In short: A UK drone shoot needs two permissions. The CAA covers pilot, aircraft and flight: Flyer ID, Operator ID, insurance for paid work and the Open category distances. The landowner or film office covers where you take off and land. Get both before the drone leaves its case, and treat refusal as a possible outcome.
Two different bodies have to say yes before a camera drone goes up on a UK shoot. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) sets the rules for the pilot, the aircraft and the flight. The owner or manager of the ground you launch from sets their own, usually through a council film office. Having one without the other does not count, so plan for both from the start.
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Drone rules have changed recently and the CAA's own pages are the final word, so check them the week you fly. A competent person must assess the actual job, including the site, the weather and the people nearby.
The two permissions
- The CAA side: your IDs, your drone's class, your insurance and the distances you keep from people, buildings and airspace.
- The ground side: the right to take off, land and stand there with a crew, plus any extra paperwork the council, the National Trust or a private owner asks for.
A shot can be perfectly legal under CAA rules and still be refused because the landowner says no. A shot can also have a willing landowner and need an authorisation you do not hold.
IDs: what the CAA asks for
Under the CAA's Drone and Model Aircraft Code (March 2026 edition), two IDs cover most film drones.
| ID | Who needs it | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Flyer ID | Anyone flying a drone of 100g or more | Passed by taking the CAA's online theory test. Lasts five years. |
| Operator ID | Whoever is responsible for a drone of 250g or more, or 100g or more with a camera | Holder must be 18 or over. Costs £12.34 and lasts one year. Must be labelled on each aircraft. |
A drone under 100g needs neither, though the Code's other rules still apply. Almost every filming drone has a camera, so in practice you need both IDs. One Operator ID covers all the aircraft you are responsible for.
Class marks and the three Open subcategories
Drones placed on the UK market from 1 January 2026 must carry a UK class mark, from UK0 (under 250g) to UK6. Drones sold earlier can be flown by their European C class mark or by weight. The CAA says C-marked drones can be flown as the matching UK class until 31 December 2027, and after that they are treated as legacy aircraft and flown by weight.
The class and your qualification decide which Open subcategory you fly in.
| Subcategory | Aircraft | Qualification | Distance from uninvolved people |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1, over people | Under 250g, or UK0, UK1, C0 | Flyer ID | Can fly closer than 50m and over people, never over crowds |
| A2, near people | UK2, or legacy under 2kg | Flyer ID and A2 Certificate of Competency | 30m for UK2 (5m in low-speed mode), 50m for smaller aircraft, no overflight |
| A3, far from people | UK2, UK3, UK4, or privately built under 25kg | Flyer ID | At least 50m, never over them, and 150m from built-up areas |
The limits that shape a shot list
From the Drone Code, these apply to most Open category flights:
- Never fly more than 120m (400ft) above the earth's surface.
- Keep the drone in direct sight. You must be able to tell which way it is facing without binoculars, telephoto lenses or screens. An observer can help.
- Keep at least 50m from people. Keep at least 150m from residential, recreational, commercial and industrial areas. A standalone building at least 50m from others is not treated as one of those areas, but you must still stay 50m from it.
- Never fly over crowds, whatever the size of the aircraft.
- At night the aircraft must show a green flashing light.
- Never fly in an airport's flight restriction zone. The Code lists other restrictions too, including prisons, military ranges, royal palaces, government buildings and Sites of Special Scientific Interest. It tells you to check a current, reliable source such as the NATS airspace map before you fly.
- Do not fly where you would disturb wildlife, and respect privacy. Using a camera where people expect privacy, such as a garden, is likely to breach data protection law.
Remote ID is a newer duty. It had to be switched on from 1 January 2026 for UK1, UK2 and UK3 drones, and in the Specific category also for UK5 and UK6. For UK0 drones of 100g or more with a camera, UK4, privately built and legacy aircraft the date is 1 January 2028.
Flying for work
The CAA says that if you fly for any reason other than recreation, sport or hobby, you must have third-party insurance as a minimum. It withdrew the old Permission for Commercial Operations (PfCO) at the end of 2020 and says there is no direct replacement.
Its Open category pages do not tie paid work to a single subcategory and send you to a section on more advanced flying. Flying that is more complex than Open allows falls into the Specific category, and you must get an Operational Authorisation from the CAA before any Specific category flight. Two routes matter:
- PDRA01: a pre-defined risk assessment. It covers aircraft from 250g to 25kg flown within visual line of sight, including flights within 150m of residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas and, in small amounts, over uninvolved people. It costs £524 a year with no VAT and lasts 12 months. The remote pilot needs a Flyer ID plus either an RPC-L1 or a GVC, and insurance is required.
- UK SORA: for operations PDRA01 does not cover, such as flying beyond visual line of sight or above 120m. It replaced the older Operating Safety Case method from 23 April 2025.
Even when you stay inside Open category rules, many clients and film offices ask a commercial pilot to show an A2 Certificate of Competency or a GVC. Ask what your client wants before you book the pilot.
The ground side: landowner and film office
The Filming in England drone guidance for local authorities is blunt: the operator, not the council, is responsible for planning and paperwork. It says operators should get the landowner's permission for take-off and landing, whatever the flight category, including for commercial flights from the highway and open access land. The right to open-air recreation on open access land does not cover commercial activity. Taking off or landing without permission could be civil trespass.
It also sets out what a good request contains:
- What you are doing, the maximum height, the flight plan and control measures, and your Operator ID.
- Where you take off and land, the minimum distance you keep from people not under your control, and whether you fly over people, roads or buildings.
- The aircraft type, category and weight.
- The CAA paperwork for that category, plus a risk assessment and insurance.
Councils can add their own standards. Film Bristol is a useful example. It asks for at least seven days' notice for take-off or landing on council land and aims to confirm within five working days. It wants a risk assessment, a certificate showing public liability cover of at least £5 million, the pilot's CAA qualification, a site plan with the take-off, landing and flight path, a method statement and a valid Flyer ID and Operator ID. Only professional drone and production companies can apply, permits start from £245 per day for 2026 to 2027, and nobody takes off from the highway without a road closure, even with a drone under 250g.
The National Trust is stricter still: it says it does not allow unauthorised drone operation at any of its land, properties or places. Our guide to filming around Chichester shows how those rules stack up on a real stretch of coast, and filming in public places covers the wider permit process on foot.
Plan the shot so a refusal does not sink the day
- Write a shot list that still works with no aerial. Ask for permission early enough to find out before the crew is booked.
- Check airspace the day before and again that morning.
- Choose a launch spot away from the public, with someone to keep people clear.
- Keep your insurance certificate, both IDs and your risk assessment in one folder, ready to send.
- Put the flight on the call sheet so everyone knows when the drone is up and who is in charge of it.
Common mistakes
- Treating a CAA ID as permission to fly anywhere. It only shows you are registered and have passed a test.
- Forgetting the launch spot. The flight may be fine and the car park may still be off limits.
- Flying over a crowd for a quick shot. The Code says never, whatever the aircraft.
- Relying on a phone app for airspace. The Code warns that app data can be out of date.
- Buying a drone on last year's rules. Class marks, Remote ID and the 100g Flyer ID threshold all changed recently.
- Hiring a pilot without asking for evidence. Ask to see the IDs and the insurance.
If a scene does not need real sky, a studio has no airspace to check at all. The White Space cove is the room we use for that kind of controlled shot.
Sources
- Civil Aviation Authority, The Drone and Model Aircraft Code (CAP2320), March 2026, read 5 November 2026
- Civil Aviation Authority, Get an Operator ID, read 5 November 2026
- Civil Aviation Authority, Class marks, read 5 November 2026
- Civil Aviation Authority, Remote ID (RID), read 5 November 2026
- Civil Aviation Authority, Flying drones for work, read 5 November 2026
- Civil Aviation Authority, PDRA01 overview, read 5 November 2026
- Civil Aviation Authority, Specific category overview, read 5 November 2026
- Filming in England, Filming with drones: local authority guide (England), read 5 November 2026
- Film Bristol, Drone filming, read 5 November 2026
- National Trust, Photography and filming at the places we care for, read 5 November 2026
Related guides
Questions we get asked
Do I need a licence to fly a drone for filming in the UK?
You need a Flyer ID for any drone of 100g or more and an Operator ID if it weighs 250g or more, or 100g or more with a camera. The CAA says paid flying also needs third-party insurance as a minimum. Flying closer to people or buildings than the Open category allows needs an Operational Authorisation from the CAA.
How close can a camera drone fly to people and buildings in the UK?
The CAA's Drone Code says to keep at least 50m from people for most aircraft and at least 150m from residential, recreational, commercial and industrial areas. Never fly over crowds. Smaller drones in the A1 subcategory can fly closer, and an Operational Authorisation can allow more still.
Do I need permission to take off from council land or a park?
Yes. The Filming in England drone guidance says operators should get the landowner's permission for take-off and landing, including on council land, highways and open access land, and that commercial activity on open access land is not covered by the right to open-air recreation. Many film offices also set their own paperwork.
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