UK Drone Laws Explained: What Every Pilot Must Know in 2025
The UK drone regime uses three operation categories—Open, Specific, and Certified—with Open further divided into A1, A2, and A3. Open A1 applies to drones under 250g and allows flight over people in built‑up areas but not over crowds. Open A2 covers drones up to 2 kg and requires an A2 Certificate of Competency (A2 CofC) to fly closer to uninvolved people. Open A3 covers larger drones up to 25 kg or any drone without further qualifications, and must be flown well away from people and built‑up areas (minimum 50 m from people and 150 m from built‑up areas). Specific category