- Remote ID
- Regulation
- Basics
What is Remote ID?
Since 2024, almost every drone in Europe broadcasts its identity and position. What exactly is in that signal, who may receive it and what can you do with it?
Published on · 7 min read
Anyone who saw a drone hovering above a festival in 2023 could do little more than point at the sky. Who the pilot was, where they stood and whether the drone was registered remained guesswork. That changed on 1 January 2024. From that date, almost all drones in Europe must broadcast an identification signal during flight: Remote ID.
A licence plate that broadcasts itself
Remote ID is often compared to a licence plate, but it goes further. You can only read a plate when you are close. A Remote ID signal is broadcast by the drone itself, several times per second, over Bluetooth or WiFi. Anyone with a suitable receiver can pick it up, at hundreds of metres or, with a good antenna at height, at kilometres of distance.
The European standard that defines the content of the signal is EN 4709-002 by ASD-STAN. It is aligned with the American standard ASTM F3411, so a receiver can understand both. The message contains at least:
- The drone's serial number, in the ANSI/CTA-2063-A format
- The operator's registration number, issued in the Netherlands by the RDW
- The drone's position: latitude, longitude and altitude
- Heading and ground speed
- The pilot's position, or the take-off point if that is unavailable
- A timestamp and any emergency status
Which drones does the requirement apply to?
The rules are set out in two European regulations. Regulation 2019/945 describes the product requirements and introduces classes C0 to C6. Regulation 2019/947 describes the rules for flying. Together they come down to the following:
| Situation | Remote ID required? |
|---|---|
| Class C0 (lighter than 250 grams) | No |
| Class C1, C2 and C3 (open category) | Yes, built in by the manufacturer |
| Class C5 and C6 (specific category) | Yes, built in by the manufacturer |
| Drone without class marking in the open category | No, but only in subcategory A1 (under 250 grams) or A3 (far from people) |
| Any flight in the specific category | Yes, built in or through an add-on module |
In practice this means that almost every drone you encounter above an event, a city centre or a business site is broadcasting. The exceptions are toys under 250 grams without a camera and older drones that are only allowed to fly far from people. Anyone flying those above a crowd is already breaking another rule.
Direct and Network Remote ID
The standard has two forms. Direct Remote ID is the radio signal the drone broadcasts itself and that is received locally. Network Remote ID sends the same data over the mobile network to a central service, for example in U-space airspace. In Europe, Direct Remote ID is the mandatory baseline. Network Remote ID is added in designated airspace.
For on-site detection, Direct Remote ID is the relevant signal. It works without internet, without any intermediary service and without the pilot having to do anything. As long as the drone flies, it broadcasts.
Who may receive the signal?
Anyone. That is the legislator’s intention. The signal is deliberately public so that bystanders, security staff and enforcement officers can see who is flying. A smartphone with a free app can receive it, although the range is then limited to a few dozen metres.
What you do with the data does fall under privacy law. The operator's registration number is traceable to a person and is therefore personal data. An organisation that stores observations does so on the basis of a legitimate interest, such as visitor safety, and keeps them no longer than necessary. You can read more about this on our regulation page.
What changes for you?
For an organiser, security provider or site manager, Remote ID is above all a new tool. Until 2024, a drone ban in the permit was difficult to enforce. Now you can see whether anyone is flying, who it is and where that person stands. That turns a ban on paper into a ban you can act on.
The precondition is a receiver that listens to all the transports the standard allows. There are four: Bluetooth 4, Bluetooth 5 Long Range, WiFi Beacon and WiFi NaN. A manufacturer chooses one or more. A receiver that only listens on one transport therefore misses part of the drones. How those transports differ is explained in the article on Bluetooth and WiFi.