Flying in the Specific category

Operators must get an Operational Authorisation from the CAA before carrying out operations in the Specific category.

You'll need to tell us about the operations you want to do and provide evidence you'll be able to carry them out safely and legally.

There are two types of authorisation:

• PDRA01 Operational Authorisation
• OSC-based Operational Authorisation

PDRA01 is the simplest type of Operational Authorisation to apply for. It gives you authorisation to fly unmanned aircraft (UA) below 25kg within visual line of sight (VLOS) at residential, commercial, industrial, and recreational areas.

Examples of the reasons people use PDRA01 include:

• inspecting roofs
• taking photos of buildings
• surveying recreational sites

PDRA01 is the only PDRA that's currently available. We may add more in the future.

Find out more about PDRA01 and how to apply or renew.

If the operations you want to carry out are not covered by PDRA01, you'll need to apply for an operational authorisation using an Operating Safety Case (OSC).

Examples of operations that require an OSC-based Operational Authorisation include:

• dropping items from your drone
• flying beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS)
• flying close to crowds

Guidance

You can read full guidance in the Operation of unmanned aircraft, UK Regulation (EU) 2019/947.

There's a different application service for each type of authorisation.

Make sure you've read the guidance on these pages so that you know which type of authorisation you require before you start.

• PDRA01 Operational Authorisation application service
• OSC-based Operational Authorisation application service

You can no longer apply for a PDRA01 using the OSC service

Please complete the online application form and submit the required documents (the application form will lead you through the process).

The form has the facility to attach copies of any relevant information, such as Remote Pilot competence and risk assessments. We are unable to accept documents stored and hosted in third-party cloud servers.

Failure to submit all required documentary evidence will delay the assessment process.

Applications for OSC-based Operational Authorisation are received by our team at uavenquiries@caa.co.uk and will be assessed within 28 working days from date of receipt.

The documentation submitted must be in line with the UK Reg (EU) N.2019/947 (the UK UAS Implementing Regulation).

Guidance to this Regulation can be found in CAP1789A.

Note: The application process contains rejection rules for incorrect application submissions. Should an application be rejected the applicant will be notified and will be required to make a fresh application submission. A rejection/assessment fee of £124.00 for applications which do not meet a certain level of standard may be charged in line with the CAA Refunds & Waivers Policy.

Applications for OSC-based Operational Authorisations Case 1 and Case 2 are received by our team at uavenquiries@caa.co.uk.

Applications including the UAS operators risk assessment should include:

• Operations manual
• Risk assessment
• Details of the competency levels of each remote pilot involved in the operation

Applications will be triaged within 10 working days from date of receipt and passed to the Sector Team for allocation.

Applications might be put on hold for reason such as (but not limited to):

• one or more of the volumes of the operating safety case is not provided
• the name of the organisation and Companies House number do not match
• the OP-ID is not valid
• the Accountable Manager on the OP-ID does not match the AM listed in the OSC-the application type is incorrect

*on-hold means the application is paused and passed back to the applicant for a response.

Once the on-hold reasons are addressed, the application will be passed to the Sector Team.

The Sector Team does not prioritise any application.

The length of time required to assess an application varies and may be impacted by a serious of factors such as, but not limited to:

• the complexity and scope of the operations
• the quality of the documentation submitted
• the organisation compliance with the UK Reg (EU) N.2019/947 (the UK UAS Implementing Regulation)
• the RPAS Sector Team resources and current workload

UAS Operators are advised not to make any commercial decisions or book any contracts if not in possession of a valid Operational Authorisation.

Please note that a renewal application can be received up to 90 days prior to the expiry date of an Operational Authorisation. Any renewal submitted close to expiry date is not guaranteed to be renewed prior to expiration.

Complex applications and applications that are not supported by a robust operational risk assessment may require additional assessment time than paid for with the application fee. Please refer to our Scheme of Charges for details.

In order to avoid incurring in many extra hours of assessment/work, the Sector Team will reject applications that, after few hours of assessment, clearly do not show compliance with the current Regulation.

This is in order to avoid application assessment to be carried on for long period of time and to give the UAS Operators the time needed in order to amend the documentation and review the operational objectives without incurring in any unnecessary extra fees.

Non-UK operators

If you are an unmanned aircraft operator from overseas and want to fly in the UK, then you must register as a UK operator and comply with the same requirements that would apply if you were based in the UK.

There is some scope for valid national documents relating to operator certification, remote pilot competency or even national operational authorisations to be accepted by the CAA as part of a risk assessment. This is particularly the case where the regulatory environment in the operator’s parent country is similar to that of the UK (e.g. EU Member States).

Details of our charges can be found in the General Aviation Scheme of Charges.

All applications are subject to the payment of the necessary fees as defined in the CAA Scheme of Charges. The latest details can be found by looking for the CAA Scheme of Charges (General Aviation) section.

Case 2 (reduced charge) applications

The CAA Scheme of Charges provides for some selected situations where it is anticipated that the time required for the CAA to process and authorise the application would be less than expected for the majority of applications. As a result, these ‘Case 2’, applications are charged at a lower rate.

The following types of operation (one only) may be applied for under ‘Case 2’ status:

• Flights above 400ft/120 metres that are conducted under VLOS;
• Flights of UAS with a mass that is less than 25kg at reduced distances from uninvolved persons down to a minimum of 30 metres;
• ‘Extended VLOS’ (EVLOS) flights using a maximum of one observer.

All other applications or use of two or more in the list above must be made as ‘Case 1’.

Note: despite fitting into one of the Case 2 categories above, if the amount of work expended by the CAA while processing an individual  application exceeds 4 hours (e.g. because the application is unclear, or poorly justified), the application would then become a ‘Case 1’ and the higher charge would apply.