Regulatory Requirements

Based on the weight of the SUA and the operational risk level, SUA operations are subject to the corresponding regulatory requirements. These requirements include registration and labelling of SUA, registration of remote pilots, training and assessment, equipment etc. Key legal requirements are summarised as follows –

Requirements Standard Operations Advanced Operations
Cat. A1
  1. SUA ≤ 250g; and
  2. Within Cat. A1 SUA operating requirements

Cat. A1 Exempted Models1

Cat. A2
  1. 250 g < SUA ≤ 7 kg; and
  2. Within Cat. A2 SUA operating requirements
  1. SUA ≤ 7 kg but exceed the respective Cat A1/A2 SUA operating requirements;
  2. Operations of Cat. B and C SUA (7 kg < SUA ≤ 150 kg);
  3. Carriage of dangerous goods; or
  4. Operations in restricted flying zone
  5. Cross-boundary SUA operations
CAD’s Permission
Obtain CAD’s permission before flight
Not required Not required Required
Registration and Labelling
  1. Responsible person (aged 18 or above) and remote pilot (aged 14 or above) must register on eSUA; and
  2. SUA must be registered and affixed with CAD’s label
Not required Required Required
Equipment
Basic requirements (flight log and geo-awareness)
Not required Required Required
Training and Assessment
  1. Complete advanced training and pass assessment by CAD’s approved training organisation; and
  2. Attain advanced rating
Not required Not required Required
Insurance
SUA insurance for third-party liability (bodily injury and/or death)
Not required Effective date to be determined Minimum coverage :
  1. Cat. A1/A2/B SUA :
    HK$10 million
  2. Cat. C SUA :
    25 kg < SUA ≤ 75 kg: HK$15 million
    75 kg < SUA ≤ 150 kg: HK$20 million

For details please refer to Safety Requirements Document for Small Unmanned Aircraft Operations PDF(PDF: 818KB).

1. Exemption Notice for Category A1 SUA