Certificated Remote Pilot
2. 14 CFR 107.12, Requirement for a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating (eCFR)
3. 14 CFR 107.61, Eligibility (eCFR)
4. 14 CFR 107.63, Issuance of a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating (eCFR)
5. 14 CFR 107.57, Offenses involving alcohol or drugs (eCFR)
6. 14 CFR 107.59, Refusal to submit to an alcohol test or to furnish test results (eCFR)
7. 14 CFR 107.67, Knowledge tests: General procedures and passing grades (eCFR)
8. 14 CFR 107.7, Inspection, testing, and demonstration of compliance (eCFR)
9. 14 CFR 107.65, Aeronautical knowledge recency (eCFR)
10. AC 107-2A, Small Unmanned Aircraft System (Small UAS), editorial update
11. FAA-S-ACS-10B, Remote Pilot - Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Airman Certification Standards
12. FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix (revised 9/25/26)
13. AIM 11-5, UAS Pilot Testing, Certification and Responsibilities
14. FAA UAS FAQ: Does the FAA issue a new remote pilot certificate after the online ALC course?
15. FAA UAS FAQ: No expiration date on my Part 107 certificate

Related guides

• The Part 107 test: format, scoring, scheduling and test dayThe Part 107 test (UAG) has 60 scored questions, 2 hours and a 70% pass mark. See the current area weights, the October 2026 change and what to bring.
• Part 107 study guide for 2026: the five ACS areas and what to learn in eachA 2026 Part 107 study guide built on the FAA's ACS: the five knowledge areas, the current test weights, the topics in each and the FAA sources to study.
• Part 107 recurrent training: how to stay current as a remote pilotPart 107 recurrent training keeps you current every 24 calendar months. Which FAA course to take, how the months are counted and what proof to carry.
• Part 107 rules: the operating limits for small dronesPart 107 rules with the exact numbers: 400 feet AGL, 87 knots, 3 statute miles visibility, cloud clearance, night lighting, flying over people, waivers.