Source: Civil Aviation Administration of China
On May 1, 2026, the mandatory national standard “Requirements for Real-Name Registration and Activation of Civil Unmanned Aircraft,” issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, will officially take effect. To help relevant organizations and individuals better understand the content of the standard and ensure its effective implementation, the following interpretation is provided:
I. Background of the Policy
On January 1, 2024, the *Interim Regulations on the Management of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operations* (State Decree No. 761, hereinafter referred to as the “Regulations”) and the *Rules for the Safety Management of Civil Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operations* (CCAR-92, hereinafter referred to as the “Rules”) officially took effect, marking a new phase in the standardized management of civil unmanned aerial vehicles (drones). Pursuant to Article 8 of the Regulations, “Activities involving the design, production, and use of civil unmanned aircraft systems shall comply with relevant national provisions on real-name registration and activation, flight area restrictions, emergency response, cybersecurity,” as well as Rule 92.203, Other Requirements (a), which states that “manufacturers of civil unmanned aircraft shall ensure that the unmanned aircraft they produce are equipped with a function that allows activation and use only after real-name registration,” civil unmanned aircraft must be capable of real-name registration and activation.
The real-name registration system for civil unmanned aircraft is a critical component of the industry’s regulatory framework. It not only concerns the safety and healthy development of the civil unmanned aircraft industry but also serves as the foundation for ensuring the lawful and compliant operation of civil unmanned aircraft. To achieve comprehensive and accurate management of civil unmanned aircraft, data collection efforts must cover all manufacturers of civil unmanned aircraft to ensure the completeness and accuracy of real-name registration.
Therefore, there is an urgent need to formulate the “Requirements for Real-Name Registration and Activation of Civil Unmanned Aircraft” (hereinafter referred to as the “Requirements”), which sets forth the requirements and procedures for the real-name registration and activation of civil unmanned aircraft, standardizes the process by which manufacturers develop information systems capable of supporting real-name registration and activation, and to guide owners of civil unmanned aircraft in completing real-name registration more conveniently.
II. Scope of Application
The *Requirements* establish the overall process for real-name registration and activation of civil unmanned aircraft, specify the technical requirements for real-name registration and activation, and describe the corresponding test methods.
These “Requirements” apply to the management of real-name registration and activation for civil unmanned aircraft engaged in flight or related activities within China (including products manufactured, sold, and used as toy model aircraft but whose actual functions and technical specifications meet the standards for civil unmanned aircraft).
This document does not apply to flying toys and model aircraft with their own power systems, nor does it apply to the real-name registration and activation management of unmanned aircraft operated by police, customs, and emergency management departments.
III. Main Content
The *Requirements* are mandatory national standards established to regulate the management of civil unmanned aircraft and to implement primary responsibility for safety. Their core objective is to establish a unified, traceable real-name registration management system to ensure that responsibility for every civil unmanned aircraft flying within China can be assigned to a specific individual. This standard applies to all civil unmanned aircraft operating within the territory of China, with the exception of flying toys and model aircraft that meet specific technical criteria, as well as aircraft used by police, customs, and emergency management departments.
The “Requirements” establish two parallel technical processes for real-name registration and activation (Method 1 and Method 2). Method 1 involves routing through the “Manufacturer Information System” and is suitable for manufacturers that need to centrally manage civil unmanned aircraft; Method 2 involves direct interaction between the “Civil Unmanned Aircraft System” and the real-name registration system, and is suitable for self-built civil unmanned aircraft or systems with direct control capabilities. Both methods require owners to complete real-name registration prior to flight and to activate the civil unmanned aircraft—thereby granting it flight capability—only after verification through system interaction. Correspondingly, the standard also stipulates that when a civil unmanned aircraft is resold or scrapped, the deactivation and deregistration processes must be initiated to ensure a timely transition in the chain of responsibility and closed-loop management.
The “Requirements” set forth clear specifications for the three major systems involved: the “Real-Name Registration System” must have the capability to handle registration, inquiries, deregistration, and data interface management; the “Manufacturer System” must have activation management and log auditing functions; the “Civil Unmanned Aircraft System” must fulfill explicit disclosure obligations and, in its product design, ensure that activation/deactivation functions are easily accessible and operate in a closed-loop system (i.e., the aircraft cannot fly if it is unregistered or has been deregistered), and that existing civil unmanned aircraft can be made compliant through firmware updates. In addition, the regulations specify the protocols for data exchange between systems, performance requirements (such as response time), and security encryption requirements.
To verify compliance, this standard provides test methods covering test procedures and criteria for verifying notification content, registration and activation functions, deactivation functions, and information exchange performance. Finally, the standard establishes a phased transition period: newly manufactured civil unmanned aircraft must meet the requirements as of May 1, 2026, the effective date of this standard; for existing civil unmanned aircraft that have already been sold and are in use, a 12-month transition period is provided, with compliance required starting from the 13th month following the effective date, ultimately achieving comprehensive regulatory management of all civil unmanned aircraft in use.
IV. Interpretation of Key Content
(1) Scope of Application
The key criterion for determining whether the *Requirements* apply is the physical airspace in which the flight activity takes place. All civil unmanned aircraft engaged in flight activities outdoors—regardless of their purpose (e.g., testing, recreation, operations), origin (e.g., self-built, purchased), or ownership status—must comply with all requirements of this standard regarding real-name registration and activation; Civil unmanned aircraft used solely for testing during the research, development, and production processes in a completely physically isolated, purely indoor environment are exempt from the relevant requirements of this standard.
The “Requirements” apply equally to all eligible civil unmanned aircraft, without distinction based on their source of manufacture or method of acquisition. Whether they are mass-produced, branded civil unmanned aircraft or homemade civil unmanned aircraft assembled, modified, or built by individuals, as long as their actual performance exceeds the exemption threshold, they are equally obligated to comply with the real-name registration and activation requirements, thereby preventing regulatory blind spots or privileges arising from differences in the origin of civil unmanned aircraft.
(2) Entry into Force and Implementation
To implement the requirement for low-altitude airspace development that “effective regulation enables greater freedom” and to ensure flight safety and public safety, this standard will officially take effect on May 1, 2026. Newly manufactured civil unmanned aircraft must comply with all requirements effective from the date of this standard’s official implementation. For civil unmanned aircraft that have already been sold—specifically those sold prior to the standard’s implementation and currently in use—a 12-month transition period is established, beginning on the date of implementation. This arrangement provides manufacturers with sufficient time to upgrade civil unmanned aircraft and retrofit their systems. After the transition period ends, any civil unmanned aircraft that does not meet the real-name registration and activation requirements will not be permitted to continue operation.
(3) How to Interact with the UOM Platform
To enable interaction between the manufacturer’s system/civil drone system and the real-name registration system, manufacturers shall interface their manufacturer’s system/civil drone system with the UOM platform; the results of this interface shall comply with the technical requirements in Appendix A. The specific steps are as follows:
1. Log in to the UOM platform
New producers must first register and log in to the UOM platform; producers with existing accounts can log in directly.
2. Create or select a model
After logging in, the producer creates a new model or selects an existing one to prepare for the integration work in accordance with the requirements of Appendix A of this standard.
3. Conduct Interface Integration
In accordance with the requirements of Appendix A in Section 6.4 of this standard, complete the integration of the real-name status verification interface, the activation status reporting interface, and the deregistration interface.
V. Significance of Implementation
The implementation of this standard is a key measure for establishing a solid foundation for the safety regulation of civil unmanned aircraft and holds far-reaching significance. At its core, this standard employs mandatory, standardized technical measures to ensure the effective implementation of “real-name registration and activation” requirements, establishing a traceability management system that covers the entire lifecycle of these aircraft. To a certain extent, this curbs the phenomenon of “unauthorized flights” and provides fundamental safeguards for public safety, airspace order, and individual rights.
At the operational level, this standard, for the first time, unifies the data exchange protocols, performance metrics, and security requirements among operator systems, civil unmanned aircraft systems, and real-name registration systems, thereby completely bridging the “last mile” of interoperability between these systems, ensuring that processes such as registration, activation, and deregistration can be completed automatically, reliably, and securely, thereby providing the technical feasibility for large-scale, highly efficient regulation.
At the same time, by clearly defining its scope of application and exemption conditions, and establishing a 12-month transition period for existing civilian unmanned aircraft, this standard demonstrates a regulatory approach characterized by targeted measures and a balanced, prudent approach. It not only upholds safety standards but also provides the market with sufficient time to adjust, effectively balancing safety management with industrial development.
This nationwide, unified regulatory framework—with clearly defined responsibilities and a closed-loop technical system—will significantly enhance industry transparency and compliance levels, directing resources toward manufacturers that prioritize safety and quality. This will optimize the market environment and steer the civil unmanned aircraft industry toward a path of safer, more standardized, and sustainable high-quality development.
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