Flying over and near people

You must generally keep your drone at least 30 m from people who are not essential to its control and navigation. Measure this distance from the point on the ground directly below your drone, regardless of its height.

Actors, athletes and members of the public you are filming are not essential to the drone’s control and navigation.

You must not fly over a person unless CASA has approved the operation.

The exceptions and approval requirements below explain when you can fly closer to people.

Your drone must not create a hazard to people, property or aircraft. Some operations may need more than 30 m separation to manage the risks.

Flying between 15 m and 30 m from a person

You do not need CASA approval to fly within 30 m of a person if:

Before flying, you must have documented practices and procedures and give relevant instructions to your operating crew.

Assess the risks and apply suitable safety measures. Consider your drone’s capabilities and limitations, including position holding, obstacle avoidance and failsafe systems.

See our:

for guidance.

Flying over or closer to people with CASA approval

You must get CASA approval to:

  • fly over a person
  • fly within 30 m of a person without their consent
  • fly closer than 15 m to a person who gives consent.

You must hold a ReOC before applying.

We assess applications using the:

It sets out 3 approval pathways:

  • operations involving informed, consenting active participants
  • operations that meet impact energy limits and other safety requirements
  • operations using a specific operations risk assessment (SORA).

Consent alone does not allow you to fly over a person or closer than 15 m.

Operations in populous areas

Operations in populous areas also require an applicable exemption.

CASA EX45/24 provides a general exemption for qualifying ReOC holders with CASA approval to operate over or near people.

You must meet the exemption requirements and follow your approval conditions. If the general exemption does not cover your operation, you may need a separate exemption.

How to apply

Follow these steps to apply:

  1. Complete the application form

    Before you apply you must have a remotely piloted aircraft operator’s certificate (ReOC).

    Download and complete the relevant sections of the following form:

    Make sure you save it to your device.

  2. Complete or update your supporting documentation

    Attach your:

    • risk assessments
    • supporting documents.

    Check our RPAS compliance page for drone and parachute combinations we have assessed. Check the relevant compliance column for your proposed approval pathway. Using listed equipment does not replace CASA approval for your operation.

  3. Submit your application, supporting documentation and pay the fee

    Submit your application and supporting documents to the email listed on the form.

    We will check that you have completed the relevant questions and provided all required documents. We will notify you if your application is incomplete.

    We will send you an estimate of the application fee, valid for 30 days. Additional fees may apply if an RPAS inspector needs to travel for an onsite assessment.

    To proceed, you must:

    • pay the application fee
    • submit any other supporting documents.

    If you choose not to proceed, please notify us via email.

  4. Assessment of your application

    Once we receive your payment and all supporting documents, we will review your documentation and notify you if:

    • we have any feedback
    • you require an onsite assessment.

    If you don't respond within 30 days, we may close your request. We'll notify you if this happens.

  5. Issuing your approval

    After assessing your application, we'll notify you of the outcome.

    If we approve your application, you will receive an instrument. It will include the conditions of operation.

    Due to the new and emergent nature of these operations, we will only grant approvals for 12 months or until ReOC expiry, whichever is the lesser.

Related content

Related rules and publications

Last updated:
3 Nov 2026
Online version available at: https://www.casa.gov.au//drones/flight-authorisations/flying-over-and-near-people
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