Do you need permission to film with a drone in the UK?
Usually yes, and often from more than one place: the CAA, the landowner, and sometimes an airport, a prison, a council or a venue. Here’s who you need to ask, and when.
Permission isn’t one thing, it’s four
People often ask whether they need “a licence” to film with a drone. In the UK the answer is split across four different kinds of permission, and which ones you need depends on the drone, the place and the job.
The first is from the regulator: registering with the CAA, passing the right tests, and for some work holding an operational authorisation. The second is for the airspace: some places, like airports and prisons, need permission before any drone can fly there. The third is for the land you take off from. The fourth is from the people and organisations who own or run the location you are filming.
Getting any one of them doesn’t cover the others. A CAA authorisation doesn’t give you the right to take off from someone’s field, and a landowner can’t give you permission to fly inside an airport’s restriction zone.
I’ve flown commercially for more than thirteen years, much of it for television, and sorting these permissions out is a big part of every job. This post is in two parts. Part one is for anyone who has just bought a drone and wants to film legally. Part two is for professional pilots, and for the producers who hire them.
A note: this is a plain-English guide, not legal advice. Always check the current rules with the CAA before you fly.
You’ve just bought a drone
What you need to do before your first flight, and where you can and can’t film. No jargon, and no paperwork you don’t need.
Six things to sort before you film
Most of these take an evening to sort, and they are the things that most often catch new pilots out.
Your Flyer ID and Operator ID
Two registrations with the CAA. Most new pilots need both, and you can get them at the same time online.
Flyer ID
What it is. Proof that you have passed the CAA’s free online theory test on flying safely and legally.
Who needs one. Anyone flying a drone or model aircraft of 100 g or more. Children under 13 take the test with a parent or guardian.
Why you need it. It shows you know the rules before you take off: where you can fly, how high, and how far to stay from people. If your drone needs one, flying without it is against the law.
How long it lasts. Five years, then you retake the test.
Operator ID
What it is. Registration of the person or organisation responsible for the drone. That is usually the owner, but not always.
Who needs one. Anyone who owns or is responsible for a drone of 250 g or more, or 100 g or more with a camera. You must be 18 or over, so a parent registers for a younger owner.
Why you need it. It makes someone accountable for every drone in the sky. The operator must label each drone with the ID, keep it maintained, make sure only people with a Flyer ID fly it, and see that it is flown safely and legally.
Cost and renewal. £12.34 a year, renewed every year. One Operator ID covers all your drones.
What the CAA asks of a new pilot
The basics, from the CAA’s Drone and Model Aircraft Code.
Sources: CAA, getting what you need to fly legally and CAA, where you can fly.
- You need a Flyer ID to fly any drone or model aircraft of 100 g or more.
- The owner needs an Operator ID for a drone of 250 g or more, or one of 100 g or more with a camera, and it must be labelled on the drone.
- You must be 18 or over to get an Operator ID. A parent or guardian can register for a younger pilot.
- Drones under 250 g, or in the UK0, UK1 or C0 classes, can fly in towns and closer to people, but never over crowds.
- Heavier drones flown under the basic rules must keep 50 m from people and 150 m from residential, recreational, commercial and industrial areas.
- Stay below 120 m (400 ft) and keep the drone where you can see it.
- If you are standing on private land to fly, you need the owner’s permission to be there.
- Respect people’s privacy: using a camera where people expect privacy, such as in their home or garden, is likely to break data protection law.
Want more on flying near homes? Our guide Is that drone allowed over my house? goes into the rules in detail.
Can you fly a drone in a UK national park?
Often, yes. There is no single rule for national parks. What matters is who owns the land you take off from, the wildlife around you, and the normal drone rules.
Flying over the land is not the same as flying from it
Landowners, including the National Trust and national park authorities, can always refuse permission for you to take off or land on their property. What they generally can’t do is own the sky. Under English law a landowner’s rights only reach as high as they need to use and enjoy their land, and a drone passing over at a reasonable height is not usually trespassing.
So in most cases, if you take off from land where you are allowed to be, stay within the legal height limit, keep the drone in sight and follow the rest of the rules, a landowner can’t lawfully stop you flying over their land.
You may see landowner or park guidance suggesting they can stop drones flying over their land, or that doing so is trespass. The law doesn’t support that for a drone passing over legally. Since Bernstein v Skyviews, a landowner’s rights in the airspace only go as high as they need to use and enjoy the land, Section 76 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982 says there is no action in trespass or nuisance just because an aircraft flies over at a reasonable height within the regulations, and in 2025 the High Court applied the same principle to drones flying at least 50 m above a site. What landowners do control is the ground: taking off, landing and operating from their property. Hovering low over people or filming them in private is a different matter and can still lead to nuisance, harassment or privacy complaints.
SSSIs are the exception we take seriously. Sites of Special Scientific Interest are often protected for their breeding and roosting birds, and a drone overhead can stress or flush them. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is an offence to intentionally or recklessly disturb the wildlife an SSSI is protected for, and disturbing certain rare birds at the nest is a separate offence. Our own rule is simple: we don’t fly over an SSSI without the right consent from Natural England, and we would advise every pilot to do the same. You can check whether a site is an SSSI on MAGIC, Defra’s official map.
Sources: Peak District National Park, Yorkshire Dales National Park, New Forest National Park, National Trust and National Parks UK.
Want the rules for each park, with film office contacts and a map? Read our full guide Can you fly a drone in a UK national park?
Filming people needs care too
You don’t need permission to fly near people, but you do have to respect their privacy, and the law on data protection applies to what you film.
The CAA’s Drone Code asks pilots to respect people’s privacy and to tell people before they start recording where they can. Using a camera where people expect privacy, such as inside their home or garden, is likely to break data protection law.
For paid work you take on further responsibilities for the footage, including storing it securely and only using it for the purpose it was taken for. Productions will often have their own rules for contributors and members of the public who appear on screen.
Being visible helps more than anything. People who can see who is flying, and why, are almost always happy to let you get on with it. Our guide Is that drone allowed over my house? covers privacy in more detail.
Be seen
Stand somewhere people can easily see you, so they know who is flying, and have a quick explanation ready.
Tell people
Let people know before you film them where you can, and listen if they object.
Point it away
Keep the camera on the subject, not on windows, gardens or people who aren’t part of the shoot.
Look after it
Store footage securely, delete what you don’t need, and think before you share it.
The professional drone pilot
Being paid doesn’t change where you can fly, but it changes almost everything else: insurance, competency, authorisations, and the permissions a production expects you to handle.
What changes when you’re paid
There is no separate commercial licence for drones in the UK. What changes is insurance, and the competency and authorisation the job needs.
Who owns the ground, and who runs the place?
The CAA controls the sky. The ground you stand on, and the place you are filming, are a different set of permissions.
You cannot fly here without permission
These places are closed to every drone, whatever its size and whoever is flying it, unless the right body has said yes. A CAA operational authorisation doesn’t change that.
Airports and airfields
Every licensed airport and most airfields have a Flight Restriction Zone, from the ground to 2,000 ft, live 24 hours a day.
Who can give permissionThe airport, usually its air traffic control. How it works
Heliports and spaceports
Protected heliports and spaceports have their own Flight Restriction Zones, just like airports.
Who can give permissionThe heliport or spaceport itself.
Prisons
Within 400 m of a closed prison or young offender institution in England and Wales, since 25 January 2024.
Who can give permissionHM Prison and Probation Service, applied for through the CAA, at least 28 days ahead.
Air shows and big events
Temporary restrictions for air shows, royal visits, major events and emergencies, published as NOTAMs.
Who can give permissionThe body named in the NOTAM, if permission is possible at all.
Military and restricted areas
Military ranges, some government sites and other restricted, danger and prohibited areas on official airspace maps.
Who can give permissionThe controlling authority shown on the map.
Emergency scenes
If an incident starts near you, stop flying straight away. Never fly where you could get in the way of the emergency services.
Who can give permissionOnly the emergency services can tell you to carry on.
Check every location before you fly. A map such as thedronemap.com shows airports, prisons and other no-fly areas at a glance, and NOTAMs should be checked the week before and on the morning of the flight.
Sources: CAA, aerodromes, heliports and spaceports, CAA Drone Code and GOV.UK, drones around prisons.
What a professional sorts out for you
When you hire an experienced operator, most of these permissions become their job, not yours.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a licence to fly a drone in the UK?
There is no single drone licence. Most pilots need a Flyer ID, which means passing a free online test, and the owner needs an Operator ID for drones of 250 g or more, or 100 g or more with a camera. More advanced flying needs extra qualifications or a CAA authorisation.
Do I need permission to film with a drone for YouTube or social media?
Making money from the footage counts as commercial use, so you need third-party insurance. You also need the usual permissions for the land you fly from and any restricted airspace.
Do I need a commercial drone licence to be paid for drone work?
No. There is no separate commercial licence in the UK. You do need third-party insurance for any commercial flying, and the same rules on where and how you can fly apply.
Do I need the landowner’s permission to fly a drone?
You need the owner’s permission to take off or land on private land. Public land is generally fine to fly from, but local byelaws and signs can restrict drones.
Can I fly a drone from a National Trust property?
The National Trust doesn’t authorise personal drone flying on its land, and its byelaws ban unauthorised flying over its property. Commercial filming may be agreed through its Filming and Locations Office.
Do I need permission to fly a drone near an airport?
Yes, inside an airport’s Flight Restriction Zone, from the airport itself, usually through air traffic control. The zone applies to every drone, whatever its size.
Do I need permission to fly a drone near a prison?
Yes. Since 25 January 2024 you need an exemption from HM Prison and Probation Service to fly within 400 m of a closed prison or young offender institution in England and Wales. Apply through the CAA at least 28 days ahead.
Does a CAA authorisation let me fly anywhere?
No. An operational authorisation such as PDRA-01 lets professionals fly closer to people and buildings, but it doesn’t give permission to fly in restricted airspace or to take off from private land without the owner’s agreement.
Do I need permission to film people with a drone?
You don’t need permission to fly near people within the rules, but privacy and data protection law apply to what you record. Tell people where you can, and don’t film where people expect privacy.
Who sorts out the permissions on a TV or film shoot?
An experienced drone operator will normally handle the airspace permissions, risk assessments and take-off agreements, working with the production’s locations team and the local film office.
Can you fly a drone in a UK national park?
Often, yes. There is no single national park rule. You need the permission of the owner of the land you take off and land on, you must follow the Drone Code, and some landowners such as the National Trust and Forestry England ban drones on their land.
Can the National Trust stop me flying over its land?
It can refuse permission to take off, land or operate from its property, and its byelaws apply on its land. It doesn’t own the airspace, though. A landowner’s rights only reach the height needed to use the land, and the law says there is no trespass or nuisance just because an aircraft passes over at a reasonable height within the regulations. So a drone flown legally from somewhere else, at a sensible height and in sight, is not trespassing. Hovering low or filming people can still cause problems, and SSSIs need extra care because of protected wildlife.
Can I fly a drone over an SSSI?
Treat it as a no unless you have the right consent. It is an offence to intentionally or recklessly disturb the wildlife a Site of Special Scientific Interest is protected for, and many SSSIs are protected for nesting and roosting birds that a drone can easily disturb. Check the site on Defra’s MAGIC map and speak to Natural England before flying.
Always check the rules yourself before you fly
This article is general information, written in October 2026 to help people understand how drone permissions work in the UK. It is not legal advice and it is not a substitute for the official guidance.
Rules change, and every location and every flight is different. Before you fly, every pilot is responsible for checking the facts for themselves: the current CAA Drone and Model Aircraft Code, the airspace at the location, any local byelaws or restrictions, the landowner’s permission, and that they are registered, qualified and insured for what they plan to do.
Halo Vue accepts no responsibility for any flight planned on the basis of this article.
Let us sort the permissions
Send me the locations, the dates and the shots you need, and I’ll tell you which permissions the job needs and how long they take. Halo Vue holds a CAA PDRA-01 operational authorisation, £5m public liability cover and broadcast credits with the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, Netflix and Disney+.
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