A remotely piloted aircraft operator's certificate (ReOC) allows you or your business to trade as a drone service provider.
A ReOC permits your business to conduct a range of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) operations—subject to approval—that are not available to other operators.
You do not need a ReOC, if you’re:
The requirements
A remotely piloted aircraft operator's certificate (ReOC) allows you or your business to operate as a drone service provider for hire or reward, including:
- employing remote pilots to operate RPA that weigh:
- less than 7 kg
- less than 25 kg
- less than 150 kg
- more than 150 kg – additional certification of the RPA required
- applying for additional permissions and approvals to conduct more complex drone operations outside of the drone safety rules.
A ReOC does not allow you to operate an RPA. To operate an RPA, you must hire a licensed remote pilot or have a remote pilot licence (RePL) yourself.
As a ReOC holder, you must:
Find a certified operator
If you’d like to contact or hire a ReOC holder, search our directory of certified operators.
Apply for a ReOC online
Follow these steps to apply for a ReOC:
After submitting your renewal and payment, you’ll get a confirmation message and an email containing your renewed certificate.
You cannot renew an expired certificate.
If your certificate expires, you cannot continue to operate until you do the following:
- apply for a new certificate
- pay the related fees for the application
- complete the application assessment.
Vary your ReOC
You can change or vary key staff roles or your ReOC. For example, you may want to change a business name or the scope of your activities. To vary your ReOC, you must fill out:
Significant changes
If you need to update the content in your RPAS Operations Manual, you’ll need to submit these changes to us.
We will need to approve your updated RPAS Operations Manual before you can incorporate the new procedures into your daily operations. Fees may apply.
Examples of significant changes include:
- changing the organisation structure or formal reporting lines
- e.g. you place in a head of operations with key responsibilities, or a senior remote pilot role that requires internal assessment.
- changing or adding responsibilities or qualifications for any staff roles
- if you change the amendment procedures within your operations manual
- changing the way you conduct RPA operations that do not or is not likely to maintain or improve aviation safety such as:
- removing pre-flight inspections
- removing or reducing the frequency of your training and checking program
- changes to how you manage operational risks which are not aligned with best practices for mitigating risk
- increasing shift times or reducing the amount of time between shifts
- changing the frequency of maintenance checks
- adding an RPA that is not within the authorised RPAS on your ReOC
- inserting procedures that you do not, or have not held an authorisation for e.g. BVLOS procedures inserted for which you have never been assessed.
To submit a significant change, you must send us:
If your significant changes include changing or varying your ReOC or key staff roles (chief executive officer, chief remote pilot or maintenance controller), you must fill out:
Non-significant changes
You must submit your non-significant changes in your RPAS Operations Manual within 21 days after the change has occurred.
We do not review your non-significant changes and you can start operating to the new procedures immediately. There is also no fee for non-significant changes.
Examples of non-significant changes include:
- adding a new RPA into Schedule 1 of your RPAS Operations Manual that is in the approved scope of your ReOC
- adding or removing serial numbers in Schedule 1 of your RPAS Operations Manual if this is required by your ReOC
- removing RPAs from Schedule 1 of your RPAS Operations Manual
- fixing typographical errors or formatting issues
- changes to the way you conduct RPA operations that improves aviation safety
- Including a procedure for a safety observer or spotter
- Implementing an enhanced training and checking process
- Implementing remote pilot recency requirements
- Inserting driving and flying hours limitation
- Increasing the period inspection or replacement of parts after identified failure trends from conducting on condition maintenance.
To submit a non-significant change, you must send us:
Apply for advanced permissions and approvals
To fly an RPA in some locations or under certain conditions, you must apply for flight authorisations. This applies if you want to operate outside of the drone safety rules and standard operating conditions.
As a ReOC holder, you can conduct some operations without CASA approval:
You may also need to request to issue a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for some operations.
Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) submissions
Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) alert pilots to any potential safety hazards along a flight route or in a specified location.
If you’re a ReOC holder and you have received an instrument of approval that requires you to issue a NOTAM, you must fill out the Airservices NOTAM request form and either:
- submit to Airservices Australia, if you’re a NOTAM authorised person
- submit to us, if you’re not a NOTAM authorised person.
Follow the instructions in the NOTAM Data Quality Requirements for Unmanned Aircraft Operators and the NOTAM Originator User Guide. NOTAM requests that contain errors will not be accepted.
You must lodge NOTAMs:
- at least 48 hours before the commencement of the operation
- during business hours (8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday – Canberra local time).
Contact us
Have a question? Need help?
You can contact us through our online enquiry form.
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