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Drone policy changelog

39 recorded changes · most recent 13 October 2026.

Every dated change we track, across every jurisdiction, newest first. Entries marked proposed or pending are not law and carry no compliance obligation — they are here because a great deal of drone reporting gets that distinction wrong.

  1. In force United States

    FCC equipment-authorisation security rule takes effect — marketplace FCC-ID display still to come

    The FCC's Third Report and Order in ET Docket 21-232 (FCC 26-50) is in force: the Federal Register text states "This final rule is effective October 13, 2026", and no correction, delay or stay has been published. What binds today is the rest of the order — the component-part prohibition on authorising devices containing logic-bearing hardware from a Covered List entity, the requirement that any modification or permissive change by a Covered List entity undergo full certification, and the clarified § 2.803(a)(1) marketing rule, under which listing equipment on an online marketplace counts as "marketing" when combined with consignment, warehousing, inventory management, order processing, labelling, packaging, billing or fulfilment — even for a third-party seller's goods. The FCC-ID display duty is not yet live: § 2.803(c)(1) (marketplaces with physical access to or title over the device) is not required until 1 March 2027 and § 2.803(c)(2) (marketplaces relying on seller certification) not until 1 June 2027. Neither applies to a listing published before today unless it is later amended, updated or republished. Nothing here grounds a drone you already own.

    Source: Federal Register · 91 FR 57798 · published 11 September 2026 · verified 13 October 2026

  2. In force Japan

    Review criteria clarified for observer-less BVLOS routed over a populated area

    MLIT revised its review criteria for Category II flight to spell out what happens when a beyond-visual-line-of-sight route flown without ground observers unavoidably has to cross a densely inhabited district. The criteria still require such a route to be set over places where third parties are unlikely to be present — mountains, sea areas, rivers and lakes, forest, farmland, golf courses or similar — and allow crossing a trunk road or railway, a quiet non-urban road or railway, or a momentary passage over houses only where there is no alternative. The revision adds that where a route must unavoidably be set above a densely inhabited district, sufficient safety measures must be taken to prevent harm to third parties and property. MLIT also updated its safety guidelines and its collection of Level 3.5 flight cases. This changes how an application is assessed, not which flights need permission.

    Source: MLIT · 無人航空機の飛行に関する許可・承認の審査要領（カテゴリーⅡ飛行）, last revised 29 September 2026 (国空無機第86784号), § 5-4(3)c)ア） · published 29 September 2026 · verified 27 October 2026

  3. In force Japan

    First UTM service providers receive MLIT IDs

    MLIT issued its first IDs to UTM service providers — NTT Data and KDDI Smart Drone — letting them connect to DIPS and help operators coordinate overlapping flight plans. The ID criteria were set on 31 March 2026 and are the first step of a staged rollout of unmanned traffic management; real-time tracking and designated managed airspace are later steps. Nothing changes yet for an individual flyer.

    Source: MLIT · published 16 September 2026 · verified 27 October 2026

  4. Pending China

    Beijing adopts citywide ban on flying, owning and storing drones — in force 15 November 2026

    Not law. This has been proposed or is under review. There is no compliance obligation until it is published.

    Beijing's municipal legislature revised the Beijing Regulations on the Management of Unmanned Aircraft. From 15 November 2026 all drone flight in Beijing is prohibited, as are possessing or storing drones or their core components anywhere in the city, bringing them into the city, and selling or renting them to anyone in Beijing. Units with approved special needs (emergency response, major events, teaching and research, manufacturing, agriculture and forestry) are exempt after a police security assessment. Existing drones must be moved out of the city before 15 November. The city offers police-verified individual owners a subsidised buyback (30% of the sale price, up to CNY 3,000 per drone, until 31 October; 15%, up to CNY 1,500, from 1 to 14 November), scrapping (CNY 200, then CNY 100), or free EMS shipping to an address outside Beijing. Unapproved flight carries confiscation and a CNY 1,000–10,000 fine; unlawful possession or storage carries confiscation and a fine of CNY 500–5,000 for individuals or CNY 5,000–50,000 for organisations. This is a municipal rule and applies only in Beijing.

    Source: Beijing Municipal People's Government · Beijing Regulations on the Management of Unmanned Aircraft, revised 11 September 2026, Arts. 3, 4, 6, 8 and 12 · verified 27 October 2026

  5. Superseded United States

    FCC order makes online marketplaces show FCC IDs — rule effective 13 October 2026, display required from 2027

    The FCC's Third Report and Order in its equipment-authorisation security proceeding (FCC 26-50, adopted 22 July 2026) takes effect on 13 October 2026. It applies to radio devices generally, drones included. It confirms that an online marketplace which lists and also warehouses, fulfils or bills for a third-party product is "marketing" it, and it requires marketplaces to show a device's FCC ID at the online point of sale. The display duty has its own later compliance dates — 1 March 2027 for marketplaces that sell their own stock or take possession of or title to the device, 1 June 2027 for marketplaces relying on seller certification — and excludes used devices, listings by sellers below the INFORM Consumers Act high-volume threshold, and listings published before 13 October and not later updated. The order's new ban on devices containing logic-bearing components from Covered List entities does not apply to the country-of-production drone entry unless the producer is itself named on the Covered List.

    Source: Federal Register · 91 FR 57798 · published 11 September 2026 · verified 13 October 2026

  6. In force United States

    Section 232 tariffs take effect — 25% on consumer drones

    Proclamation 11055 imposes a 100% ad valorem duty on UAS over 25 kg, thermal-imaging UAS, docking stations and listed critical components, and 25% on UAS at or below 25 kg — which covers essentially every consumer drone. Reduced caps apply to the EU, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Switzerland and the UK, conditional on certifying that substantially all critical components originate there or in the US. This is the most consumer-visible change of 2026 and it has nothing to do with aviation safety.

    Source: Federal Register · 91 FR 53699 · published 19 August 2026 · verified 13 September 2026

  7. Proposed — not law United States

    FCC proposes ending imports and sales of Anzu Robotics drones already authorised

    Not law. This has been proposed or is under review. There is no compliance obligation until it is published.

    A public notice from the same two FCC bureaus (DA 26-832, PS Docket 26-184) proposes to prohibit the continued importation and marketing of equipment already authorised but covered by the December 2025 Covered List action — naming Anzu Robotics, LLC and its affiliates and partners, and two authorisations in particular (FCC IDs 2BBYS-RAPTOR and 2BBYS-RRC01). The basis is section 1709 of the FY2025 NDAA: equipment produced under a technology-sharing or licensing agreement with a named entity, manufactured abroad. Federal government use, and commercial testing and product development, would be excluded, and equipment already bought could still be operated; importing and marketing would have to stop 30 days after any prohibition is published. Comments closed on 23 September 2026. This is the narrower, company-specific companion to the "military-grade" proposal in PS Docket 26-189.

    Source: Federal Register · 91 FR 54713 · published 24 August 2026 · verified 24 September 2026

  8. Proposed — not law United States

    FCC proposes ending imports and sales of "military-grade" foreign drones already on the market

    Not law. This has been proposed or is under review. There is no compliance obligation until it is published.

    Two FCC bureaus (Public Safety and Homeland Security, and Engineering and Technology) propose to stop the continued importation and marketing of foreign-produced drones and drone components on the Covered List that fall into seven "military-grade" categories, even where the model was authorised before December 2025: aircraft of 55 lb (25 kg) or more at take-off; aircraft able to dispense pesticides ("economic poison"); aircraft with thermal-imaging or LiDAR sensors; docking stations; aircraft designed to incorporate a defence article; and swarming systems, a category the notice says includes aircraft built for multi-drone light shows. Excluded: domestically produced equipment, Blue UAS Cleared List items, domestic end products, Conditional Approvals, sales for federal government use, and commercial testing. Drones already bought could still be used and operated. The proposed cut-off is 180 days after the prohibition, if adopted, is published in the Federal Register. Comments (PS Docket 26-189, DA 26-758) closed 2 September 2026; no decision had appeared in the Federal Register as of 13 October 2026.

    Source: Federal Register · 91 FR 48870 · published 3 August 2026 · verified 13 October 2026

  9. In force European Union

    Occurrence reporting extended to UAS and U-space — Regulation (EU) 2026/1821

    Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1821, adopted 27 July 2026 and published in the Official Journal on 28 July 2026, amends Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1018 and adds a new Annex VI listing the UAS occurrences that must be reported under Regulation (EU) No 376/2014 — air-operations, technical, human-factor and U-space occurrences. Article 2 sets entry into force at the twentieth day after OJ publication, so it binds in all member states. Two limits matter for a leisure flyer: Annex VI applies to the operation of UAS "for which a certificate or declaration for design is required pursuant to Article 56(1) and (5) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139" — not the open category — and the U-space items in point 6 fall on remote pilots and UAS operators only when they are actually operating in U-space airspace. Open-category flying carries no new reporting duty. This is the first binding EU drone-related regulation since the 2024/1107–1110 set; it leaves registration, remote ID, class marks and the open-category limits untouched.

    Source: EASA · (EU) 2026/1821 — ELI http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2026/1821/oj · published 28 July 2026 · verified 13 October 2026

  10. In force Japan

    Drone Act no-fly zones around important facilities widen to about 1,000 m

    The amended Small Unmanned Aircraft Flight Prohibition Act (Act No. 47 of 2026) took effect, widening the surrounding zone (the "yellow zone") in which flight is banned from about 300 m to about 1,000 m around designated facilities. It also added places where designated protected dignitaries are present and international conference venues as new facility types. The Act applies to drones of any weight, including those under 100 g, and it is enforced by the police, separately from MLIT's rules — a DIPS flight plan does not replace the 48-hour police notice.

    Source: National Police Agency · 令和8年法律第47号 · published 24 June 2026 · verified 27 October 2026

  11. Pending United States

    Part 108 BVLOS final rule sent to OIRA — still unpublished

    Not law. This has been proposed or is under review. There is no compliance obligation until it is published.

    The FAA's beyond-visual-line-of-sight final rule entered EO 12866 review on 10 July 2026 and is still listed as Pending Review, with no concluded date — three months in. Nothing has published: a Federal Register search on 13 October 2026 returns no Part 108 rule, and the FAA's own drone pages still offer only the Part 107 routes. There is no effective date and no compliance deadline. Several commercial sites report the rule as finalised; they are wrong. Until it publishes, BVLOS remains available only through a Part 107 waiver, a Part 11 exemption, or the Section 927 process.

    Source: OIRA (reginfo.gov) · RIN 2120-AL82 · published 10 July 2026 · verified 13 October 2026

  12. In force United States

    State and local police gain counter-drone authority

    A joint DHS/DOJ interim final rule, implementing the SAFER SKIES Act of 18 December 2025, extends detect-identify-track-warn authority — and at a higher certified tier, authority to disrupt, disable or destroy — to state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement and correctional agencies. Mitigation requires in-person training at the FBI's National Counter-UAS Training Center, pre-approved equipment, and reporting within 48 hours. In practice: your drone can now lawfully be tracked, and in defined circumstances brought down, by local agencies.

    Source: Federal Register · 91 FR 41466 · published 6 July 2026 · verified 13 September 2026

  13. In force China

    Revised Civil Aviation Law brings drones into the statute

    The comprehensively revised Civil Aviation Law took effect, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress having adopted it on 27 December 2025. It runs to 16 chapters and 262 articles and writes unmanned aircraft into the statute for the first time. Two provisions are drone-specific: anyone engaged in the design, production, import, maintenance or flight of civil unmanned aircraft must apply to the civil aviation authority under the State Council for an airworthiness permit in accordance with state rules, except where those rules dispense with one; and an organisation producing civil unmanned aircraft must assign each aircraft it makes a unique product identification code. Both are framed as statutory backing for rules set elsewhere — the exemptions, thresholds and procedures that decide what an individual flyer must do still come from the Interim Regulations and CCAR-92, which are unchanged. Nothing in the revision alters the registration threshold, the altitude limit or the licence tiers.

    Source: State Council of China (government portal) · Report on the adoption of the revised Civil Aviation Law of the People's Republic of China · published 27 December 2025 · verified 27 October 2026

  14. In force Japan

    Exclusive industrial zones taken out of the populated-area restriction

    An MLIT notice made under Article 236-72 of the Civil Aeronautics Act Enforcement Regulations excludes areas zoned as exclusive industrial districts under the City Planning Act from the "densely inhabited" airspace that needs permission. Flying over such an area inside a DID no longer needs a DID permission; the other rules still apply.

    Source: MLIT · 令和8年国土交通省告示第435号 · published 31 March 2026 · verified 27 October 2026

  15. Proposed — not law United States

    Proposed flight restrictions around critical infrastructure (new Part 74)

    Not law. This has been proposed or is under review. There is no compliance obligation until it is published.

    An FAA notice of proposed rulemaking would create 14 CFR Part 74, letting operators of qualifying fixed-site facilities request Standard or Special UAS Flight Restrictions over their sites. Comments closed 5 August 2026 after an extension. No final rule — nine years after the statutory mandate in Section 2209 of the 2016 FAA Extension Act.

    Source: Federal Register · published 6 May 2026 · verified 13 September 2026

  16. In force China

    Beijing makes the whole city controlled airspace and bans drone sales

    Beijing's first drone regulation, adopted on 27 March 2026, made the entire municipality controlled airspace, so every outdoor flight needs prior approval. It banned selling or renting drones and core components to anyone in Beijing, and bringing them into the city, except by owners of existing drones that had completed real-name registration and a police information check. Existing owners had to register and activate their drones by 30 April 2026 and complete the police check within three months. New storage sites were banned inside the Sixth Ring Road; more than three drones or ten core components at one address counted as a storage site. This is a municipal rule and applies only in Beijing. The 15 November 2026 revision replaces it.

    Source: Xinhua · Xinhua report on the adoption of the Beijing Regulations on the Management of Unmanned Aircraft · published 27 March 2026 · verified 27 October 2026

  17. In force China

    National standard requires registration before a drone can be activated

    A mandatory national standard, Requirements for Real-Name Registration and Activation of Civil Unmanned Aircraft, took effect. It applies to every civil drone flown outdoors in China, including self-built drones and products sold as toys or models whose performance reaches civil-drone level. A drone cannot fly until its owner has registered it and the system has confirmed activation, and it must be deactivated and deregistered when it is sold or scrapped. New drones must comply from 1 May 2026. Drones already sold and in use have a 12-month transition, after which drones that do not meet the requirements may no longer be flown.

    Source: Civil Aviation Administration of China · CAAC explanatory note on the mandatory national standard GB 46761-2025 for real-name registration and activation · published 21 April 2026 · verified 27 October 2026

  18. In force China

    National standard sets the technical requirements for drone identification

    A second mandatory national standard, GB 46750-2025 Specification for civil unmanned aircraft system operational identification, took effect alongside the real-name registration standard. Issued on 31 October 2025 by the market regulator and the standardisation administration, with the CAAC as the competent department, it requires a civil drone to send its identity, position, speed and status throughout a flight, and sets detailed requirements for the sending end, the communication link and the receiving and processing systems. Identification covers two modes — broadcast, read by receivers nearby, and network, sent to a designated system over a network. The CAAC states the reported data contains no personal information such as name, telephone number or address. The standard does not apply to large drones flown only in civil-aviation controlled airspace that already carry the communication, navigation and surveillance capability that airspace requires, nor to aircraft flown only indoors. It is staged: from 1 May 2026 a drone with no operational-identification sending function at all may not operate; until 1 November 2026 a drone that can send broadcast or network identification but does not meet the standard's specified clauses may still operate, and within that period manufacturers must fit a module giving it both modes; aircraft fitted with such a module have 36 months from 1 May 2026 before full compliance is required. Manufacturers must publish a firmware upgrade plan where an aircraft can be upgraded that way and a hardware upgrade plan where it cannot.

    Source: Civil Aviation Administration of China · CAAC explanatory note on the mandatory national standard GB 46750-2025 · published 20 January 2026 · verified 27 October 2026

  19. In force United States

    DETER settlement programme for first-time violators

    The FAA's Drone Expedited and Targeted Enforcement Response gives a first-time violator 10 days to settle for a significantly reduced civil penalty. It is usable once, waives all rights to appeal or judicial review, and excludes TFR violations, weaponised drones, alcohol or drug offences and violations committed in furtherance of another crime.

    Source: Federal Register · 91 FR 20578 · published 17 April 2026 · verified 13 September 2026

  20. Proposed — not law European Union

    Commission action plan proposes a "Drone Security Package"

    Not law. This has been proposed or is under review. There is no compliance obligation until it is published.

    The European Commission presented an Action Plan on Drone and Counter-Drone Security announcing, among other things, a future package to "revamp the existing rules on civilian airborne drones", supply-chain measures and an EU Trusted Drone label. It is an action plan for discussion with member states, not legislation: as of September 2026 it has changed nothing about registration, remote ID, class marks or U-space. The direction of travel is toward tighter identification for security reasons, but nothing you must comply with has changed yet.

    Source: European Commission · COM(2026) 81 final · published 11 February 2026 · verified 13 September 2026

  21. In force Germany

    Flying over DB InfraGO AG railway facilities becomes possible with written consent

    Railway installations are a § 21h(3) no. 5 geographical zone: no flight over them or within 100 m of them without one of the listed conditions. The Federal Ministry of Transport and DB InfraGO AG published requirements for "railway-compatible UAS operation", assessed through a risk analysis by InfraGO's safety management with DB AG's central UAS department. Written consent to overfly DB InfraGO AG railway facilities can now be obtained under NfL 2026-1-3788, and dipul's legal-basis page lists that route alongside the statutory conditions. It is prior approval under published conditions, not an exemption: the same zone, the same 100 m, a new way through it for inspection and survey work.

    Source: dipul (BMV / DB InfraGO AG) · NfL 2026-1-3788 · published 11 February 2026 · verified 13 October 2026

  22. Enforcement United States

    FAA shifts from education-first to mandatory legal enforcement

    The FAA announced it will require legal action where drone operations endanger the public, violate airspace restrictions, or are conducted in furtherance of another crime. It published 18 violations from 2023–2025 with fines from $1,771 to $36,770 — the largest for interfering with wildfire emergency response — and 8 certificate suspensions or revocations in 2025.

    Source: FAA · published 6 February 2026 · verified 13 September 2026

  23. In force China

    Unauthorised drone flight becomes a detainable public-security offence

    The revised Public Security Administration Punishments Law took effect. Article 46 makes it an offence to fly a civil unmanned aircraft or aviation sports equipment, or to release an unmanned free balloon, tethered balloon or similar airborne object, in breach of the law and regulations on flight airspace management: where the case is serious the penalty is 5 to 10 days' administrative detention. Where the flight or release illegally crosses the national or border line the penalty is 10 to 15 days' detention. This is detention imposed by the police, and it sits on top of the fines the Interim Regulations already carry rather than replacing them. The law was revised on 27 June 2025 by the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress and Article 144 sets its commencement at 1 January 2026.

    Source: State Administration for Market Regulation (government information disclosure) · Public Security Administration Punishments Law of the People's Republic of China, Arts. 46 and 144 · published 27 June 2025 · verified 27 October 2026

  24. In force European Union

    Declarations under national standard scenarios cease to be valid

    Article 23(4) of 2019/947 ended the transitional acceptance of operator declarations made under national standard scenarios. Specific-category operators who never migrated to STS-01/STS-02 or to an operational authorisation lost their legal basis on this date.

    Source: EASA · published 30 June 2026 · verified 13 October 2026

  25. In force United States

    FCC adds all foreign-produced drones and critical components to the Covered List

    In a first-of-its-kind blanket action under the Secure Networks Act and Section 1709 of the FY2025 NDAA, the FCC added all foreign-produced UAS and UAS critical components — flight controllers, batteries, motors, communications and navigation systems — to the Covered List. The effect is prospective: covered equipment cannot receive new FCC equipment authorisations, so it cannot lawfully be imported or marketed. It does not ground, confiscate or prohibit drones already owned and authorised. DJI's petition for reconsideration and Autel's application for review are pending with no merits decision.

    Source: Federal Communications Commission · DA 25-1086 · published 22 December 2025 · verified 13 September 2026

  26. In force Japan

    Private drone certifications no longer shorten permission applications

    MLIT's revised review guidelines for Category II flight abolished the practice under which aircraft listed on the MLIT website and skill certificates issued by listed private training bodies let applicants skip parts of a permission application. Only the national aircraft certificate and Remote Pilot Certificate now do that. Permissions that relied on the old listings cannot be copied, amended or renewed; the first application after this date must be a new one.

    Source: MLIT · published 15 December 2025 · verified 27 October 2026

  27. Pending China

    Unique product identification code standard published — in force 1 January 2027

    Not law. This has been proposed or is under review. There is no compliance obligation until it is published.

    A mandatory national standard, GB 46860-2025 Unique product identification code for civil unmanned aircraft, was issued on 2 December 2025 and takes effect on 1 January 2027. The national standards register lists it as not yet in force, with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as the competent department. It is the implementing standard for the requirement in the revised Civil Aviation Law that a producer of civil unmanned aircraft assign each aircraft it makes a unique product identification code. The obligation falls on manufacturers, not on flyers, and we have not verified what it will mean for aircraft already in use.

    Source: State Administration for Market Regulation / Standardization Administration of China · GB 46860-2025, national standards register entry · published 2 December 2025 · verified 27 October 2026

  28. In force Japan

    Third-party liability insurance required for permitted flights of 25 kg or more

    For permission or approval applications made from this date, aircraft with a total weight of 25 kg or more must be covered by third-party liability insurance, and the application must state it. For lighter aircraft insurance remains a recommendation in MLIT's safety guidelines, not a requirement.

    Source: MLIT · published 10 September 2025 · verified 27 October 2026

  29. In force European Union

    SORA 2.5 adopted as the accepted means of compliance

    ED Decision 2025/018/R brought the JARUS SORA 2.5 package into the AMC and guidance material for 2019/947, with a revised quantitative ground-risk table, containment treated as a distinct function, and 17 consolidated operational safety objectives. Note its legal character: this is an accepted means of compliance, not a regulation. Even so, each member state set its own SORA 2.0 acceptance window — one methodology, one regional regulator, 27 different transition calendars.

    Source: EASA · ED Decision 2025/018/R · published 29 September 2025 · verified 13 October 2026

  30. Superseded United States

    Part 108 BVLOS proposed rule published

    A joint FAA/TSA notice of proposed rulemaking to normalise beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations, with a permit-and-certificate structure, a 1,320 lb weight ceiling, mandatory detect-and-avoid, and a new Part 146 for automated data service providers. Comments closed 6 October 2025 and reopened briefly in early 2026.

    Source: Federal Register · 90 FR 38212 · published 7 August 2025 · verified 13 September 2026

  31. In force European Union

    Latest binding amendments to 2019/947 and 2019/945 become applicable

    Regulations (EU) 2024/1110 and 2024/1108 took effect, revising definitions, the authorisation of specific-category operations, remote pilot responsibilities under the standard scenarios, and which UAS must be certified. These remain the most recent binding amendments to the drone regulations themselves: EASA's regulations index still lists the 2024/1107–1110 set as the latest, and everything since has been soft law or, in the case of (EU) 2026/1821, a change to a neighbouring regulation.

    Source: EUR-Lex · (EU) 2024/1110 · published 10 April 2024 · verified 13 October 2026

  32. In force United States

    Remote ID becomes fully enforceable

    The FAA's enforcement discretion, granted because of broadcast-module supply shortages, expired. Every registered drone must now broadcast Remote ID — as a standard Remote ID aircraft, with a broadcast module, or by flying inside an FAA-Recognized Identification Area.

    Source: Federal Register · published 15 September 2023 · verified 13 September 2026

  33. In force China

    CAAC operating rules for civil drones (CCAR-92) take effect

    The CAAC's Rules on the Operational Safety Management of Civil Unmanned Aircraft (CCAR-92) took effect on publication. They require every civil drone flying in China to be registered in its owner's real name on the CAAC's national platform. They require manufacturers to build drones that can only be activated after registration. They also set out the operator licence system, including the BVLOS rating.

    Source: Civil Aviation Administration of China · Ministry of Transport Order No. 1 of 2024 (CCAR-92) · published 1 January 2024 · verified 27 October 2026

  34. In force China

    Interim Regulations on the Flight Management of Unmanned Aircraft take effect

    The first national regulations on drone flight, issued by the State Council and the Central Military Commission, took effect. They sort drones into micro, light, small, medium and large classes, with micro meaning under 0.25 kg empty weight, at most 50 m high and at most 40 km/h. They require real-name registration and set operator licences for small and larger drones. They define controlled airspace, including everything above 120 m, which needs approval requested by 12:00 the day before, and let micro, light and small drones fly without applying outside it. They also require drones to report and broadcast identification data.

    Source: Civil Aviation Administration of China · State Council and Central Military Commission Decree No. 761, signed 31 May 2023 · published 28 June 2023 · verified 27 October 2026

  35. In force European Union

    The transitional regime expires — legacy drones lose the A2 route

    Article 22's transitional scheme ended. The widely used "under 2 kg at 50 m from people" route is gone and has not returned. What survived is Article 20: a non-class-marked drone placed on the market before this date may still be flown indefinitely — in A1 if under 250 g, and in A3 (150 m from built-up areas) if between 250 g and 25 kg. There is no legacy route into A2 at all, because A2 requires a C2 class mark. That, not a ban, is what owners actually lost.

    Source: EASA · published 4 April 2022 · verified 13 October 2026

  36. In force Japan

    National pilot licence, aircraft certification and Level 4 flight begin

    The 2021 amendment to the Civil Aeronautics Act brought in the Class 1 and Class 2 Remote Pilot Certificates, type and aircraft certification, and new operating rules. Together they made Level 4 flight (Category III) possible: beyond visual line of sight, without observers, over populated areas where third parties are present. Level 4 needs a Class 1 pilot, a Type 1 certified aircraft and MLIT permission.

    Source: MLIT · published 5 December 2022 · verified 27 October 2026

  37. In force Japan

    Registration and Remote ID become mandatory from 100 g

    Every drone or model aircraft of 100 g or more flown outdoors must now be registered, display its registration ID and carry a Remote ID function; unregistered aircraft may not fly. Aircraft registered during the pre-registration period from 20 December 2021 were exempted from Remote ID.

    Source: MLIT · verified 27 October 2026

  38. In force Germany

    § 21h LuftVO establishes Germany's geographical zones

    Germany implemented the EU framework's Article 15 discretion through § 21h of the Luftverkehrs-Ordnung, and the federal government launched dipul.de as the official information platform and map, operated with DFS.

    Source: dipul (DFS / BMDV) · § 21h LuftVO · verified 13 October 2026

  39. In force United States

    Remote ID and Operations Over People rules take effect

    14 CFR Part 89 (Remote Identification) and the Operations Over People rule became effective. The latter created the four over-people categories and permitted night operations without a waiver, provided the pilot has completed the updated training and the aircraft carries anti-collision lighting visible for 3 statute miles.

    Source: Federal Register · 86 FR 4390 · published 15 January 2021 · verified 13 September 2026