UK Drone Law FAQs

You must use the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) drone registration service before you fly outdoors, if your aircraft requires registration.

• Flyer ID - a free online theory test covering the Drone and Model Aircraft Code.
• Operator ID - £12.34 per year for the person or organisation responsible for the aircraft.

The current rules base the requirement on your aircraft's weight, camera fitment and UK class mark, so work through the weight/class table in the registration service to confirm what you need.

Anyone can hold a Flyer ID, but children under 13 must use the CAA child Flyer ID service with their parent or guardian involved. Flyers aged 13 to 17 can apply on their own.

An Operator ID can only be held by someone aged 18 or over. If a young person owns the drone, an adult must register as the operator, label the aircraft and make sure it is managed safely.

Yes. The CAA requires a Flyer ID for any drone or model aircraft that weighs 100 g or more, including aircraft from 100 g to less than 250 g.

• If the aircraft has a camera, an Operator ID is mandatory.
• If it has no camera, the Operator ID is optional, but you are still responsible for safe flying.

Aircraft under 100 g do not legally need either ID, but the CAA recommends taking the test and you may still choose to get an Operator ID.

It is against the law to fly a drone or model aircraft without the required Flyer ID or Operator ID. You can be fined for breaking the law when flying, and the most serious cases can lead to prosecution and imprisonment. Always check which IDs are required before you launch.

Your Flyer ID is valid for five years; you must retake the online test to renew it.

Your Operator ID lasts one year at a time. Renew it annually, keep your details up to date in the My registration area, and make sure the ID label remains on every aircraft you manage.

In A1, you may fly closer than 50 m to uninvolved people, and you may fly over them, if you are using a permitted aircraft such as a legacy drone below 250 g, a UK0 or UK1 class aircraft, a C0 aircraft, or a C1 aircraft recognised until 31 December 2027. You must still fly safely and you must never fly over crowds.

Heavier or less suitable aircraft must normally operate in A2, A3 or the Specific Category, depending on the aircraft and the operation.

In the Open Category, the legal height limit is 120 m (400 ft) from the closest point of the earth's surface. If you fly where the ground rises or falls, such as hills, mountains or cliffs, adjust your flightpath so the drone never exceeds 120 m from the closest point of the surface.

Under PDRA-01, the aircraft must also be kept within 120 m (400 ft) of the closest point of the surface of the earth, subject to the limited obstacle overflight allowance in the authorisation. Other Specific Category authorisations may have different limits if expressly approved by the CAA.

Drone registration and operating-category requirements are aimed at outdoor flying in airspace. If an indoor flight is fully contained and the aircraft cannot escape outside, it is generally treated as a venue, safety and liability matter rather than an ordinary outdoor Drone Code flight.

You should still obtain venue permission, manage people on site, protect property, follow any insurance requirements and complete a suitable risk assessment, especially for demonstrations, events, filming or training.

Yes. Night flying is allowed in the Open Category, but from 1 January 2026 the aircraft must have an active green flashing light when operating at night. If your drone does not have a built-in green flashing light, you must securely fit a suitable specialist drone light before flying at night.

Under PDRA-01, night operations are allowed 24 hours a day, but they must be carried out in accordance with the procedures in the operator's operations manual. You must continue to maintain VLOS unless your authorisation says otherwise.

Remote ID must be switched on whenever you fly from the date that applies to your aircraft and operation:

• UK1, UK2 and UK3: from 1 January 2026 in the Open Category and Specific Category.
• UK5 and UK6: from 1 January 2026 in the Specific Category.
• UK0 weighing 100 g or more with a camera: from 1 January 2028.
• UK4, legacy, privately built and model aircraft in scope: from 1 January 2028, unless exempted by the CAA.

The CAA recommends switching Remote ID on before it becomes mandatory where your aircraft supports it.

First-Person View (FPV) is allowed only if you have an observer with you. The observer must stand next to the remote pilot, you must be able to talk to each other at all times, and at least one of you must be able to keep the aircraft in direct unaided sight with a full view of the surrounding airspace.

The observer is sometimes called a spotter. They do not need a Flyer ID or remote pilot qualification, but you must brief them on what to look out for. Using FPV equipment does not allow BVLOS flight in the Open Category.

No, not in the ordinary Open Category. A remote pilot must not operate more than one unmanned aircraft at the same time. PDRA-01 is also built around a single aircraft being operated by the remote pilot. Multiple simultaneous aircraft, swarm operations or coordinated multi-aircraft operations require a Specific Category authorisation based on an appropriate risk assessment.

The main Open Category distances depend on the aircraft and subcategory:

• A1: permitted small or class-marked aircraft may fly closer than 50 m to uninvolved people and may fly over them, but not over crowds.
• A2 with UK2/C2: keep at least 30 m from uninvolved people, or 5 m in low-speed mode, and do not intentionally fly over uninvolved people.
• A2 with legacy under-2 kg aircraft: keep at least 50 m from uninvolved people and do not intentionally fly over them.
• A3: keep at least 50 m from uninvolved people and at least 150 m from residential, recreational, commercial and industrial areas.

Always keep the drone within VLOS, below 120 m, clear of crowds, and increase distances if weather, speed, site layout or other conditions increase the risk.

Yes. A Flight Restriction Zone (FRZ) is a permanent airspace restriction around an airport, airfield, heliport or spaceport. You must get permission from the relevant site before flying a drone or model aircraft in an FRZ.

Contact the site’s air traffic control unit first. If there is no ATC contact, contact the aerodrome, heliport or spaceport operator and follow their published process. Do not launch until permission has been granted.

Check NOTAMs before every flight using an official or up-to-date source such as the NATS AIS NOTAM briefing service, the NOTAM Info tool, or a reputable planning app such as Drone Assist. Review restrictions during planning and check again shortly before launch, because temporary airspace restrictions and hazards can change at short notice.

Do not treat the airspace class by itself as the only permission test. In ordinary Open Category operations, the key question is whether your site is affected by a Flight Restriction Zone, restricted area, prohibited area, danger area, temporary restriction, UAS geographical zone or another applicable restriction.

Class G airspace has no routine ATC clearance requirement. Controlled airspace is not automatically prohibited solely because it is controlled, but many controlled-airspace locations contain FRZs or other restrictions. If the site is inside an FRZ or any other restricted airspace, you must obtain the required permission from the relevant controlling authority before flying.

Yes. Disturbing nesting birds or protected species can breach wildlife law, including the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Many Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), nature reserves and managed conservation sites also have local rules, bylaws or landowner restrictions that may limit or prohibit drone take-off and landing.

Check official signage, landowner permission, conservation authority guidance and local restrictions before you fly, and keep a greater distance if wildlife may be disturbed.

Find the aerodrome, heliport or spaceport’s published FRZ process, often linked through flight planning tools or the site’s own website. You will normally need to provide the date, time, location, operating height, aircraft details, pilot details and contact information.

Wait for explicit permission before flying. Carry the approval with you on site and comply with any conditions given by ATC, the flight information service unit or the aerodrome operator.

For a PDRA-01 Operational Authorisation, remote pilots must hold a valid Flyer ID and either a valid RPC-L1 in the relevant aircraft type or a valid GVC in the relevant aircraft type. They must also meet the authorisation, operations manual and currency requirements.

For a bespoke UK SORA authorisation, the required remote pilot competence depends on the operation and the CAA’s assessment. The authorisation and supporting application material should identify the required RPC level or other competence evidence.

Insurance depends on what you are doing. If you fly a drone or model aircraft for any commercial reason, you must have third-party liability insurance as a minimum. This includes paid filming, surveys, deliveries, work on farms, parks or estates, and use in educational settings.

If you only fly for recreation, sport or as a hobby, insurance is generally optional, but you remain responsible for injury, damage or loss caused by your aircraft. Any insurance that is required must comply with Assimilated Regulation (EU) 785/2004.

The UK Specific Operations Risk Assessment (UK SORA) replaced the previous Operating Safety Case method for new relevant applications from 23 April 2025. It is a structured risk assessment framework for Specific Category operations that are not covered by PDRA-01.

UK SORA assesses ground risk and air risk, supports the assignment of a SAIL level, and identifies the operational safety objectives, mitigations and evidence needed for the proposed operation.

The remote pilot must keep the aircraft in direct, unaided sight so they can monitor its position, orientation and surrounding airspace, and control its flight path to avoid collisions. Normal glasses or contact lenses are fine, but binoculars, telephoto lenses, phones, tablets and video goggles do not count as unaided direct sight.

FPV can only be used with an observer as described in the CAA guidance. BVLOS or BVLOS with visual mitigation requires an appropriate Specific Category authorisation.

Use the CAA drones hub for current public guidance, including the Drone and Model Aircraft Code, registration pages, Remote ID guidance, class mark information, Specific Category guidance, PDRA-01 guidance and UK SORA material. For legal text and AMC/GM, use the CAA Regulatory Library and the current UK versions of Regulations 2019/947 and 2019/945.

If your drone or model aircraft has a camera or listening device, you must respect other people’s privacy. Photos, video or audio in which people can be identified may be subject to the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, whether the people are captured intentionally or unintentionally.

Avoid filming where people can reasonably expect privacy, such as inside homes or gardens. Consider signage, consent, minimising what you record, keeping footage secure, and deleting footage when you no longer have a lawful reason to keep it.

All UAS accidents and serious incidents must be reported to the AAIB, regardless of aircraft weight or whether the flight was commercial. Anyone involved who has knowledge of the accident or serious incident may have a reporting duty, including the owner, operator or remote pilot.

Other reportable UAS occurrences should be submitted to the CAA through the ECCAIRS2 reporting portal. Include your Operator ID and state whether an operational authorisation was held. Specific Category operators should also follow the reporting requirements in their authorisation and operations manual.

Drone batteries are usually lithium-ion or lithium-polymer batteries and must be handled as dangerous goods for air travel. Spare batteries should normally be carried in hand luggage and protected from short circuit, for example by using terminal covers, tape, original packaging or individual battery bags.

Lithium-ion batteries up to 100 Wh are normally allowed subject to airline rules. Batteries between 100 Wh and 160 Wh usually require airline approval and are limited in number. Batteries above 160 Wh are generally not permitted on passenger aircraft. Always check your airline’s policy before travelling.

UK class marks are the UK product classes for drones and model aircraft, from UK0 to UK6. New models placed on the UK market from 1 January 2026 must have a UK class mark. Legacy aircraft can still be flown, but their privileges depend on their weight and the operating subcategory.

The UK recognises EU C-class drones as the equivalent UK class until 31 December 2027. For example, a C0 aircraft can be flown as UK0, and a C1 aircraft can be flown as UK1 during that recognition period. The Drone Code does not cover C5/UK5 or C6/UK6 operations, which require CAA authorisation for more advanced flying.

The old transitional privilege that allowed certain legacy 250 g to 500 g aircraft to be flown closer than 50 m to uninvolved people with an A2 CofC did not continue after January 2026.

However, the current 2026 rules still allow a legacy aircraft under 2 kg that is not UK2 or C2 class to be flown in A2 with an A2 CofC, provided it is kept at least 50 m from uninvolved people and is not intentionally flown over uninvolved people. UK2 and recognised C2 aircraft have the normal A2 30 m rule, reducible to 5 m in low-speed mode where applicable.

Open Category recreational flyers are not generally required to keep formal flight logs, but keeping basic notes can still help with maintenance, learning and incident review.

Specific Category operators should keep records required by their authorisation and operations manual. For PDRA-01, remote pilots must keep a flight log including details such as the pilot name and Flyer ID, date, take-off and landing location, flight duration, day or night operation, description of the flight, unusual occurrences, aircraft make and model, and aircraft serial or registration number where applicable.

Legacy aircraft remain legal to fly, but new drone and model aircraft models placed on the UK market from 1 January 2026 must have a UK class mark. Plan upgrades around the privileges you need: UK0/UK1 for A1 operations, UK2 for A2 operations, and UK2/UK3/UK4 for A3 operations where appropriate.

EU C-class aircraft are recognised as the corresponding UK class until 31 December 2027. You should also plan for Remote ID requirements, including the 2026 requirements for UK1/UK2/UK3 and UK5/UK6 where applicable, and the wider 2028 requirements for UK0 with camera, UK4, legacy, privately built and model aircraft unless exempted.