Here is a full explanation of the current UK drone laws and a guide to where you can fly legally and safely. If you do our drone flying course, any of our drone training , or any aerial photography, aerial filming then this guide is for you.
The current UK drone laws became law in the UK and Europe at the beginning of 2021. There is now no distinction between leisure/recreational/hobby and commercial drone flights. On our half-day basic drone training course we cover all current UK drone Laws in detail.
These UK drone laws are in addition to the Flyer ID and Operator ID requirements which were introduced in November 2019, known as Drone & Model Aircraft Registration and Education Scheme (DMARES).
If your drone is under <250g and has a camera you need to register it and get an Operator ID. If your drone is over >250g you need to register it and get an Operator ID.
Categories
There are three UK Drone Laws operational categories:
Open – for hobby flyers and some commercial users
Specific – enterprise drone pilots
Certified – High risk operations
Open Category
The Open Category is subdivided into three subcategories:
A1 – fly over people
A2 – fly close to people
A3 – Fly far from people
It is the drone, operating site, environment, and proximity to uninvolved persons, which dictate the requirements of these three subcategories.
New drone classes were introduced (C1 -C4) based on weight, danger to the public, safety and other factors. On 18 August 2022 the DJI Mavic 3 was the first drone to be granted the C1 drone Certificate but will need to be activated by the user.
Drones launched before January 2021 with no class markings have a transition period until 31 December 2022 to allow them to continue to be flown under the current regulations. They are called Legacy or Transitional aircraft.
To operate in the A1 or A2 Subcategories with a Legacy Aircraft you will need an A2 Certificate of Competency (A2 CofC).
Operations that cannot be performed in the Open Category can be flown in the Specific Category with an Operational Authorisation, which has replaced the CAA PfCO.
A General Visual Line of Sight Certificate (GVC) is required to apply for an Operational Authorisation. The A2 CofC and GVC combined have replaced the PfCO for all new applicants.
Existing PfCO holders have grandfather rights and when they renew their PfCO they have been bought into line with the Current Operational Authorisation.
Open Category – A1 – Fly Over People
This category is for drones which pose the least risk, due to their weight, danger to people and other factors.
Drones such as the DJI Mavic Mini, Mini 2 and Min 3 Pro can be operated in this subcategory. All these drones are under 250gms
No flights are allowed within restricted airspace (Restricted Areas, Danger Areas, FRZs) without relevant permission.
Flights are permitted within residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas.
There are no specified separation distances from uninvolved people.
Class C0 drones and drones with sub-250g flying weight: No flight over assemblies of people.
Class C1 drones and A1 Legacy drones (less than 500g, such as DJI Mavic Air and Spark): No intentional flight over uninvolved persons. All pilots must have an A2 CofC to fly an A1 Legacy drone.
Open Category – A2 – Fly Near to People
This subcategory enables drones which are C2 rated (these drones will weigh up to 4kg) to fly up to 30 metres horizontally from people, or even closer in low-speed mode.
All pilots must have an A2 CofC to fly in the A2 subcategory.
A2 Legacy drones – drones which are currently on the market but not class-marked – weighing up to 2kg can fly up to 50m horizontally from people. This replaced the earlier regulation (prior to January 2021) of a 50m bubble over and around people.
Drones such as the DJI Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom, and Mavic Air 2 are under 2Kg are A2 Legacy drones and can be flown in this subcategory.
No flights are permitted within restricted airspace (Restricted Areas, Danger Areas, FRZs) without relevant permission.
Flights are permitted allowed within residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas.
There are specific separation distances from uninvolved people
Class C2 drone: No closer than 30m horizontally. If ‘low-speed mode’ is activated – employ 1:1 rule, but never closer than 5m horizontally. The 1:1 rule is for every metre high of drone altitude you must stay one metre away horizontally from uninvolved people.
A2 Legacy aircraft (2kg max, such as DJI Mavic 2 Pro/Zoom, Mavic Air 2): No closer than 50m horizontally.
Open Category – A3 – Fly Far From People
This subcategory involves flights far away from people.
It is for larger aircraft and for pilots who have an A1 Legacy or A2 subcategory aircraft, but have not obtained an A2 CofC.
Larger Drones like DJI Inspire 2 (weight around 4 kg) and Matrice (normally over 4 kg) would need to be flown in this subcategory. Often pilots of these drones may fly in the Specific Category with an Operational Authorisation.
No flights are permitted within restricted airspace (Restricted Areas, Danger Areas, FRZs) without relevant permission.
No flights within 150m horizontally of residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas.
There are specific separation distances from uninvolved people:
- No uninvolved persons to be present within the area of the flight.
- No closer than 50m horizontally at any time.
- Employ 1:1 rule when reacting to unexpected issues. The 1:1 rule is for every metre high of drone altitude you must stay one metre away horizontally from uninvolved people.
Where Can You Fly
UK Drone Laws are governed by the type of drone you are flying, and the level of risk involved.
Open – normally low risk, no CAA authorisation is required
Specific – More complex operations that are outside of the Open Category boundaries
Certified – Complex High-risk operations equivalent to that of manned aviation. These Drone regulations are not finalised, so the current manned aviation regulations are the basis for regulating the Certified category.
The Open Category is what most drone pilots will be flying under.
Here are the basic requirements that all Open Category pilots must observe:
- The aircraft’s maximum take-off mass must be less than 25kg
- Keep the drone within Visual Line of Sight (VLOS)
- Do not fly higher than 400 ft (120 metres) from the earth’s surface.
The key distances for flying from uninvolved people are specified in the three open subcategories.
New UK Drone Laws Classifications
New drone classes were introduced based on weight, danger to the public, safety and other factors.
New drones will receive a class marking (C1-C4). This class identification will regulate which subcategory of the Open Category the drone can be flown in.
- Class C0:May be flown in all subcategories.
- Class C1:May be flown in all subcategories.
- Class C2:May only be flown in subcategories A2 (with an A2 CofC) or A3.
- Class C3:May be flown in subcategory A3 only.
- Class C4:May be flown in subcategory A3 only
On 18 August 2022 the DJI Mavic 3 was the first drone to be granted the C1 drone Certificate under the Drone Laws. Currently this is dependent on a firmware update and will need to be activated by the user.
All current drones without any class markings (CE) can only be operated as Legacy or Transitional drones.
Here is a table of the Legacy/Transitional drones to 31 December 2022.
| Legacy | Weight | DJI Drone | Flying over People | A2CofC Needed |
| A1 | <250G | Mavic Mini, Mini 2, Mini 3 Pro | Over individuals but not crowds | No |
| A1 Legacy | 250-499g | Mavic Air, Spark | Not over uninvolved people or crowds | Yes |
| A2 Legacy | 500g – 2kg | Mavic Pro, Mavic 2, Mavic Air 2 Phantom | Min 50m horizontally | Yes
|
| A3 Legacy | <25kg | Inspire, Matrice | Min 150m horizontally | No
|
From January 1, 2023, DJI drones without CE class marking labels can only be operated in the Open Limited Category A1 (if they weigh below 250g) or A3 (between 250g and 25kg), and in the Specific Category with an Operational Authorisation. All A1 Legacy and A2 Legacy move to A3 Legacy.
Specific Category
Specific Category covers operations that are a greater risk than that of the Open category, or where one or more parts of the operation are outside the limitations of the Open category.
For the Specific Category the drone Pilot is required to hold an Operational Authorisation, which has been issued by the CAA.
An Operational Authorisation has replaced the PfCO.
A General Visual Line of Sight Certificate (GVC) is required to apply for an Operational Authorisation. The A2 CofC and GVC combined have replaced the PfCO for all new applicants.
Existing PfCO holders have grandfather rights and when they renew their PfCO for the next few years and when they renew they have been bought into line with the Current Operational Authorisation.
The Operational Authorisation sets out the boundaries and the limitations that must be followed when conducting the operation.
To obtain an Operational Authorisation, the operator must conduct a risk assessment of the proposed operation and submit this as part of the application.
Pre-Defined Risk Assessments
Under the latest UK Drone Laws the Drone pilot can use two pre-defined risk assessments (PDRA). This is a set of conditions approved by the CAA relating to a predetermined scenario, with simple safety mitigations.
UKPDRA01
UKPDRA01 is for operations within 150 metres of any residential, commercial, industrial or recreational area for a drone with a maximum take-off mass of less than 25kg.
It is designed to enable VLOS operations in the areas that are likely to be more ‘congested’ than the areas where subcategory A3 operations are permitted.
It provides the same operating privileges to those previously available under a PfCO.
UKPDRA01 enables the following operations:
- VLOS only, maximum 500 metres horizontally from remote pilot; use of a UA observer situated next to the remote pilot, is permitted;
- Maximum height not to exceed 400 feet above the surface;
- Flight permitted within 150 metres of any residential, commercial, industrial or recreational area;
- No flight within 50 metres of any uninvolved person, except that during take-off and landing this distance may be reduced to 30 metres;
- No flight within FRZs unless permitted by the relevant aerodrome;
- No flight within 50 metres horizontally of assemblies of people.
All remote pilots involved in the operation must be in possession of valid PfCO or GVC qualifications, and a valid Operational Authorisation.
UKPDRA02
UPPDRA02 is intended for flights for Research and Development Testing of drones with a maximum take-off mass of between 25kg and 150kg.
It enables short-term initial research and development flights to be conducted, within a sterile area away from people and property.
This PDRA allows drone manufacturers and developers to conduct initial proof of concept flight tests without the need to produce a full risk assessment.
UKPDRA02 enables the following operations:
- Drone operations for the purpose of research and development;
- Flights must be conducted within a sterile area free of any uninvolved persons;
- No flight within 50 metres horizontally from any uninvolved persons;
- Maximum height not to exceed 400 feet above the surface;
- Flights must be conducted at least 150 metres horizontally from any Residential, Commercial, Industrial or Recreational Area;
- Daytime operations ONLY and within VLOS;
- Maximum horizontal distance from the remote pilot must not exceed 250 metres, unless a lesser control link radio range has been specified by the manufacturer;
- Direct unaided visual contact with the said aircraft must be maintained, sufficient to monitor its flight path for the purposes of avoiding collisions;
- Maximum speed: 35 knots in any direction where the MTOM is less than 75kg; 25 knots in any direction where the MTOM is between 75kg and 150kg; Where the speed cannot be measured, the Unmanned Aircraft is not to be operated at a speed that is greater than a fast walking pace;
- Articles may be picked up by, raised to, and dropped or lowered from the UA provided that the activity is confined to a sterile area defined for this purpose, and is conducted in a way that will not endanger persons or property;
- Operations must not be conducted in controlled airspace (Class D and E), except with the permission of the appropriate Air Traffic Control Unit;
- Operations must not be conducted within Aerodrome Traffic Zones (ATZ), Restricted Areas or Danger Areas unless the requirements for access to such airspace has been complied with;
- Carriage of persons is not permitted.
Drone Pilots must produce an operations manual which details how the flights will be conducted, and all remote pilots involved in the operation must be in possession of a valid GVC.
Operational Safety Case
As before with the PfCO, some operations will require and Operating Safety Case (OSC) that allows drone pilots to fly outside the regulations of the standard Operational Authorisation of the Specific Category.
The type of operations this relates to are:
- Flying above 400ft in altitude
- Flying less than 50m down to 10m from uninvolved people.
- Flying less than 50m down to 10m from uninvolved buildings / property.
- Flying beyond visual line of site (BVLOS)
- Flying less than 150m horizontally of crowds of people.
The Operational Safety Case is a very complex risk assessment and operations manual that is submitted and approved by the CAA. It is costly to prepare and submit and less than 5% of all drone pilots have an OSC.
GVC – General Line of Sight Certificate
The GVC fulfils the requirements for the VLOS operations in the Specific Category.
The GVC course consists of a Theory Test, Operations Manual and a practical flight test. The GVC is valid for five years.
The GVC is now the qualification recognised throughout the industry showing that the drone pilot has professional training and proven practical skills with a CAA approved Recognised Assessment Entity (RAE).