United Kingdom
Which IDs do I need to fly a drone in the United Kingdom?
A Flyer ID for any drone from 100 g up, and an Operator ID as well once it weighs 250 g, or once it weighs 100 g and carries a camera. The test is free, and the Operator ID costs £12.34 a year.
Read the rule before you fly
We check every number on this page against the Civil Aviation Authority, and we print the date we checked it. This page is still a summary, and it is not legal advice. The final word belongs to the Civil Aviation Authority, and a rule can change between our date and your flight.
Do you need it?
- Your drone weighs 100 g or more. The flyer needs a Flyer ID.
- It weighs 250 g or more, or it weighs 100 g or more and has a camera. The owner needs an Operator ID as well, and the number goes on the outside.
- It weighs under 100 g. You need neither, and the CAA still recommends the Flyer ID.
- You fly indoors, or inside a closed net where the drone cannot escape. You need neither ID.
- You are paid for the flight. That changes nothing by itself. The Open category covers leisure flying and low-risk commercial flying alike.
The cost and the exam
- Flyer ID
- Free, and it lasts 5 years
- Operator ID
- £12.34, and it lasts 1 year
- Test
- 40 multiple choice questions, and the pass mark is 30
- Open book
- You may read the Drone and Model Aircraft Code during the test
- Time
- Allow 30 minutes. There is no limit, unless you go inactive for 90 minutes.
- Attempts
- As many as you like
- Age
- 13 to get a Flyer ID alone, and 18 to hold an Operator ID
- Marking
- The Operator ID goes on the drone where a person can read it
Checked on 2026-09-10, against the Drone and Model Aircraft Code, CAP2320, March 2026 and caa.co.uk.
How to get it
01
Read the Drone and Model Aircraft Code
The Code holds every answer on the test. The March 2026 edition carries the rules that started on 1 January 2026.
02
Take the theory test
Sit it on the CAA service. Pass 30 of the 40 questions, and the Flyer ID is yours for 5 years.
03
Register as the operator
Most people take both at once. The Operator ID costs £12.34, and it renews each year.
04
Label the drone
Write the Operator ID on the outside of every drone you own. Flying without the required IDs is a criminal offence.
05
Find your sub-category before you fly
The class mark on the drone, or its weight, sets how close to people you may fly. A2 asks for a separate Certificate of Competence.
Where you can fly
The licence is the start. These limits bind every flight you make under it.
- Height
- 120 m, which is 400 feet, above the closest point of the surface
- Crowds
- Never over people crowded together, whatever the drone weighs
- A1, over people
- Under 250 g, or UK0, UK1, or C0. You may fly close to people, and over them.
- A2, near people
- UK2, or C2 until 31 December 2027. Keep 30 m, or 5 m in low-speed mode. A2 Certificate of Competence needed.
- A3, far from people
- Keep 50 m from uninvolved people, and 150 m from residential, recreational, commercial, and industrial areas.
- Airports
- Never inside a flight restriction zone without permission from the airport
If your drone weighs under 250 grams
Under 250 g puts the drone in A1, so you may fly close to people and over them. It does not remove the IDs, and it does not open a crowd.
- A Mini with a camera weighs more than 100 g, so it needs both IDs. The camera is what pulls it in.
- A crowd is closed to every drone. The CAA defines it as a group that cannot move away quickly.
- The 120 m height limit does not change with the weight.
- A drone bought before 1 January 2026 has no UK class mark. You fly it on its weight, or on its European C mark until 31 December 2027.
What this guide does not cover
A heavier drone, bought before 2026
A drone over 250 g with no class mark falls in A3. That means 50 m from uninvolved people, and 150 m from any residential, recreational, commercial, or industrial area. Most city flying is closed to it.
Flying in the A2 sub-category
Bringing a UK2 or C2 drone within 30 m of uninvolved people needs the A2 Certificate of Competence, which this page does not cover.
Anything beyond the Open category
A C5, C6, UK5, or UK6 drone, and any flight the Open category does not allow, needs an authorisation from the CAA.
Prepare for the exam
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Course
An A2 Certificate of Competence course
The Flyer ID test is free and needs no course. The A2 Certificate is the one worth paying for, because it is what lets a heavier drone near people.
Flying somewhere else?
Licensed, and flying?
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