How to Legally Register and Use Your Drone in China

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Are you a drone enthusiast looking to bring your talents to China? If you live in Beijing and own a drone, you probably already know that restrictions on recreational flying are very tight. But how tight, exactly? We've compiled this comprehensive guide to everything you need to know to legally register and use your drone. Happy flying!

What rules do I have to follow when flying my drone?

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) regulates drone usage in China and has established guidelines on everything from appropriate registration practices to rules for usage. Here are the important rules to keep in mind:

• Weight requirements: Any drone that weighs more than 250 grams (0.55 pounds) must be registered, as do any used for commercial operations. Any drone weighing more than 7kg (~15lbs) requires a license from the CAAC. As the average drone weighs more than 250 grams, this essentially means that all drone users must register their devices.

• Maximum distance: Chinese regulations include a "Visual Line of Sight" (VLOS) rule, meaning that you should not fly your drone anywhere where you can’t see it. Given improving technology and drone capability, it can be easy to fly your device out of your line of vision. Avoid violating this rule or risk angering Chinese authorities.

• Maximum height: Maximum Altitude: 120m (~400ft); anything higher requires a commercial license from the CAAC. Most drones, including those from the popular DJI brand, automatically set the 120m max altitude and will warn you if you try to manually adjust the max altitude settings.

• No-fly zones: China restricts drone usage in several key areas. These include no flying in: densely populated areas, near airports, military installations, or sensitive areas (including police checkpoints). Some drone brands (DJI, for example) are pre-programmed to not take off when flying in these areas. For other drone brands, refer to the NFZ map at www.dji.com/flysafe/geo-map as a resource to avoid unintentionally violated no-fly zone rules. You may obtain permission to fly in these areas through applying with the CAAC.

As you can see, Beijing's no drone zone is vast and all-encompassing.

How do I register my drone?

In order to register your drone and its intended usage, you need to provide the CAAC with the following information:

• Owner’s name

• Valid personal ID number (such as ID or passport number)

• Mobile phone and email address

• Product model number

• Serial Number

• Purpose of use

Using the CAAC website will require some degree of skill with Mandarin as well as a Chinese phone number. Register as a user at uas.caac.gov.cn/login. 

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What happens if I break drone rules?

Chinese regulations about drone usage are becoming increasingly strict, and if you break the rules you can face penalties ranging from a slap on the risk to jail time. Yes, really, jail time. In 2015, a staff member from Beijing UAV Sci-Tech Co was sentenced to 18 months in prison after a company drone disrupted commercial flights. As standard penalties for violations are still developing, you are advised to play it safe if you want to keep flying high.

Images: Unsplash, DJI

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