Carrying Your Part 107 Certificate: What §107.7 Requires

New remote pilots often ask a simple question: do I need to carry my Part 107 certificate when I fly? The short answer is yes — the rule is written around physical possession and being ready to present it. This post walks through the text of 14 CFR § 107.7, who can ask to see your certificate and ID, what records you may have to make available, and what an FAA inspection or test can cover.

This is general information, not legal advice. Regulatory quotations are from the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (checked Nov 6, 2026; Title 14 shown as up to date as of Nov 4, 2026).

The text of § 107.7(a): carry, present and make records available

14 CFR § 107.7 is titled "Inspection, testing, and demonstration of compliance." Paragraph (a) applies to a remote pilot in command, owner, or person manipulating the flight controls of a small unmanned aircraft system. It says that person must—

(1) Have in that person's physical possession and readily accessible the remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating and identification when exercising the privileges of that remote pilot certificate.

(2) Present his or her remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating and identification that contains the information listed at § 107.67(b)(1) through (3) for inspection upon a request from—

(i) The Administrator;

(ii) An authorized representative of the National Transportation Safety Board;

(iii) Any Federal, State, or local law enforcement officer; or

(iv) An authorized representative of the Transportation Security Administration.

(3) Make available, upon request, to the Administrator any document, record, or report required to be kept under the regulations of this chapter.

Three ideas do most of the work: physical possession, readily accessible, and present for inspection to a listed set of officials.

What "physical possession and readily accessible" means on a job

Paragraph (a)(1) is the carry rule. When you are exercising the privileges of the remote pilot certificate — in everyday terms, when you are acting as a remote pilot under Part 107 — the certificate with a small UAS rating and identification must be in your physical possession and readily accessible. The rule does not say "at home," "in the truck across town," or "on a computer you can't open on site."

Practical habits that match the text:

• Keep the certificate and a government ID with your flight kit, not in a drawer at the office.
• Make sure you can produce them without leaving the operation unsupervised.
• If someone else is manipulating the controls under your supervision, remember that (a) also names the person manipulating the flight controls and the owner; each covered person has their own obligations under the paragraph that applies to them.

This post does not say a phone photo or PDF is enough. The regulation uses the words "physical possession." Unless an FAA page you can quote says otherwise, stick to the rule text and carry the certificate itself.

Who can ask to see it

Paragraph (a)(2) lists who may request inspection of your remote pilot certificate and identification:

1. The Administrator (FAA)
2. An authorized representative of the National Transportation Safety Board
3. Any Federal, State, or local law enforcement officer
4. An authorized representative of the Transportation Security Administration

That list is broader than "only the FAA." A local officer or an NTSB or TSA representative acting in an authorized role can ask. The identification you present must contain the information listed at § 107.67(b)(1) through (3); this post points to that cross-reference rather than restating § 107.67.

Records and reports under (a)(3)

Separate from the certificate itself, (a)(3) requires making available to the Administrator, upon request, any document, record, or report required to be kept under the regulations of this chapter. Flight logs, maintenance records and other required paperwork can fall into that bucket when they are required to be kept. Keeping those records organized is its own habit; Pilot Ledger's guide to keeping Part 107 logs ready for an FAA request covers one practical approach.

§ 107.7(b): allowing tests and inspections

Paragraph (b) expands who must cooperate and what can be inspected:

The remote pilot in command, visual observer, owner, operator, or person manipulating the flight controls of a small unmanned aircraft system must, upon request, allow the Administrator to make any test or inspection of the small unmanned aircraft system, the remote pilot in command, the person manipulating the flight controls of a small unmanned aircraft system, and, if applicable, the visual observer to determine compliance with this part.

In plain terms: on request, the FAA can test or inspect the small UAS and the people named above to check compliance with Part 107. Visual observers are included here even though they are not named in (a)(1)'s carry rule.

Subpart D declaration-of-compliance holders: (c) and (d)

Paragraphs (c) and (d) apply to persons holding an FAA-accepted declaration of compliance under Subpart D. They cover making the declaration and related records available, and allowing facility, data and product inspections. Most remote pilots flying under the operating rules will spend their time on (a) and (b); (c) and (d) are noted here only as a pointer for manufacturers and others under Subpart D.

How this fits with RPIC, currency and accident reporting

Carrying and presenting the certificate is one slice of Part 107 compliance. The remote pilot in command's broader duties are in our post on the remote pilot in command under § 107.19. Keeping the certificate current through recurrent training is covered in Part 107 recurrent training. If something goes wrong on a flight, reporting duties are separate — see Part 107 accident reporting under § 107.9.

A simple field habit

1. Before you leave for the site, confirm the remote pilot certificate and ID are in the kit.
2. Know that FAA, NTSB, law enforcement and TSA (as listed) can ask to see them.
3. Keep required documents and records where you can make them available to the Administrator on request.
4. If asked to allow a test or inspection under (b), cooperate as the rule requires.
5. Don't invent extra rules — and don't skip the ones that are written down.

The short version

• § 107.7(a)(1) requires physical possession and ready access to the remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating and identification when exercising its privileges.
• (a)(2) lists who can demand to see the certificate and ID: the Administrator, NTSB, Federal/State/local law enforcement, and TSA.
• (a)(3) covers making required documents, records and reports available to the Administrator.
• (b) requires allowing FAA tests or inspections of the small UAS and named crew to determine compliance.
• (c)–(d) address Subpart D declaration-of-compliance holders.
• This is not legal advice; read the current eCFR text for the controlling language.