Drone Registration In India

As per the Indian National Aviation Authority, Ministry of Civil Aviation; it is legal to fly a drone in India but a person has to follow certain rules and regulation related to flying of drones in India. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has recently announced an important drone-related law called Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) for drones which came into effect on 1st of December, 2018. Foreigners have no rights to fly drones in India and if they like to use it for some commercial purpose, they would be required to lease the drone to an Indian person so that he would be able to conduct all the formalities.

Applicability of Law

• Except for Nano category drones, all the drones are required to get registered under this law and must be obtained a Unique Identification number (UIN)
• For commercial drone operations, the requirement of a permit for flying is mandatory (it is relaxed in case of Nano Category flying below 50 feet and micro category flying below 200 feet)
• While flying of drones, it is required by at least one pilot to maintain a direct visual line of sight at all time
• The flying of drones is restricted above 400 feet vertically
• Drones are prohibited to fly in areas which are specified as “No Fly Zones” which includes all airports, military installations, all the state secretariats, an international border, strategic locations and Vijay Chowk in Delhi
• In controlled airspace, permission of flying is obtained by filing a flight plan and obtaining a unique Air Defense Clearance number

Applicability Of Registration
The registration is not applicable to those drones which come under Nano Category and weighs less than or equal to 250 grams. They are free to be utilized for flying by the citizens of India.

Procedure of Registration

In order to get your drone registered, certain procedures are to be followed:

• The drone is first registered to the website of Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of India
• Obtain yourself a UIN number which would require an address proof and permission from police and telecom department
• After submission of the above relevant documents, you would receive a UIN which would be required to be marked on a fire-proof plate
• The plate would then be installed on the device after which it is made applicable for flying

In addition to this, certain documents are also required to be submitted for obtaining UIN. These are:

• Contact details of the operators which have valid address and identity proof
• Area of operation and the purpose
• Drone specification which includes, weight, size, and model number, year of manufacture and name of the manufacturer
• Copy of Drone’s flight manual
• Details of maximum weight carrying capacity of drones

After the registration process is completed, the person is required to obtain a permit for DGCA for flying drone above200 feet. For flying the drone below 200 feet, the person is required to get permission from the local administration.

Cost Involved in Registration
Government fee of Rs.1000 is to be submitted for obtaining UIN number. For fresh Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit (UAOP), one has to pay Rs.25000. For renewal of UAOP, one has to pay Rs.10000.

Time Involved in Registration
It depends on the procedure of registration for the drone. Once the procedure of registration is accomplished, the person who is involved in registration gets the permission to fly a drone in India without further delay.