Can a foreigner fly a drone in the U.S.?

lyy3086 · May 5, 2017

Hi, I'm a college student with F-1 VISA, from South Korea.
I used to fly RC helicopters in my country. RC stuff has always been my interest, so I bought a used Phantom 4 pro model a couple months ago and registered it today through registermyuas.faa.gov. Soon after I registered it, I looked up some regulations to not violate the rules here.

One of the regulations from a web page below is that
Fly for Fun
You must be "a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident" to fly an unmanned drone for fun.

It frustrated me, and I googled a bit. It was like someone was saying foreign visitors can fly drones as long as they have registered it.

I'm super wondering if it is possible for me to fly a drone here or not. If not, why would they allow me to register my drone and took money? I really hope I can fly the drone.
I'll be looking forward your answers. Thank you.

Yarome · May 5, 2017

lyy3086 said:
You must be "a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident" to fly an unmanned drone for fun..

Absolutely rediculous! OF COURSE you are welcome to register and "fly for fun" in the U.S.! Even if you were just a tourist staying at a hotel.

FAA Non-US Citizen and Non-US Resident Registration | AMA Government Relations Blog

Good article in plain English. Ignore the comments.

Welcome to the Forum!

Yarome · May 5, 2017

To be clear. The "*" at the end of that sentence says:

"* Visiting foreign nationals must register their UAS upon arrival in the United States (online registration serves as a certificate of ownership)."

Registering with the FAA is a little bit different. Same process, same cost, same rules, but the certificate you receive is different and will be a "certificate of ownership" for your drone.

It's "really" the same thing. You have an FAA certificate. You will be assigned an FAA identification # that must be placed on your drone.

Then GO FLY!!