Registering your drone: Overview

Fee: $5

All drones between 250 g and 25 kg in weight must be registered. This includes custom-built drones and drones built from a kit or off-the shelf.

Drones under 250 g do not need to be registered unless something is attached to it that increases its weight to 250 g or more.

Drones over 25 kg also do not need to be registered, but require a special flight operations certificate instead.

Marking your drone

You must clearly mark your drone with its registration number.

Penalties

If you fly a drone without meeting these requirements, you may be fined. Fines are:

  • $1,000 for recreational users
  • $5,000 for commercial users

Benefits of registration

  • If you lose your drone, registration may help in returning it to you if it is found
  • If there is a recall from the manufacturer, we may be able to notify you

How to register your drone

Individuals and businesses can register their drone through the Drone Management Portal.

Registering your drone as a foreign pilot

Foreign pilots or operators can’t register drones. You need an SFOC-RPAS to comply with CARs regulations.

What you need before you start

It only takes 3 minutes to register a drone. To begin, you will need the following information:

  • purchase date (if applicable)
  • make, model, serial number, weight and type of drone
  • Visa, Mastercard, American Express

How to Mark Your Drone

(PDF 443 Kb)

Text description

Know before you go!

How to mark your drone:

Register your drone through the Drone Management Portal

Mark your drone with its registration number.

(Image of a drone and zoom in on its registration number: C-1827459426)

The registration number must be clearly visible on the drone.

You can use:

  • permanent marker
  • permanent label
  • engraving

Canada.ca/drone-safety

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Register your drone