You are bringing a drone to the United Kingdom. Three questions arise, and only three.
Start with the one that catches people out: the UK left the European Union, and with it the EASA framework. Your EU paperwork does not carry over. This is the single biggest difference between the UK and every country on the other side of the Channel.
1. Am I allowed to fly?
Yes — but under UK rules, with UK registration.
Regulation (EU) 2019/947 does not apply here. There are no STS, no CATS, and the A1/A3 and A2 subcategories you may hold from an EU state do not transfer automatically. The CAA runs its own system.
What decides is your aircraft and what you do with it:
- Under 100 g: no registration required. The CAA still recommends taking the free test.
- 100 g and above: you need a Flyer ID — the test — and, if the aircraft has a camera, an Operator ID too.
- 250 g and above: you need both, camera or not.
- Commercial or higher-risk work: you enter the Specific category, with an Operational Authorisation from the CAA.
2. Must I register?
Yes, separately from wherever you are registered at home. And the UK asks for two things where the EU asks for one.
| Operator ID | Flyer ID | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | whoever is responsible for the aircraft | whoever flies it |
| How | registration | online theory test |
| Cost | an annual fee of around £12 | free |
| Valid | 1 year | 5 years |
| Age | 18 or over | — |
The Operator ID must be labelled on the body of every drone you are responsible for. The fee is reviewed periodically by the CAA — check the current Scheme of Charges rather than trusting a figure you read somewhere, this one included.
One person is very often both. The two remain separate steps, and passing the test does not register you.
3. Where can I fly?
This is the only question whose answer changes with every location. The rules that bite most often:
- 120 m maximum height above the surface
- Visual line of sight at all times
- Distances from people and from built-up areas that depend on your subcategory and your aircraft
- Flight restriction zones around airports and aerodromes — the UK enforces these strictly, and they are wider than many visitors expect
Check before you fly, on the day. Temporary restrictions exist here as everywhere: an event, an incident or a royal movement can close airspace overnight.
If you are flying professionally
The professional ladder is UK-specific, and one date on it matters:
⏳ The GVC stops being issued on 31 December 2027. It gives way to the Remote Pilot Certificates — RPC-L1 (visual line of sight, broadly the GVC's equivalent), then RPC-L2 and RPC-L3 towards beyond visual line of sight. Existing GVCs stay accepted until they expire, provided the Operational Authorisation says so explicitly.
If you are being sold UK training today, ask which certificate it leads to.
Going further
- Drone regulations in the United Kingdom — the full framework, for those working here.
- Drone pilot certificates in Europe — which certificate is valid where, and under what name.