United States · Country guide
A US drone license costs $175. The training is optional.
The FAA does not require you to take a course. It requires you to pass a test. Every drone school in America sells preparation for that test — useful preparation, in most cases — but none of it is mandatory, and the FAA has never said it is.
New to this? There is no document called a "drone license" in the United States. There are two separate routes — a free test for people flying for fun, and a certificate called a Remote Pilot Certificate for everyone else. The FAA calls the second one Part 107, after the regulation that created it, and that is the phrase you will need to search for.
The short answer
Flying for fun
Take TRUST — a free online test you cannot fail, because it re-teaches you anything you get wrong. Register your drone for $5 if it weighs 250 g or more. That is the whole legal requirement. No course, no certificate, no renewal fee.
Flying for money
You need a Remote Pilot Certificate under Part 107. Pass the Unmanned Aircraft General test at a testing center, roughly $175, then apply through the FAA's IACRA system and clear a TSA background check. No training requirement of any kind.
Visiting from another country
Your qualification does not travel. The FAA recognizes no foreign remote pilot certificate, so a UK GVC, an EASA A2 or anything else counts for nothing. What you can do instead →
Who runs it and what it's called
- Regulator
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
- Official guidance
- faa.gov/uas ↗
- Framework
- 14 CFR Part 107 for certificated pilots; the recreational exception at 49 U.S.C. § 44809 for flying purely for fun
- Qualification names
- Remote Pilot Certificate with small UAS rating (Part 107) · TRUST completion certificate (recreational)
- Knowledge test
- Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG)
- Testing vendor
- PSI Services LLC, the FAA's appointed testing vendor
- Drone registration
- Required at 250 g (0.55 lb) and above · $5 · valid three years
- Remote ID
- Registered drones must broadcast Remote ID, with limited exceptions, since September 2023
- Minimum age
- 16 for a Remote Pilot Certificate. No age requirement is published for TRUST
- Language
- You must be able to read, speak, write and understand English
- Background check
- TSA security threat assessment, for every applicant regardless of nationality
The two routes, cheapest first
| Qualification | Official fee | What it lets you do | Training mandatory? | Valid for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TRUST | Free | Fly recreationally only. No paid work, no work for your own business, not even unpaid work that benefits a business | No | No stated expiry. Lose the certificate and you retake the test |
| Remote Pilot Certificate | ~$175 | Everything TRUST allows, plus commercial work, and the ability to apply for waivers. The fee is charged by the testing center, not the FAA. | No | No stated expiry. Recurrent training every 24 calendar months to stay current |
The FAA's own FAQ names only the testing center's charge of roughly $175 — it lists no fee for issuing the certificate itself. Read from the FAA on September 9, 2026.
The bit most course pages leave out. Recurrent training is free. When your 24 months are up you take an online FAA course (ALC-677, or ALC-515 if you also hold a Part 61 pilot certificate) at no cost. There is no re-test fee and nothing to buy. If a school is selling you a "Part 107 renewal", it is selling preparation for something that is already free and already online.
What it really costs
Two people can hold the identical certificate having paid $180 and $479. The difference is entirely optional exam preparation. That is not an argument against buying a course — the test has a real failure rate and a resit is another $175 — but it should be a decision you make knowingly.
| Item | Cost | Paid to | Compulsory? |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAG knowledge test | ~$175 | Testing center (PSI) | Yes |
| Certificate issue | No listed fee | FAA | Yes |
| TSA background check | No listed fee | TSA | Yes |
| Drone registration | $5 per drone | FAA | At 250 g and above |
| Exam prep course | $159–$299 | Private school | No |
| Recurrent training | Free | FAA online course | Every 24 months |
| Exam resit | ~$175 | Testing center | Only if you fail |
| Cheapest legal route | $180 | — | |
| Typical route with a course | $339–$479 | — |
What the optional courses cost
Unlike the UK — where the CAA approves training providers and a GVC can only come through one — the FAA approves nobody to teach Part 107. Anyone may sell a course. There is no register to check them against, so the only meaningful comparison is price and what you get for it.
| Course | Price | List price | Included | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot Institute | $159 | $249 | 15 hours of video, 20 quizzes, 300+ practice questions, lifetime access | Visit ↗ |
| Drone Pilot Ground School | $159 | $299 | 80+ lessons, 400+ practice questions, weekly live sessions, lifetime access | Visit ↗ |
| Remote Pilot 101 | $179 | $179 | 10 lessons, final exam, help submitting the certificate application | Visit ↗ |
| Drone Launch Academy | $199 | $199 | Video lectures, 300+ questions, five practice tests, 75-page study guide | Visit ↗ |
Two of these prices were promotional on the day we checked and the list price is shown alongside. Promotions on drone training run more or less permanently, so treat the list price as the fiction and the sale price as the price. No link on this page is paid or affiliate, and no seller can buy a position in this table.
Already qualified somewhere else?
This is the shortest section on the page, because the answer is the same for everyone. The FAA states plainly that it does not currently recognize any foreign remote pilot certificate or equivalent. There is no conversion route, no credit for prior learning, and no reciprocity agreement with the UK, the EU or anywhere else.
| You hold | Recognized? | What you have to do |
|---|---|---|
| UK GVC or A2 CofC | No | Sit the UAG test and obtain a US Remote Pilot Certificate, or fly under the direct supervision of someone who holds one |
| EASA A2 or STS | No | As above |
| Any other national certificate | No | As above |
| A US Part 61 pilot certificate | Partly | Take the free online course ALC-451 instead of the paid knowledge test |
Two more things if you are visiting. A foreign-registered drone with Remote ID needs a Notice of Identification filed with the FAA before you fly. And commercial operations by foreign nationals need economic authority from the US Department of Transportation — a foreign aircraft permit, applied for at least 15 days before you start. That is two weeks of lead time most visitors discover far too late.
Where every figure on this page came from
Drone rules change without much warning and this page is about a country we do not live in, so every claim above is tied to a primary source and a date. Anything we have not confirmed says so rather than being quietly rounded up into the rest.
| Claim | Value | Primary source | Checked | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge test fee | ~$175 | FAA FAQ, cost of a remote pilot certificate | 9 Sep 2026 | Verified |
| Minimum age 16 | 16 | 14 CFR § 107.61 | 9 Sep 2026 | Verified |
| No training requirement | None | FAA, Become a Certificated Remote Pilot | 9 Sep 2026 | Verified |
| Recurrency every 24 months, free | 24 months | 14 CFR § 107.65 and FAA courses ALC-677 / ALC-515 | 9 Sep 2026 | Verified |
| Registration $5, three years, 250 g threshold | $5 / 3 yr | FAA, Register your drone | 9 Sep 2026 | Verified |
| TRUST is free and legally required for recreational flyers | Free | FAA, Recreational Flyers | 9 Sep 2026 | Verified |
| No foreign certificate recognized | None | FAA, Information for International UAS Operators | 9 Sep 2026 | Verified |
| PSI is the FAA testing vendor; TSA check for all nationalities | PSI / TSA | FAA AIP, ENR 8.5 | 9 Sep 2026 | Verified |
| Course prices | $159–$299 | Each seller's own pricing page, linked in the table above | 9 Sep 2026 | Verified |
| Certificate issue fee | No listed fee | FAA lists only the testing center charge; we found no published issuance fee, which is not the same as confirming there is none | 9 Sep 2026 | Absence of evidence |
| Exam length, time limit and pass mark | — | PSI's UAG information bulletin was not machine-readable when we checked | — | Not yet checked |
| TRUST expiry | None stated | The FAA page states no expiry, but does not say the certificate never expires | 9 Sep 2026 | Absence of evidence |
| Minimum age for TRUST | None stated | FAA recreational flyers page states no minimum age | 9 Sep 2026 | Absence of evidence |
Questions people ask about flying in the United States
Do I need a license to fly a drone in the US?
To fly for fun, no — you take a free online test called TRUST and register a drone of 250 g or more for $5. To fly for money, or for any business purpose at all, you need a Remote Pilot Certificate under Part 107.
How much does a Part 107 license cost?
About $175, which is what the testing center charges for the knowledge test. Add $5 to register a drone and the cheapest complete route is $180. Courses are extra and optional.
Do I have to take a course?
No. The FAA sets no training requirement for Part 107. You may walk into a testing center and sit the exam. Most people buy preparation because failing costs another $175, not because the law asks them to.
Can I use my UK GVC in the United States?
No. The FAA recognizes no foreign remote pilot certificate. You either sit the US test yourself or fly under the direct supervision of someone holding a US Remote Pilot Certificate.
Does the certificate expire?
The certificate itself has no stated expiry, but you must complete free online recurrent training every 24 calendar months to keep exercising its privileges. There is no fee for that training.
Can a non-US citizen get a Part 107 certificate?
Yes. Everyone, regardless of nationality, must pass the same knowledge test and clear the same TSA security threat assessment. Commercial operations by foreign nationals additionally need economic authority from the US Department of Transportation.
We will tell you when this changes
We re-check every published price and every rule on this page. Leave your email and we will tell you when one moves.
We ask for your email so we can send the reminder, and nothing else. You will get a confirmation email first — if you never click it, we never contact you again. Every email carries an unsubscribe link. Providers are shown aggregate numbers — how many people compared their course — never individual details, unless you tick the box above. How we handle your data.