Regulatory Compliance

Guidance for drone licences and permits with the CAA

Drone licensing in Israel is confusing: there are two different credentials by weight category, a separate authorisation entirely for night flight or flying over people, and the licence expires after two years. We are not a flight school and we do not sell courses, so we can tell you exactly what your case requires. Including when the answer is that you need less than you thought.

Two different credentials, and most people do not know which applies to them

The distinction between them is by category and weight, not by individual versus company. That is the single most common misunderstanding we run into.

Small UAV pilot licence

Under 25 kg

A theory exam only
Age 16 and over, Israeli citizen or resident
Command of Hebrew and technical English
The holder may act as pilot in command

UAV pilot permit

The heavier category

A health declaration and a proficiency declaration
A military flight-hours form
Comes with ratings: internal, external and visual-line-of-sight pilots
The visual-line-of-sight rating is limited to flight within sight

There is no such thing as a hobbyist licence

The official definition of a UAV is an unmanned aircraft operated for a commercial or general purpose, but not for sport or leisure. In other words, the licensing category itself is intended from the outset for commercial or general use, and recreation sits outside that regime. The practical meaning is simple: anyone filming for payment is on the commercial side, even if they still think of themselves as a hobbyist.

The licence expires after two years, and most people find out late

A pilot licence is not permanent. It lapses after two years and is renewed through an online theory exam. Many pilots discover their licence is no longer valid at exactly the wrong moment, when a client or contracting party asks to see it. It also means a valid licence is a real screening criterion rather than an empty claim.

Why through us rather than a flight school

A flight school sells a course. That is its product, so that is also the answer you will get from it. We do not sell courses, we do not sell equipment and we do not operate drones, so we have no reason to inflate what you need. If a theory exam is enough for your track, that is what we will say. And if you are missing an authorisation you never considered, we will say that too. On top of that, we cover the drone industry daily, so we see regulatory changes as they happen rather than after they have caught someone out.

Special operation authorisation: what catches people mid-job

This is the part that surprises people most. The licence alone is not enough when the mission deviates from the regulations. In those cases a special operation authorisation is required, and it is available only to those who already hold a pilot licence. These are the cases it covers:

Night flight
Flight above 50 metres
Flight beyond 500 metres
Flight beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS)
Use of an observer
Operating several UAVs simultaneously
Agricultural operation under regulation 18(c)
Flight over a person or over infrastructure

That list is worth pausing on. Almost every job that actually brings in money, from thermal night patrol to agricultural spraying or filming over an event, sits inside it. Many people discover this only after they have already committed to the work.

How it works

1. Feasibility check. What you want to fly, for what purpose and at what weight. That determines exactly which credential is required, and whether an authorisation is needed too.
2. Roadmap. A breakdown of the steps with the CAA, the required documents and what to prepare in advance.
3. Hands-on guidance. We stay with you through the process, from filing the application to receiving the actual approval.

Who it is for

Anyone who wants to fly for payment and is not sure where to start, businesses putting their drone operation on a proper footing, pilots whose licence has expired or is about to, and especially anyone who has taken on work requiring night flight, flight over people or spraying and discovered it needs a separate authorisation.