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United Kingdom · Drone test

Commercial drone licence in the UK

There’s no separate commercial drone licence in the UK. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) withdrew the old Permission for Commercial Operations (PfCO) at the end of 2020. You can fly for work in the Open Category with a Flyer ID and Operator ID plus third party insurance, and flying closer to people or built-up areas than the Open Category allows needs an operational authorisation, most simply PDRA01, the CAA’s pre-defined risk assessment.

  • RequiredThird party insurance when flying for work
  • End of 2027When the GVC stops being issued
  • Flyer ID and GVC or RPC-L1What a PDRA01 remote pilot must hold
Where to study

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Do you need a commercial drone licence in the UK?

Not as such. What you need depends on the category you fly in, the same as for a hobby flyer:

CategoryRemote pilot needsCAA authorisation
Open: Over People (A1)Flyer IDNone
Open: Near People (A2)Flyer ID and A2 Certificate of Competency (A2 CofC)None
Open: Far from People (A3)Flyer IDNone
Specific CategoryAs set out in the authorisationOperational authorisation

The business or person responsible for the drones also needs an Operator ID. A sole trader can register in their own name or as an organisation in the trading name; any authorisation shows the name on the Operator ID, so a PDRA01 in a trading name needs an organisation Operator ID, and your insurance policy should be in the same name.

Registering an organisation →The A2 CofC →

Insurance for flying drones for work

If you fly for any commercial reason, you must have third party insurance as a minimum, and the operator is responsible for having it. The CAA’s examples of flying that needs it:

  • getting paid to take pictures, record video or carry out surveys
  • providing delivery services
  • using a drone for work, such as on a farm, park or estate
  • using a drone in a school, college or university

The cover must meet Assimilated Regulation (EU) 785/2004, so ask your insurer to confirm it does. Below 20kg, insurance is optional only if you fly for fun, recreation, sport or as a hobby, though you can still be held liable for injury or damage; at 20kg or more you always need it.

PDRA01: flying in built-up areas

PDRA01 is the only pre-defined risk assessment the CAA currently offers, and the simplest operational authorisation to get. It lets you fly drones from 250g to under 25kg within visual line of sight (VLOS) in residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas anywhere in the UK, subject to airspace restrictions. Its main conditions:

  • within VLOS and no more than 500m from the remote pilot, and below 120m (400ft)
  • at least 50m from uninvolved people, or 30m during take-off and landing, keeping any overflight of them to a minimum
  • never over assemblies of people, and at least 50m away from them
  • remote pilots employed or contracted by the operator, with a Flyer ID and a GVC or RPC-L1
  • an operations manual, flight records and insurance under Regulation (EU) 785/2004

It lasts 12 months, and the CAA aims to issue it within 24 hours. The fee is on the cost page.

PDRA01 and UK SORA fees →

Remote pilot certificates for the Specific Category

CertificateMin ageLasts
General Visual Line of Sight Certificate (GVC)None5 years
Level 1 Remote Pilot Certificate (RPC-L1)None5 years
Level 2 Remote Pilot Certificate (RPC-L2)183 years
Level 3 Remote Pilot Certificate (RPC-L3)183 years

All four need a Flyer ID. RPC-L2 also needs RPC-L1 and at least 50 logged flight hours in the Specific Category; RPC-L3 needs RPC-L2, at least 50 logged hours beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) as a Level 2 pilot, and a Light Aircraft Pilot Licence (LAPL) medical certificate. If you hold a valid GVC, you don’t need to pass the RPC-L1 theory test.

The GVC will stop being issued on 31 December 2027, leaving RPC-L1, RPC-L2 and RPC-L3. Existing GVCs are still accepted until they expire, where an operational authorisation says a GVC is acceptable.

UK SORA, CAP 722 and other operations

Anything PDRA01 doesn’t cover needs an authorisation based on UK SORA, the Specific Operations Risk Assessment, which replaced the old Operating Safety Case (OSC) on 23 April 2025. The CAA’s examples include:

  • dropping items
  • flying beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS)
  • flying close to crowds
  • flying a drone with no class mark over 250g close to people
  • swarms
  • flying higher than 120m (400ft)

The CAA’s main guidance on drone operations in UK airspace is CAP 722, now edition 9.2. Changes to its UK SORA guidance that were due on 1 October 2026 won’t be applied: the current guidance stays in force, and the CAA intends to combine the changes into a single later update. Operators already holding an authorisation, PDRA01 holders and Open Category flyers aren’t affected.

CAA: CAP 722, Unmanned Aircraft System Operations in UK Airspace ↗
Sources: CAA and 8 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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