If you fly a drone to make content you earn from, plan on it counting as commercial flying. In Australia, CASA requires every drone used for business or as part of your job to be registered, whatever it weighs, and its pilot to hold an operator accreditation or a remote pilot licence. In the US, the FAA says payment alone does not decide whether a flight is recreational, that recreational means purely for fun, and that you should assume its Part 107 rules apply when in doubt, which means holding a Remote Pilot Certificate. The UK works differently: its Open category covers most leisure and low-risk commercial flying under the same Flyer ID and Operator ID rules, but any flight for a commercial reason needs third-party insurance.
The travel influencer guide has a quick height and distance table for trips. This page goes further into the commercial question, airspace and park restrictions, filming people from above and flying in another country. Filming people from the ground is covered in filming in public laws for creators. Rules here are as each regulator published them when checked on 2 October 2026, and this is general information, not legal or aviation advice.
Does monetised content count as commercial flying?
In Australia the test is whether the flight is for sport or recreation. CASA's registration requirements say you must register any drone used for business purposes or as part of your job, no matter how much it weighs, and list selling aerial photos or videos and “any activities that are not for sport or recreation” among the examples. Footage for a monetised channel, a sponsored post or a client is hard to describe as recreation, so the cautious reading is to register and get accredited before you fly for content. Where your situation is genuinely borderline, ask CASA before the flight rather than after a complaint.
The paperwork is light for small drones. CASA's operator accreditation page says accreditation is free, done online, valid for 3 years and open to people aged 16 or older. Its weight categories page calls drones of more than 250 g but not more than 2 kg the “very small, excluded category”, which CASA says photographers and film makers fly for business without a remote pilot licence, and it requires an aviation reference number for micro and very small drones flown for work. Above 2 kg, CASA's excluded categories only cover flying over your own land without payment, so paid shoots with heavier drones move into licensed operations.
In the US, the FAA's recreational flyers page says it is not correct to assume compensation is the single deciding factor: recreational flying means flying purely for fun or personal enjoyment, goodwill can also be non-recreational, and if you are unsure which rules apply you should assume Part 107. Older articles about monetised videos describe earlier FAA positions, so rely on the current pages. Under Part 107, the FAA's certificated remote pilots page says you must be at least 16 and pass a knowledge test, that registration costs $5 and lasts 3 years, and that since 16 September 2023 registered drones must broadcast Remote ID unless flown in an FAA-recognised identification area.
The UK CAA's Open category page describes it as the main reference for most leisure flying and low-risk commercial activity, so there is no separate commercial permit for simple creator flights. Insurance is the difference: the CAA's insurance requirements say that if you fly for any commercial reason, including being paid to take pictures or record video, you must hold third-party insurance that meets Assimilated Regulation (EU) 785/2004.
Country rule table
| Country and regulator | Commercial status of creator footage | Registration and IDs | Pilot credential | People and crowds | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia, CASA | Footage for a monetised channel, sponsor or client is not sport or recreation, so the business rules apply | Register every drone flown for business, including micro drones of 250 g or less, and hold an aviation reference number | Free online operator accreditation, valid 3 years, for drones up to 2 kg; licensed operations for paid work above that | Keep 30 m from people, measured from the ground point under the drone, and never fly over anyone or in a populous area | CASA registration; CASA weight categories; CASA accreditation; CASA over and near people |
| United States, FAA | Purpose decides, not payment; content made for a business or brand falls under Part 107, the default when unsure | Register under Part 107 for $5 for 3 years, mark the drone with its number, and broadcast Remote ID | Remote Pilot Certificate after passing the FAA knowledge test, from age 16 | Flights over people and moving vehicles are allowed only within the operations over people rule's requirements | FAA certificated remote pilots |
| United Kingdom, CAA | No separate commercial permit in the Open category, but paid flying needs third-party insurance | Operator ID, held from age 18 and labelled on the drone, for 250 g and above or 100 g and above with a camera | Flyer ID theory test for drones of 100 g and above; an A2 certificate of competency to fly closer to people with suitable drones | Keep 50 m from uninvolved people and 150 m from built-up areas unless the drone is under 250 g or a lighter class, and never fly over crowds | CAA what you need; CAA where you can fly |
UK class marks changed on 1 January 2026: the CAA's guidance on what you need to fly legally says new models sold from that date must carry a UK class mark, and drones with a European C class mark can be flown as the matching UK class until 31 December 2027. Check the label on your drone before choosing a sub-category.
No-fly zones, parks and event permits
Australia. CASA's verified drone safety apps show where aviation law lets you fly, but CASA says they are guidance only and that you must also check local, state and territory rules for parks, reserves and protected areas. Its page on emergencies and wildlife says many parks and reserves require you to apply to fly, councils may control launching and landing on their land, you must not fly during bushfires, floods or emergency operations, and some states set wildlife distances, such as 100 m from marine mammals in New South Wales and 300 m in South Australia. CASA also notes that many iconic buildings and tourism sites sit in restricted airspace, with Sydney Harbour as its example.
United States. The FAA's temporary flight restrictions page says restrictions are issued for wildfires, hurricanes, certain major sporting events and emergencies, and that you must check notices before every flight. National parks are mostly closed to drones: the National Park Service's uncrewed aircraft page says its 2014 policy bans launching, landing or operating them on park land and water with few exceptions, and that a violation is a misdemeanour carrying up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine. Ask the park superintendent about permits before planning a shoot.
United Kingdom. The CAA's Drone Code says never to fly in an airport's flight restriction zone without permission, warns that endangering an aircraft can mean five years in prison, and lists prisons, military ranges, royal palaces and government buildings among restricted sites. It adds that events can bring temporary bans and that local byelaws are unlikely to appear in apps, so look for signs and check with the landowner.
Filming people from above
Aviation rules set the distances. CASA's page on populous areas defines them as anywhere people live or gather for a purpose, naming residential areas, parks, beaches, roads, festivals, sporting events and weddings, and says to stay 30 m from people or anywhere a person could be, such as a house or car. Weddings, markets and beach crowds, the places creators most want aerial shots, are exactly where these limits bite.
Privacy law sits on top. The OAIC's drones page says the Privacy Act covers government agencies and organisations with an annual turnover of more than $3 million, and does not apply to individuals acting in a private capacity, with state and territory laws also relevant. In the UK, the CAA's privacy points say filming where people expect privacy, such as inside a home or garden, is likely to break data protection law, that you should tell people before recording where you can, and that recording images for commercial use brings further obligations as a data controller.
If an identifiable person will feature in a sponsored video, get a signed release; the content rights release checklist shows what to record, and the filming in public guide covers surveillance laws and Australia's new privacy tort.
Flying in another country for a shoot
- The CAA's page on flying drones abroad says UK Flyer IDs and Operator IDs are not valid outside the UK and that you will usually need to register as an operator in an EU country before flying there.
- The same page says to carry drone batteries in hand luggage in LiPo-safe bags and never switch the drone or controller on in an airport, because detection systems may raise an alarm.
- For the US, the FAA's information for international operators says foreign drones must follow Remote ID rules and file a notice of identification, and that commercial flying by a foreign operator needs a Department of Transportation foreign aircraft permit, applied for at least 15 days ahead and sometimes taking about 30 days.
- Check the destination regulator's own pages, any national park rules, and whether your insurance covers flying outside your home country.
Pre-flight checklist for content shoots
- Decide whether this footage feeds anything you earn from. If it does, prepare as a business flight.
- Confirm your credentials are current: CASA registration and accreditation, FAA certificate and registration with Remote ID, or a UK Flyer ID with the Operator ID label on the drone.
- Confirm insurance. It is mandatory for commercial flights in the UK, and brands, venues and councils may ask for proof elsewhere; the creator insurance checklist covers what to ask.
- Check airspace on the day with a CASA-verified app, a B4UFLY or LAANC provider, or the NATS restrictions map, including temporary restrictions.
- Get permission from the land manager for take-off and landing: park authority, council or private owner.
- Walk the site and mark where people, roads, homes and gatherings are, then plan a route that keeps the distances in the table.
- Check the weather and keep the drone in sight for the whole flight.
- Brief anyone who will appear on camera and collect releases from anyone featured.
- Keep away from emergencies and wildlife, and check any marine mammal distance rule in your state.
- Log the flight: date, location, drone, pilot, permissions and any incident.
- Review the footage before posting for faces, number plates, backyards and anything else that locates or identifies people, including your own home.
Limitations of this guide
Drone rules change often, as the UK's 2026 class-mark transition shows, and regulators decide borderline cases on their own facts. This page summarises CASA, FAA, CAA, National Park Service and OAIC pages as published when checked on 2 October 2026; it does not cover advanced operations, beyond-visual-line-of-sight flying, night flying rules in detail, or countries other than Australia, the UK and the US. It is general information, not legal or aviation advice. Ask the regulator directly before a flight you are unsure about, talk to an insurer or broker about cover, and get legal advice if you are contacted about an incident or a privacy complaint.