C-DRONE GUIDE · 24 FEBRUARY 2026
AlphaTango: registering your drone and operator step by step
AlphaTango is the DGAC's official portal for everything drone-related: operator registration, aircraft registration, operational declarations and populated-area flight notifications. Registration is free, takes a few minutes online, and its absence is the easiest offence to spot during an inspection.
Who must register as a UAS operator?
UAS operator registration is mandatory as soon as you use a drone weighing 250 g or more, or a drone under 250 g fitted with a sensor able to capture personal data — in practice, any camera drone that is not a toy within the meaning of directive 2009/48/EC. A 249 g DJI Mini with a camera therefore requires registration, contrary to a persistent misconception: the 250 g threshold waives the A1/A3 training, not the registration.
The operator is the natural or legal person responsible for the operation: an individual registers in their own name, a company in the name of the business (with its SIREN number), and its employed remote pilots fly under the company's number. Registration is done on alphatango.aviation-civile.gouv.fr; it is free, valid for 5 years and renewable online. You immediately receive a number in the format FRA + 12 characters, followed by 3 confidential characters used for remote electronic identification.
Marking the number on the drone: the exact rules
The operator number (without the 3 confidential characters) must be visibly marked on every drone operated: a label, engraving or indelible marking, readable with the naked eye, if necessary by opening a compartment accessible without tools (the battery hatch qualifies). The same number is used for the whole fleet — no need to register each aircraft for this marking. It must also be entered into the drone's direct remote identification system (Remote ID), mandatory on class C1 to C6 aircraft and broadcast over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth during flight.
Classic mistakes to avoid: marking the old pre-harmonisation "UAS-FR-" number, sticking the label on a removable battery that moves between aircraft, or forgetting to update the Remote ID after a renewal. During a gendarmerie check, the match between the displayed number, the broadcast number and the AlphaTango account is the first thing verified.
Registering the aircraft itself above 800 g
France adds a national requirement inherited from its 2016 drone law: any drone weighing 800 g or more must be individually registered on AlphaTango, on top of the operator registration. Each aircraft then receives its own registration number, valid for 5 years. This typically concerns professional machines: DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise, Matrice 350 RTK, photogrammetry survey drones or agricultural spraying drones.
The same 800 g threshold also triggers the French electronic conspicuity requirement: the drone must broadcast a signal (built-in beacon or add-on module) transmitting its position, distinct from the European Remote ID even though recent aircraft combine both. Finally, keep your AlphaTango account up to date: selling or destroying an aircraft, changing address or company name must all be declared online. A drone you sold but which remains registered in your name legally ties you to its new owner's flights until the transfer is recorded.
AlphaTango day to day for a professional operator
Beyond the initial registration, AlphaTango centralises the operator's entire administrative life. It is where operational declarations for the specific category (STS-01 and STS-02 scenarios) are filed, with a confirmation to renew every two years. It is also where prior notifications for flights over populated areas are submitted and forwarded automatically to the relevant préfecture. The portal also hosts access to the online A1/A3 training and exam, and stores your downloadable certificates — invaluable when a client requests supporting documents the day before a job.
Organisational tip: create the account in the company's name as soon as the business is set up, attach every remote pilot and every machine to it, and export a fleet status report once a year. Expired numbers, validity dates and certificates are the leading cause of mission refusals among large accounts (SNCF, Enedis, major construction groups), whose procurement teams systematically check these documents.
Penalties for failing to register
Flying a drone subject to registration without being registered, or without the number marked on it, is an offence recorded during ground checks by the air transport gendarmerie, the police or DGAC inspectors. Failure to register an aircraft over 800 g carries a fine of up to €750, and using a drone that does not meet the electronic conspicuity requirements exposes you to penalties of the same order. Where breaches accumulate — no registration, no training, flight in a prohibited area — prosecution shifts to the criminal offences of the French transport code, with penalties of up to one year's imprisonment and a €75,000 fine.
For a professional, however, the most expensive risk is not the fine: it is the insurer refusing cover. Professional drone liability policies almost always exclude flights conducted outside administrative compliance. Property damage caused by an unregistered drone then remains entirely at the operator's expense. The free five-minute registration is by far the best protection-to-effort ratio in the whole regulation. And if you discover an oversight after the fact, regularise without delay: inspectors clearly distinguish the operator who was compliant at the time of the flight from the one who registers the night before a check, and the registration date on AlphaTango is authoritative.