Starting January 02 of 2020, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAV) mandates a mandatory registration of all drones above 250 grams before flying in Singapore.
It’s just sickening and plain stupid as to why few people still fly within 5 km of any airport and near military airbases. That is a basic rule and it gives a very bad name to the drone community. Whenever people ignore a no-fly zone, they raise the possibility of having the authorities to tighten and add more regulations.
Last June 2019, there was a drone sighting at Changi Airport causing an emergency shutdown of one runway. To ensure safety, one runway was suspended for a period of time causing flight delays and rerouting of plane arrival. The same incident occurred in London last December 2018, Gatwick Airport was affected for three days causing massive delays and cancellations. Passengers are the victims here and I definitely know the feeling of being stuck and waiting for eternity inside the plane or at the boarding gate.
In response to these incidents, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has ordered mandatory registration of all drones 250 grams above starting January 2, 2020. This includes residents and tourists planning to fly drones in Singapore. Once registered, a sticker with a unique registration number will be affixed in unmanned aircraft.
In my case, I already registered mine and the process took me half-day to complete and registered it online. It’s really fast and easy.
HOW TO REGISTER:
- Must be 16 years old and above.
- Only for drones with a total weight of 250 grams above.
- Purchasing Limit: Maximum of 5 label/unit for Singaporean/PR & 1 for Non-Singaporeans/PR and Tourist.
The UA registration is a two-step process comprising:
STEP 1: Purchase of a registration label/ Sticky label;
STEP 2: Completion of the online registration via the UA Portal.
A registration fee of $15 SGD will be collected at the point of purchase of each registration label/sticker.
STEP 1: Purchase of Registration label
Modes of Purchase:
a. Online. Click Here.
- Requirements: A digital copy of NRIC/FIN/Passport
b. Over-the-counter: Claim at the designated SingPost post offices the Registration Form: Click Here.
- Requirements: Original and photocopy of NRIC/FIN/Passport
STEP 2: Online registration of UA/ Drone
Upon receiving the registration label, affix it on the UA before completing the registration online.
Note: Image source from CAAS (Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore)
Please ensure that you have the following:
- A valid UA Registration Label
- Registration ID and Verification ID(found within the UA Registration Label and Packaging)
- Your Personal Details
- Details of the UA (Brand, Model, Serial No, Flight Controller No, Weight, and Frequency)
- A digital photo of the UA with the affixed label
Complete the registration online
Once the registration label is affixed on the UA, complete the registration via the UA Portal. The registrant will need to login via the following accounts:
- SingPass Account – when registering as an individual;
- CorpPass Account – when registering on behalf of an organization;
- UAPass Account – for a person without a valid SingPass/CorpPass account (e.g. tourists)
Note: The completion of a UAPass account will take 3 to 5 working days to be approved, visitors are advised to complete their UAPass account creation prior to their visit to Singapore.
WARNING
From 2 April 2020, it will be an offense to operate an unregistered UA/drone with a total weight of above 250 grams in Singapore.
Offenders could be fined up 10,000 SGD (7,300 USD) or jailed up to 6 months, or both.
For comments and questions regarding the UA Registration, feel free to ask/comment. Thanks!
Helpful Links:
Permitted Flying Areas and No-Fly Zones. Click Here
Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. Click Here.
