In January 2026, the UK’s drone laws were updated.  The key changes are the removal of the existing transitional arrangements in the A1 and A2 categories, and the whole-scale re-introduction of Class markings, that allows the widening of the A1 class (‘Fly over’ people) to 900g.  This means that a UK C1 or EU C1 marked drone can be used far more widely, even the superb Mavic 3 Thermal Advanced (M3TA)(EU-C1)! 

These regulations govern where and with what ‘class’ of drone you can fly within the UK. Infringement of these rules is a criminal offence.  The CAA had already introduced two new mandatory elements, under the Drone and Model Aircraft Registration and Education Service (DMARES) in November 2019, and the EU harmonised Drone Regulation in December 2020.  This affects you and must be followed to fly a drone legally in the UK.

Anyone responsible for a drone or unmanned aircraft (including model aircraft) weighing >100g or that has a camera needs to register as an operator. The cost for this is £11.79 renewable annually.  This is called the OPERATOR ID.
Anyone flying a drone or unmanned aircraft (including model aircraft) weighing more than 100g must take and pass the DMARES online education package. This is free and needs renewing every three years.  This is called the FLYER ID.

Once you’ve done this training, you’ll have a much better idea of what you are allowed to do with a drone. We summarise it below for reference, but the CAA’s FLYER ID is the best place to start to learn more

A key reference document for you is CAP 722 – Unmanned Aircraft System Operations in UK Airspace – Guidance. You can download a copy here.

The vast majority of drone pilots in the UK who are using their drone for either recreational or commercial use are only interested in the OPEN and SPECIFIC Categories. We provide training course and SORA support for all cases.  We also have the niche competencies gained through the experience of supporting new UAS and manned aircraft and modifications into civil and military service in the highly regulated fields of safety, airworthiness and operations.  We can provide consultancy support to large scale users looking to operate in the future CERTIFIED category.

The OPEN Category will be where the majority of recreational and semi-professional drone pilots will fly. This category is intended for low risk flights whereby no prior authorisation from the CAA is required.

This OPEN Category is further broken down into 3 sub-categories A1, A2 and A3. These are to describe the type of operation you are conducting in the OPEN Category and summarised as:

A1- Flying ‘over’ people
A2- Flying ‘close’ to people
A3- Flying ‘far from’ people

There are now 4 weight classes of drone that will be marked with a UK or CE marking logo. Why? Depending on where you are trying to fly, and with what weight your drone is at take-off, will depend on different operating restrictions in the UK that will apply. You can download a table below which summarises the sub category, what you can do and what weight class of drone applies.

The A2 CofC is a remote pilot competency certificate primarily intended to assure safe operations of unmanned aircraft close to uninvolved persons. The certificate assures an appropriate knowledge of the technical and operational mitigations for ground risk (the risk of a person being struck by the unmanned aircraft).

An A2 CofC is required to be held by the remote pilot when:  Open Category OR Operating in the A2 subcategory. This A2CofC Certificate is going to be needed to support most semi-professional commercial operations with a UKC2 or EU-C2 marked drone flying in the A2 Open Category

The SPECIFIC Category is intended for all drone operations that do not comply with the ‘limits’ of the OPEN category. In general a risk assessment will be required with mitigation measures to reduce any risk. 
 
In this category an Operational Authorisation (OA) will be required from the CAA and you will have had to complete some formal training known as the General VLOS Certificate (GVC). This is a formal theory and practical flight assessment course by a Recognised Assessment Entity (RAE) during which you will produce an Operations Manual describing your operation that will be submitted to the CAA for an OA approval. You can also do the Part B bolt-on qualification as part of your L1 Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS). The CAA currently have one type of PDRA in CAP 722:
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UKPDRA01 – Operations within 150m of any Residential, Commercial, Industrial or Recreational Areas for UAS with a Maximum Take-off Mass of less than 25kg. This PDRA is designed to enable VLOS operations with UAS in the areas that are likely to be more ‘congested’ than the areas where subcategory A3 operations are permitted.