The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has finally ruled on drone registration, and for hundreds of thousands of new drone owners this Christmas, the news isn’t good: Pilots will need to be registered.

Under the new rules announced Monday and to go into effect December 21, owners of any drone or unmanned aircraft weighing more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams) but less than 55 pounds (approximately 25 kilograms) must register with the FAA by February 19, 2016.

Unlike the initial proposal released in November, registration will not be free, with drone operators being charged $5 per registration, although this will be waived for new registrations until January 20, 2016; of note, however, the free registration period will still require the use of a credit card and an initial $5 charge, as the FAA uses credit cards for identity verifiaction, with the $5 then subsequently refunded.

Drones themselves do not require registration versus those who operate them, with the FAA requiring an operator’s name, address and email address. Registering pilots must be over 13 years of age.

Upon registration, each drone operator is issued with a registration number that must be displayed on the drone being operated, and each pilot is required to carry proof of registration when they are operating the device, although fortunately a copy can be held electronically on a phone or tablet.

Each registration is good for three years before requiring renewal.

Proving that they are serious about forcing registration, under the new requirements those who do not comply could face a fine of up to $27,500, or criminal penalties, including a fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years in jail.

Insanity

While there’s a reasonable argument about the need to regulate drones given their rapid spread and the risks drones present, particularly to aircraft, the timing of the introduction of the rules is pure insanity: announced less than two weeks before Christmas with a start date of four days before Christmas. And to make matters worse, anyone acquiring a new drone after December 21 must be registered with the FAA before flying it for the first time.

What that means is that potentially hundreds of thousands of kids, or if under 13 their parents, will need to register with the FAA before using their Christmas presents.

If those parents fail to do so, they will be breaking federal law. And given the absurd timing, the vast majority will never realize they are doing so.

Surely the FAA could have announced this in the new year and included an education campaign to go along with it so that people did not unwittingly break the law on Christmas Day.

You can only hope that the FAA is rather lax at first in enforcing the new regulations, otherwise the United States federal government will turn hundreds of thousands of previously law abiding citizens into criminals at the stroke of a pen.

If you are looking to register as a drone pilot, you can do so via this link starting December 21, 2015.

Image credit: comedynose/Flickr/CC by 2.0