3Drones for commercial photos
Flying a drone for commercial photos
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) says: “You must register any drone used for business purposes or as part of your job, no matter how much it weighs.” CASA also names photographers and film makers among the businesses that may fly in the sub-2 kg excluded category, where it asks for an RPA operator accreditation but no remote pilot licence (RePL) or operator’s certificate (ReOC).
This is general information, not advice on any flight or shoot. CASA is the official place to check the drone rules, and its pages used here, as they stood on 8 October 2026, are listed below.
Step oneRegistration, for every drone used for work
CASA says registration “applies to all drones used for any type of service, including: selling aerial photos or videos”. Flying for fun is different: “If you only fly for fun, no registration or accreditation is needed.”
Who and how long. “You can easily register your drone online in just a few minutes, and the registration is valid for 12 months. To register a drone, you must be at least 16 years old.”
The levy. Registration is free for a drone of 500 g or less; above 500 g, “a $40 registration levy applies to each drone.” Those figures are as CASA’s page stood on 8 October 2026; the page was last updated on 8 July 2026.
The penalty. “If you fly an unregistered drone for business or your job, you could face a fine of up to $18,200.” That figure is as CASA’s page stood on 8 October 2026.
Step twoWhich category the drone falls into
CASA sorts drones by weight:
| Category | Weight | What CASA’s page says |
|---|---|---|
| Micro | 250 g or less | No RePL or ReOC. You must get an aviation reference number (ARN), get an RPA operator accreditation, register the drone and fly only within the drone safety rules. |
| Very small (sub-2 kg excluded) | More than 250 g, but not more than 2 kg | No RePL or ReOC. You must get an ARN, get an RPA operator accreditation, register the drone and fly only within the standard operating conditions. |
| Small (landowner excluded) | More than 2 kg, but not more than 25 kg | Only over your own land, and “provided you do not accept any type of payment for the services.” |
| Medium (landowner excluded) | More than 25 kg, but not more than 150 kg | Only over your own land, without payment, and “You must get an RePL for the type and model of drone you want to fly.” |
A paid shoot with a drone over 2 kg falls outside every excluded category on that page. CASA warns: “If you fly without the appropriate operator accreditation or an unregistered RPA, penalties will apply.”
What each CASA page says about a licence
CASA’s registration page, in its general rule for flying for business or as part of a job, says: “If you use your drone for business or as part of your job, you must also get:” “an operator accreditation” and “a remote pilot licence (RePL)”. Its drone safety rules page says that for paid work or business you must “hold operator accreditation or a remote pilot licence”. Its remote pilot licence page says a RePL is not needed by someone eligible to fly a micro RPA (250 g or less) or an excluded category RPA, and its weight-category page says the micro and sub-2 kg excluded categories need no RePL or ReOC but do need an RPA operator accreditation. CASA is the place to confirm which applies to a particular drone and job.
Beyond the excluded categoriesThe certificate and the licence
“A remotely piloted aircraft operator’s certificate (ReOC) allows you or your business to trade as a drone service provider.” CASA adds: “To operate remotely piloted aircraft under a ReOC, the pilot needs to hold a remote pilot licence (RePL). A ReOC is not a licence to operate a drone.”
- “Your RePL will show the type and weight category of drone you can fly.”
- For a ReOC, “Applications can take up to 70 business days to process, depending on the complexity of your operation.”
Where the drone may flyPeople, weddings and populous areas
CASA’s page on populous areas says: “You must not fly your drone in a populous area.” It explains: “A populous area is anywhere people are living or gathered for a purpose.” Its list of places that can be populous areas includes weddings, parks and beaches.
“You can’t fly over people at any time – no matter how high you fly above them. You must keep your drone at least 30 metres away from people or anywhere a person could be, such as in a house or a car.”
CASA, Flying in populous areas
The same page notes that many iconic buildings and tourism sites sit in restricted airspace, which makes them no-fly areas; its example is Sydney Harbour and the surrounding areas. CASA’s safety rules page says to check a CASA-verified drone safety app before each flight, because the apps show airspace restrictions and local rules. For work, it adds that some flights need a CASA approval, depending on the airspace, the activity and the type of drone.
The ground under the flightLand managers add their own permission
CASA’s safety rules page says drones might need special approval in places such as national parks or wildlife zones, and that private property owners may require it too.
- Parks Victoria: “A permit is required for all drone filming and photography. For any drone filming and photography including RPA/UAV use, you must be or engage a fully licensed pilot and CASA-certified operator (including for drones under 2kg weight).”
- Kakadu National Park: “The use of remote piloted aircrafts (RPAs), including drones, within Kakadu National Park is prohibited except in accordance with a management plan or a permit issued by the park.”
So even a drone under 2 kg, which CASA lets a photographer fly without a RePL, needs a Parks Victoria permit on that land, and Parks Victoria asks that you “be or engage a fully licensed pilot and CASA-certified operator”. The other park rules are in photos in national parks; flying near people, in photographing people in public.