FAA Tells Drone Owners to Skip Registration Firms

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta (L) accompanied by Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx (C), and Airline Pilots Association President Tim Canoll (R) answers questions at a news conference at the Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 19, 2015, where the creation of a task force to develop recommendations for a registration process for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) was announced. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

WASHINGTON—The government says requirements to register drones will be simple enough that owners don’t need to pay a “drone registration” firm to do it for them.

Some websites are advertising that they will register a drone for a $25 fee.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans to require that most owners register their drones so that they can be identified if they crash or are caught flying someplace they shouldn’t be.

A government task force that includes drone and aviation industry representatives is expected to release plans later this week on how people can register their drones.

The FAA said in a statement on Monday that drone owners should “think twice” before using a registration firm since the process will be no more difficult than registering any other product.