'Digital licence plates' a must for unmanned aircraft over 250g from December 2025

Measure aimed at improving aviation and public safety and security in S'pore: CAAS

- Vanessa Paige Chelvan

From Dec 1, 2025, users of unmanned aircraft (UA) such as drones must comply with new regulations requiring UA weighing more than 250g to have "digital licence plates". This measure aims to improve aviation and public safety and security in Singapore, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said on Sept 2.

When a UA is in flight, the digital licence plate-known as Broadcast Remote Identification (B-RID) transmits information such as the UA's position and the location of its operator.

Users with an operator permit who use the FlyltSafe mobile app while operating UA are exempt from the B-RID requirement.

The app allows the UA operator to monitor his UA flights to ensure they are within permitted areas and to prevent unintentional non-permitted breaches zones.

AB-RID is also not required if the UA is operated indoors or in an enclosed environment, CAAS said in a statement announcing the launch of a month-long public consultation to seek feedback on the implementation of the B-RID requirement in Singapore.

B-RID uses Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology to share information such as the UA's position, serial number and the operator's identification reference number.