Quick answer: After passing Part 107, wait up to 48 hours, then apply for your Remote Pilot Certificate in IACRA with your 17-digit exam ID. After the TSA check, print your temporary certificate. Register each work drone under Part 107 ($5 each), confirm Remote ID, and set a reminder for recurrent training in 24 calendar months.
The testing center hands you a printout that says you passed. Congratulations. It does not tell you what to do when a property manager calls on Monday asking if you can shoot a roof at 7 a.m., two miles from a towered airport. If you are searching for what to do after passing Part 107, this is the list we give people at the counter.
If you are still studying, start with our Part 107 study guide. If you are weighing whether this is a career at all, our earlier post on how to become a commercial drone pilot covers the bigger picture.
Your first week, in order- 1Wait up to 48 hoursYour test result has to reach IACRA before you can apply.
- 2Apply in IACRAForm 8710-13, with the 17-digit Knowledge Test Exam ID from your score report.
- 3Print your temporary certificateComes by email after the TSA background check clears. The card follows by mail.
- 4Register each work drone under Part 107$5 per drone in FAADroneZone, good for three years. Mark the number on the aircraft.
- 5Confirm Remote IDBuilt-in Standard Remote ID or an add-on broadcast module.
- 6Set your recurrent training reminder24 calendar months out. The online course is free.
What should you do right after passing Part 107?
14 CFR 107.7Source: FAA, updated June 2026
Apply for your certificate in IACRA, because passing the test does not make you a remote pilot yet. The FAA says your result can take up to 48 hours to show up in the system, so give it two days before you log in.
In IACRA, you fill out FAA Form 8710-13, choose Pilot and then Remote Pilot, and enter the 17-digit Knowledge Test Exam ID from your score report. The TSA runs a background check. When it clears, you get an email with instructions to print a temporary certificate. The plastic card follows by mail a few weeks later.
Keep that certificate on you when you fly. Under 14 CFR 107.7, you have to produce it if the FAA, NTSB, TSA, or law enforcement asks. A photo on your phone in a dead-battery situation is a bad look.
Do you need to register your drone again for commercial work?
As of Sep 2026Source: FAA
Yes. Every drone you fly under Part 107 needs its own registration. As of September 2026, the FAA charges $5 per drone through FAADroneZone, and each registration lasts three years. Recreational flyers pay once for a whole fleet. Commercial pilots pay per aircraft, which is the FAA's way of saying welcome to business.
If your drone is already registered under the recreational exception, register it under Part 107 before your first paid flight. Put the registration number on the outside of the aircraft. Then confirm Remote ID: the drone needs built-in Standard Remote ID or an add-on broadcast module, per the FAA's Remote ID page.
What didn't the Part 107 test teach you?
The test covers the rules. It does not cover the job. Here is how the two line up.
| What the test covered | What the first job asks of you |
|---|---|
| Reading a sectional chart | Getting a controlled airspace authorization on your phone in a parking lot |
| Decoding a METAR | Judging gusts off a rooftop full of HVAC units |
| The 400-foot and 100 mph limits | Telling a client why you can't fly over the crowd at their event |
| Accident reporting thresholds | Showing a certificate of insurance and a written procedure before you're allowed on site |
| Crew roles and visual observers | Briefing a site superintendent who has never met a drone pilot |
| Nothing, really | Delivering files a client can open without calling you |
None of that is hard. It just isn't on the exam, and clients assume you already know it.
How do you fly near airports after passing Part 107?
14 CFR 107.41As of Aug 2026Source: FAA
Use LAANC for controlled airspace, because Part 107 requires ATC authorization before you fly in Class B, C, D, or surface-area Class E airspace. As of August 2026, the FAA lists LAANC at 726 airports. You request it through an FAA-approved app and usually get an answer in moments, up to the altitude shown on the facility map for that grid.
Where LAANC isn't available, or you need to go higher than the map allows, you file a manual request in FAADroneZone and wait longer. Build that wait into your quotes. "I'll know in a few weeks" is a tough thing to say to a client who asked for Tuesday.
When do you need a Part 107 waiver?
As of Jun 2026Source: FAA
You need a waiver when the job requires breaking a waivable rule, such as flying beyond visual line of sight, over people in ways the operations-over-people rules don't already allow, from a moving vehicle, or with more than one drone per pilot. Night flying doesn't need one anymore, as long as your anti-collision lighting is visible for 3 statute miles and your knowledge is current.
As of June 2026, the FAA's waiver page says applications go through its Aviation Safety Hub and that it aims to decide within 90 days. Your application has to explain the specific risks and how you'll handle them. "I'm very careful" is not a mitigation.
Is Part 108 going to change what you can fly?
PendingStatus as of September 2026
- Proposed ruleAug 2025
- Public commentsClosed
- Final review at OIRANow
- Final rule publishedFAA target: end of 2026
Probably, but not yet. Part 108 is the FAA's proposed rule for routine beyond visual line of sight operations. It was proposed in August 2025. As of September 2026, the final rule is under review at the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and an FAA official told Commercial UAV Expo the agency hopes to publish by the end of 2026. Until it's published and in effect, BVLOS work still needs a waiver.
Don't wait on it to start working. The jobs paying today are Part 107 jobs, and the paperwork habits you build now carry over.
Which drone should you buy for your first paid jobs?
Buy for the work you'll actually quote, not the work you hope to get in three years. Roof and property jobs need a good camera and short setup time. Inspection work usually needs zoom or thermal. Mapping needs a mechanical shutter and software that plays nicely with it.
Short version: drones that already have FCC authorization can still be bought, owned, and flown. On December 22, 2025, the FCC added foreign-produced drones and critical components to its Covered List, which blocks new equipment authorizations for new models. In July 2026 the FCC extended the exemptions for Blue UAS Cleared List and Buy American-qualified drones until January 1, 2028. A separate rule effective October 13, 2026 also blocks new authorizations for devices with logic-bearing parts, like flight controllers and radios, made by Covered List companies. Not sure where a specific model stands? Call our team at 888-560-8737 and we'll check it with you. Our FCC Covered List post goes deeper.
Our enterprise drones are sorted by job type, and we're happy to talk you out of the expensive one if you don't need it.
How do you stay current after passing Part 107?
14 CFR 107.6514 CFR 107.9
Complete the FAA's free online recurrent training within 24 calendar months of your last test or course. Most pilots take ALC-677 through FAASTeam. Put the deadline in your calendar today, because calendar months mean it expires at the end of the month, and nobody remembers that part.
Know the reporting rule, too. Under 107.9, you have 10 calendar days to report an operation that causes serious injury, loss of consciousness, or more than $500 of damage to property other than the drone.
Tell us the first three jobs you expect to fly.
When you're ready to buy for real work, browse our enterprise drones or call our team at 888-560-8737. We'll tell you what fits.
Frequently asked questions
How long after passing Part 107 can I apply in IACRA?
Wait up to 48 hours. The FAA says that is how long your test result can take to appear in IACRA.
Can I fly commercially with the temporary certificate?
Yes. Once the TSA check clears and you print the temporary certificate from IACRA, you can fly under Part 107 while the permanent card is in the mail.
How much does it cost to register a drone for Part 107?
$5 per drone through FAADroneZone, valid for three years. Each commercial drone needs its own registration.
Do I need to retake the Part 107 test every two years?
No. You complete the FAA's free online recurrent training, usually ALC-677, within 24 calendar months to stay current.
Can I fly at night after passing Part 107?
Yes, without a waiver, if your drone has anti-collision lighting visible for 3 statute miles and your training is current.
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