Drones Licensing in India
In continuation of Drones Insurance series, presenting next complimentary related topic is “Drones Licensing In India” .
The Legal status of Drone flying in India is regulated under India’s Aviation Authority, The Ministry of Civil Aviation.
The guidelines for usage and Licensing of Drones issued by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)
Drones Licensing in India is allowed through a specialized portal, i.e “Digital Sky”, an online platform for the registration of Drones in India. This online platform was launched in 2008 by Mr. Suresh Prabhu, The Minister of Civil Aviation at that time.
Through this portal, Drones owners, Operators, manufacturers, or remote pilot must enlist themselves and their Drones before commencing personal and commercial drones flights.
Digital Sky Platform-Rules
The Digital Sky platform laid down rules for drone operations in India-
1. All drones (other than nano drones) are required to have a unique identification number (UIN). contact Digital sky helpdesk for an updated fee schedule.
2. All drone operators (except for nano and micro drones) must obtain an Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit (UAOP). contact the Digital sky helpdesk for an updated fee schedule.
3. No permission, no take-off (NPNT) – Before any flight, an NPNT clearance needs to be obtained
4. All drones need to have Insurance and AN ID plate, with the UIN engraved on a fire-resistant plate
5. Nano drones don’t have to be registered or obtain NPNT compliances. As they are permitted to operate up to 50 feet or in enclosed spaces.
6. Microdrones cannot be flown above 200 feet; all other drones can be flown up to 400 feet
7. Drones can be operated only during the day and within line of sight
8. Air space has been divided into 03 zones, viz. Red Zone (flying not permitted), Yellow Zone (controlled airspace), and Green Zone (automatic permission).
9. Drones fall under the category of the restricted item and can’t be carried in hand baggage in aircraft
Just reminding, Drones classification (as per the previous article, Drones Insurance-Part I) as below:-
A. Nano Drones (less than 250 gms./.55 pounds)
B. Micro Drones (250 gms. To 2 kg./ 4.4 pounds)
C. Small Drones(2kg./4.4 pounds – 25kg./55 pounds)
D. Medium Drones (25kg./55 pounds – 150kg./330 pounds)
E. Large Drones (over 150 kg./330 pounds)
Drones Application Process for License
For apply Drone Licensing in India or Drone Permit in India, one should know and understand two important terms along with the process for applying the same-
Unique Identification Number (UIN) or Ownership Acknowledgement Number (OAN)
UIN number provides a unique identity to Drone, and it will help DGCA to locate and monitor your Drone.
No requirement for registration of the Nano category, for all the other categories have to apply for the same.
So, before applying for the registration, one must be a citizen of India.
For a UIN below, supporting documents are required:
1. Equipment Type Approval(ETA) from the vendor
2. NPNT(No permission, no take-off) Compliance & CoC from Manufacturer
3. Specifications of RPA (Remote piloted aircraft)
4. Fee Receipt (as per fee schedule and its payment through prescribed mode, initially it was through https://bharatkosh.gov.in/)
5. Required Security Clearance certificate from Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) or 2 Valid ID Proofs
6. Other details specified in CAR
And with that, you have to pay a registration fee(as per fee schedule) to get a UIN.
Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit(UAOP) or Drone Acknowledgement Number (DAN)
After generating UIN or OAN number, you have to apply for UAOP or DAN through Digital Sky Platform Except for the nano RPA, micro RPA.
On this, one needs to pay a registration fee as per the fee schedule through https://bharatkosh.gov.in/ to get your UAOP.
Note: As mentioned earlier, also, for Nano category Drones, there is no requirement to apply for any registration or UIN/OAN, as it can fly up to 50ft in a closed premise straight away.
But for micro and above categories, operators and pilots are required to register on the Digital Sky Portal.
Steps for Registration of Drones into Digital Sky portal
Follow below steps for registration-
1. Go to the link of Digital Sky https://digitalsky.dgca.gov.in and click go to Drones enlist site (https://dronenlisting.dgca.gov.in/), fill the necessary details like name, email, mobile no., choose a password and submit it
2. You will receive a verification mail from DigiSky Team.
After this, follow the steps accordingly.
Important to Note
One should know different Roles and Profiles under this process before applying through the Digital sky portal.
Basically there are 03 roles and 04 profiles associated with this. One should know about these roles and its associated profiles before going through Digital Sky Portal.
Roles
Below are 03 types of roles for which registration will be done
(i) Remote Pilot: For Remote Pilot, one must have a Remote Pilot Certificate from DGCA.
(ii)Operator: For an Operator, one needs to have an Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit(UAOP).
(iii)Manufacturer: For a Manufacturer, one needs an IT Act-compliant digital certificate to register.
Profiles
There are 04 types of profiles for which registration can be done
(i)Remote pilot profile: For this profile, one needs to fill basic information like mobile number, DOB, etc. Then upload a training certificate and choose an RPA category like nano, micro, small, etc. and submit the form.
(ii) Individual operator profile: Fill the basic information.
(iii)Operator Profile: For this, fill organization details like name, address, email, etc. and then submit it.
(iv)Manufacturer Profile: After filling up the form with organization details like name, address, etc. and upload IT Act-compliant digital certificate
