An important topic that every drone pilot needs to familiarise themselves with in Europe is drone e-ID. But what is the drone eID? Where do you get it and who needs it anyway? We provide you with all the answers to the e-ID.
What is the drone e-ID in Europe?
Anyone who wants to fly a drone in the EU must register as a drone operator. Registration takes place in a central database and is intended to ensure that every drone pilot within the EU can be uniquely identified. For this purpose, after registration, one receives a unique personal identification number – the aforementioned eID.
Other terms used internationally are Drone Operator ID or UAS Operator ID.
The eID thus serves to identify the drone owner, not the drone itself.
Where can I register for the e-ID?
We have explained in detail who has to register how and where in the article Registering a drone – registration as a drone pilot 2022/2023.
What do I have to do with the e-ID?
Once you have received your e-ID, you are obliged to place it on your drone. As before, the identification must be affixed to the outside of the drone on a sticker.
Important: The eID(UAS operator number) belongs on the drone, not the remote pilot ID also assigned by the LBA or other agencies! This should not be published! The assignment of the eID can still take some time, as the data is checked manually.
New drones that are classified in the C classes (see the article on the EU Drone Regulation) must in part have a system via which they independently send out the eID (electronic ID). In this way, it should be possible to read the respective eID of a drone during flight – known as remote ID or remote identification.
You can find all the information you need on this topic in our article on drone licence plates and badges.
e-ID Drone FAQ
The e-ID is a unique identification number that is assigned to you by the competent authority after registration. You can find all the details in the article.
As soon as a drone owner is obliged to register, he must also attach his ID (eID), which he received after registration, to the drone. However, this no longer has to be a fireproof sticker. You can find all the information in the article.
To get the e-ID, you have to register as a drone operator with the competent authority. In this article, we describe how and where to do this.
The e-ID is visible in the user account after registration with the competent authority. You can find information on this in the article.
