Drone Registration & Licensing in India — UIN, Remote Pilot Certificate & Type Certificate
Quick answer: Every drone above 250 g must be registered on DGCA's Digital Sky platform for a Unique Identification Number (Form D-2, ₹100 via Bharatkosh). Nano drones need nothing; micro drones (250 g–2 kg) need a UIN and a Remote Pilot Certificate only for commercial use; small drones (2–25 kg) and above need UIN, an RPC from a DGCA-authorised RPTO (₹100, valid 10 years) and a type-certified model. We handle the UIN, pilot certification route and type-certificate questions for survey, agriculture, logistics and media operators in Delhi-NCR and Bihar.
Last verified 4 October 2026 — rules on this page checked against the current notifications. We update it the day a rule changes.
What you need, by drone category (Drone Rules, 2021)
| Category | All-up weight | UIN (Form D-2, ₹100) | Remote Pilot Certificate | Type certificate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nano | ≤ 250 g | No | No | No |
| Micro | 250 g – 2 kg | Yes | Commercial use only | No (exempt) |
| Small | 2 – 25 kg | Yes | Yes | Yes (Form D-1, QCI scheme) |
| Medium | 25 – 150 kg | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Large | 150 – 500 kg | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The three approvals
- UIN — Form D-2 on Digital Sky with the drone's serial number and (for non-nano) the manufacturer's type certificate; fee ₹100 per drone through Bharatkosh; UIN displayed on the airframe
- Remote Pilot Certificate — since the February 2022 amendment the DGCA licence was replaced by an RPC issued through DGCA-authorised Remote Pilot Training Organisations; ₹100 issuance fee, valid 10 years, generated on Digital Sky after the RPTO uploads results (training itself is paid to the RPTO)
- Type certificate — Form D-1, model-level certification under the QCI-run scheme; not required for nano and model (R&D) drones; Digital Sky links your UIN to the manufacturer's TC, so an uncertified model cannot be registered
What we do
- UIN registration and fleet onboarding for survey, agriculture (CIB&RC spraying SOPs), logistics and media operators; owner/entity and insurance documentation
- RPC route selection — RPTO enrolment, category/type rating — for pilots on your rolls
- Type-certificate due diligence before you buy; import-side approvals for wireless modules (WPC ETA) where applicable
- Entity and tender side: incorporation, DPIIT recognition, GeM for government drone-service bids
Talk to us before you file anything
Frequently asked questions
What is the fee for drone registration in India?
₹100 per drone for the Unique Identification Number on Digital Sky (Form D-2), paid through Bharatkosh; the Remote Pilot Certificate issuance fee is also ₹100.
Do I need to register a drone under 250 grams?
No — nano drones are exempt from UIN and from pilot certification, subject to the height and zone limits.
Do I need a Remote Pilot Certificate for a micro drone?
Only for commercial operations; recreational flying of a 250 g–2 kg drone needs a UIN but no RPC. Small drones (above 2 kg) always need one.
How is the Remote Pilot Certificate obtained?
Through a DGCA-authorised Remote Pilot Training Organisation — training and assessment at the RPTO, then the certificate is issued on Digital Sky (₹100), valid 10 years.
What is a drone type certificate?
A DGCA certification of the drone model under the QCI scheme (Form D-1); required for all categories above nano and for commercially sold drones — your UIN application is linked to it.
Can I fly a drone in Delhi?
Only where Digital Sky's map shows a green or (with ATC permission) yellow zone; central Delhi, airport approaches and sensitive sites are red. Check the live map before every flight.
Are the rules changing?
A draft Civil Drone (Promotion and Regulation) Bill was released for consultation in September 2025; the Drone Rules 2021 (as amended in 2022) remain the operative law until it is enacted.
What do agriculture spraying drones need?
A type-certified drone with a UIN, a pilot holding an RPC from an RPTO, and compliance with CIB&RC spraying SOPs; subsidy schemes layer on top of these.