Operator Accreditation

You must get a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) operator accreditation to fly for business or as part of your job, if your drone weighs:

• 250 g or less (a micro RPA)
• more than 250 g but no more than 2 kg (a very small RPA)
• more than 2kg but no more than 25 kg and you only fly it over your own land (a small RPA).

You do not need an operator accreditation if:

• you hold a remote pilot licence (RePL)
• you’re flying for fun, including model aircraft association members flying at CASA-approved model airfields.

You must also register your drone before you can fly.

The requirements

You must get an operator accreditation if you fly for business or as part of your job, including, but not limited to:

• selling photos or videos taken from a drone
• inspecting industrial equipment, construction sites or infrastructure
• monitoring, surveillance or security services
• research and development
• any drone activities for your employer.

Accreditation is:

• free
• can be completed online
• valid for three years
• required to fly and supervise others from 28 January 2021.

You must be 16 or older to become an accredited operator. An accredited adult (over 18) must supervise you if you’re under 16.

You must follow the:

• drone safety rules that apply to all types of drones
• standard operating conditions for micro and excluded category RPA.

To understand the rules and standard operating conditions that apply:

• download or print the Micro and Excluded Category RPA Plain English Guide
• watch our short safety video about operating an excluded category or micro RPA.

Registration for drones, or remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), flown for business or as part of your job is now required.

Some drones don’t need to be registered now. This applies if:

• you don’t intend to fly your drone
• you’re only flying for sport or recreation, including model aircraft flown at CASA-approved model airfields
• you're a commercial drone repairer or manufacturer, but you must keep records.

Registration is:

• quick, easy and online
• valid for 12 months.

The requirements

If you fly a drone, or remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), for business or use one as part of your job, you must register it before you fly.

This applies to all drones that you fly to provide any type of service – no matter how much it weighs. This may include activities such as:

• selling photos or videos taken from a drone
• inspecting industrial equipment, construction sites or infrastructure
• monitoring, surveillance or security services
• research and development
• any drone activities on behalf of your employer or business.

You must be 16 or older to register a drone.

You must also get an RPA operator accreditation if you fly your drone for business or use one as part of your job unless you have a remote pilot licence (RePL) or only fly for sport or recreation.

Registration levy

For drones flown for business or used as part of your job:

• 500 g or less, it's free to register
• more than 500 g, a registration levy of $40 per drone applies.

Registration is mandatory. In exceptional circumstances, you may be eligible to apply for a refund of the remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) registration levy.

Register your drone now

It only takes a few minutes to register your drone using myCASA.

Watch our step-by-step guide on how to register your drone.

To register your drone, you need:

• to be 16 or older
• a digital identity or proof of identity
• a myCASA account
• an aviation reference number (ARN)
• make, model, serial number, weight and type of drone
• download and/or print your certificate of registration from myCASA.

You should also consider whether you need an organisation ARN. If you’re a business, this will allow others to manage your fleet of drones.

Renew your registration

Drone registration is valid for 12 months. You'll be notified by email when your registration is up for renewal.

You can renew your drone registration under the 'Manage registered drones' section of your myCASA account.

Registrations can be renewed up to 30 days before and up to 30 days after the due date. Registrations expire automatically. To keep flying, make sure you have renewed your drone registration by the due date.

If you forgot to renew your registration within the 60 day period, you'll need to register your drone again.

Modifying a registered drone

Modifying a registered drone may require you to deregister the drone and register it as a new drone. This applies if the modifications:

• changes the category or type of drone (eg aeroplane to multi-rotor)
• changes upwards the classification of the aircraft (eg very small to medium); or
• increases the take-off weight by more than 20 per cent (take-off weight includes payload)
• don’t contain parts and components from the permit version that are critical to the operations of the drone.

Deregistering your drone

You must deregister your drone if you:

• lose it
• damage it beyond repair
• sell or dispose of it.

If you sell or transfer ownership of your drone, you must cancel your registration. If you don't, you might be held responsible for any offences committed by the new owner. You can deregister your drone from the Manage registered drones section of your myCASA account. Do not remove the serial number from your drone after deregistering it. A drone’s serial number remains the same even if it is transferred to someone else. After you have deregistered your drone, the new owner will be able to register it using myCASA.

To deregister a drone, or cancel its registration:

• sign in to myCASA
• select Manage registered drones
• find the drone you want to deregister from the list, select Manage
• select De-register
• confirm it is the correct details, select De-register

Penalties for flying an unregistered drone

From 28 January 2021, you can be fined if you fly an unregistered drone for business or as part of your job. The fine is up to $11,100.

You can be asked to produce your certificate of registration by an authorised representative of CASA or member of the Australian Federal Police or State and Territory police services.