Drone operators are obliged to ensure the safe operation of their drone. They are responsible for any damage caused when the drone is operated. The role of drone operator is comparable to the keeper of a vehicle. Private individuals are usually both remote pilots and drone operators. Organisations (companies, associations, etc.), however, can only be drone operators, while their employees or members are remote pilots when flying drones for the organisation. Further information on remote pilots can be found on the page Training and certificates for remote pilots.
Account and registration
It is important to distinguish between creating an account and registration:
Creating an account: Any private individual may create an account on the dLIS platform and so become the account holder. Organisations may not create an account on dLIS. With an account, individuals can do the following:
Register as a private drone operator;
Register an organisation (company, association, etc.) as a drone operator;
Obtain remote pilot certification.
Registration: After registering, the operator receives a UAS operator number, which is required to operate a drone. This process can only be carried out via an existing private account. Drones themselves are not registered.
Obligation to register
All private individuals and organisations (companies, associations, etc.) wishing to fly a drone in Switzerland must be registered as an operator.
Exception: There is no requirement to register if the drone used meets both of the following requirements:
The drone weighs less than 250g, and
it has no device or other sensors for recording personal data (e.g. camera, microphone).
For example: A DJI Mini weighs less than 250g, but it has a camera, so operators of this type of drone must register.
Operators must register in the EASA member state in which the private individual is resident or the organisation has its registered office. EASA member states include all EU member states, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland. Once registered in an EASA member state, operators may operate drones in any other EASA member state. An operator may not be registered in two EASA member states at the same time.
Persons residing outside the EASA member states who wish to operate drones in Switzerland must register in Switzerland unless they have already registered in another EASA member state. The same applies to organisations.
Minimum age: 12 years (children under 16 years must give the name of a legal representative).
Registration fee: CHF 10.
Validity: Registration is valid in all EASA member states for an unlimited period of time.
Instructions for private individuals
If you are required to register as a drone operator, the following instructions will help you to do so.
Contact details: Surname, first name, home address, date of birth, telephone number;
Identification: Photo or scan of your passport or ID.
If you operate drones weighing more than 250g, you must provide details of your liability insurance. Please contact your insurance company for further information.
Insurance/policy number;
Insurance company;
Registered office of the insurance company;
Operators of drones weighing less than 250g should write ‘dronebelow250g’ in the fields relating to insurance.
Candidates need to register on the dLIS platform used by the FOCA. An eIAM account (CH-Login/AGOV-Login) is required to log in. If you have any questions or registration problems regarding CH-Login, please go to: CH-LOGIN Help – eIAM help pages / I need help – agov.ch or call the FOIIT: +41 58 465 88 88
NB: All details in your private dLIS account are linked to your person. You should therefore enter a private email address that you can continue to access even if you change jobs.
Your dLIS account uses the personal details that you enter in the eIAM system. Please confirm and complete your details on dLIS and upload a scan of your passport or ID.
On dLIS, select the menu item Domains and then Drones (UAS), and then under Personal UAS Operator Number click on Register as UAS Operator.
Now follow the instructions. During the process you will be asked to pay the fee of CHF 10.
As soon as the application has been completed, the personal UAS operator number will be visible in the Drones domain.
Affix your personal UAS operator number to your drone so that it is clearly visible. If you own several drones, they all have the same operator number. Please note that the UAS operator number (CHExxxxxxxxxxxxxx-xyz) consists of two parts:
CHExxxxxxxxxxxxxx: The actual operator number comprises ‘CHE’ followed by 13 lower case letters and numbers. This part must be clearly visible on the drone. It is up to you how you affix the number to the drone: you can apply a plaque, engrave the number or write it by hand in legible block letters with a waterproof felt-tip pen.
xyz: The last three letters after the hyphen are only required to activate the remote ID of the drone. They are used to ensure the validity of the UAS operator number. To prevent your UAS operator number from being used by unauthorised persons, please treat these letters with the same care as you would a password and do not pass them on to third parties. These last three letters should not appear on the drone.
Make sure that the personal UAS operator number is clearly visible on the drone before each flight. Operators may be fined for flying drones not bearing the operator number.
When a drone is sold or transferred to another operator, the UAS operator number should be removed.
Instructions for organisations
Organisations (companies, associations, etc.) can only be registered via an existing private account. A private individual must therefore first create an account on dLIS. A private email address must be given in step 1 (below) and the organisation’s email address (e.g. ‘info@organisation.ch’) entered in step 2.
Personal contact details: Surname, first name, home address, date of birth, telephone number;
Identification: Photo or scan of your passport or ID.
Address: Name and address of organisation;
Business identification number, UID (see UID-Register);
Contact details: Organisation email and telephone number;
Liability insurance: If your organisation uses drones weighing more than 250g, details of the organisation's liability insurance are required. Please contact your insurance company for further information.
Insurance/policy number;
Insurance company;
Registered office of the insurance company;
Operators of drones weighing less than 250g should write ‘dronebelow250g’ in the fields relating to insurance.
We recommend registration as a private individual for sole traders without a UID, where only one drone pilot is involved. The main benefit of registering an organisation is that several pilots can fly under the same operator.
The FOCA uses the dLIS registration platform. An eIAM account (CH-Login/AGOV-Login) is required to log in. If you have any questions or registration problems regarding CH-Login, please go to: CH-LOGIN Help – eIAM help pages / I need help – agov.ch or call the FOIIT: +41 58 465 88 88
NB: Please make sure that you enter a private email address that you can continue to access even if you change jobs.
Your dLIS account uses the personal details that you enter in the eIAM system. Please confirm and complete your details on dLIS and upload a scan of your passport or ID.
Select the menu item ‘My Account’ in the top right-hand corner of dLIS and navigate to the sub-item ‘Organisations’. Click on ‘Register New Organisation’.
Now follow the instructions. During the process you will be asked to pay the fee of CHF 10.
Once the registration process is complete, your application will be automatically sent to the FOCA for processing.
The organisation’s UAS operator number will then appear under ‘My account’ > ‘Organisations’.
The person who submits the application for registration becomes the organisation administrator. Further information can be found below under ‘Administrator’s role’.
Affix the organisation’s UAS operator number to all drones so that it is clearly visible. Please note that the UAS operator number (CHExxxxxxxxxxxxxx-xyz) consists of two parts:
CHExxxxxxxxxxxxxx: The actual operator number comprises ‘CHE’ followed by 13 lower case letters and numbers. This part must be clearly visible on the drone. It is up to you how you affix the number to the drone: you can apply a plaque, engrave the number or write it by hand in legible block letters with a waterproof felt-tip pen.
xyz: The last three letters after the hyphen are only required to activate the remote ID of the drone. They are used to ensure the validity of the UAS operator number. To prevent your UAS operator number from being used by unauthorised persons, please treat these letters with the same care as you would a password and do not pass them on to third parties. These last three letters should not appear on the drone.
Before each flight, make sure that the organisation’s UAS operator number is clearly visible on the drone. Operators may be fined for flying drones not bearing the operator number.
When a drone is sold or transferred to another operator, the UAS operator number should be removed.
Persons who submit the registration application for an organisation become administrators of the organisation. They can appoint further administrators. The FOCA recommends appointing at least two administrators per organisation: if one administrator leaves the organisation, the other authorised person can withdraw the administrator role from this person. An administrator’s tasks are as follows:
Update the organisation's information.
Accept or revoke the ‘Administrator’ status of another private individual’s dLIS account.
Administrators may be, but do not have to be, remote pilots.
It is not possible to assign all remote pilots in an organisation to the organisation.
