15 regulation items compared across 10 countries. Official government sources only.
Last verified: 2026-05-17| Regulation | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 🇩🇪 Germany | 🇫🇷 France | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 🇦🇺 Australia | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 🇨🇦 Canada | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇯🇵 Japan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registration Required | Yes (250g+ or camera) | Yes (250g+ or camera) | Yes (250g+ or camera) | Yes (250g+ or camera) | Yes (250g+ or camera) | Yes (commercial; >500g rec.) | No registration required | Yes (250g+) | Yes (250g+ / 0.55 lb) | Yes (100g+ — lowest globally) |
| Registration Fee | £10.33/yr (Operator ID); Flyer ID Free | €20 individual / €50 corporate (one-time) | Free (AlphaTango platform) | Per RDW schedule | SEK 190 + SEK 250/yr renewal | Included in ReOC fee | N/A (no registration) | CA$6.97/drone + CA$125 RPOC | $5/aircraft (3 years) | ¥900 (My Number) / ¥1,450 |
| Exam / Test Requirements | A2 CofC; GVC for Specific | A2 Kenntnisnachweis (€200-890) | CATS exam (€30); A2 training | A2 via approved center | Pilotkompetensbevis (free online) | RePL for >2kg commercial | None for Part 101 commercial | Basic/Advanced exam ($175) | Part 107 (60Q, $175) | 二等/一等技能証明 (school + exam) |
| Insurance Mandatory | Yes (commercial — EU 785/2004) | Yes (ALL operators — €750K min) | Yes (ALL operators — EU 785/2004) | Yes (ALL operators — EU 785/2004) | Yes (commercial — SEK 1M+ min) | Not legally required | Not legally required | Required for SFOC only | No federal mandate | Required for 25kg+ only |
| Maximum Fine | Unlimited (ANO s.241) | €50,000 (LuftVO §44) | €75,000 (Code des Transports) | €7,800 per violation | 30-150 dagsböter (income-based) | AU$16,500 per infringement | NZ$50,000 (corporate) | CA$25,000 / CA$250,000 corp. | $27,500 civil / $250,000 criminal | ¥1,000,000 (Aviation Act) |
| Maximum Imprisonment | 5 years (ANO 2016) | 5 years (StGB §315) | 1 year (Code des Transports) | Administrative system primarily | 2 years (gross negligence) | Civil Aviation Act provisions | Per Civil Aviation Act 1990 | 5 years (Aeronautics Act) | 3 years (interference w/ aircraft) | 2 years (Aviation Act §157-6) |
| Remote ID | Phase 1 from Jan 2026 (voluntary) | Required Specific Cat. (Jan 2024) | Signalement Électronique 800g+ (2019) | Required C1+ class drones | Required Specific Cat. (Jan 2024) | No mandate (consulting phase) | No mandate (not implemented) | Under development (no mandate) | Fully enforced (Sep 16, 2023) | Mandatory ALL registered (BT 5.0) |
| BVLOS Operations | OA via CAA (PDRA-01/SORA) | OA via LBA (SORA 2.5 from 2026) | OA via DGAC (STS-02/SORA 2.5) | OA via ILT (SORA 2.5 from Apr 2026) | OA via Transportstyrelsen (SORA 2.5) | ReOC + CASA specific approval | Part 102 UAOC required | Level 1 Complex + RPOC (Nov 2025) | §107.31 waiver (rare); Part 108 pending | Level 3/3.5/4 system (First Class for L4) |
| Night Flight | Open: lighting required; Specific: per OA | Open: lighting required | Open: lighting; Paris restricted | Open: lighting required | Open: lighting required | Permitted with lighting (Part 101) | Permitted with lighting (Part 101) | Advanced Cert + lighting + flight plan | Permitted (Apr 2021) + 3SM lighting | DIPS approval required (包括申請 OK) |
| Urban / Over People | A1: C0/C1; A2: C2 5m rule | A1: C0/C1; A2: C2; LuftVO §21h | C0/C1 urban permitted (Jan 2026) | STS-01 controlled ground area | A1/A2 subcategories; parks restricted | Not over populous areas (standard) | Not over persons without consent | Advanced Cert required near people | Category 1-4 system (DOC cert) | DID permit required (DIPS 2.0) |
| Airport Restrictions | FRZ (varies 2-5km; ATC permission) | 1.5km aerodrome; DFS authorization | CTR zones; nuclear no-fly zones | 225 no-fly zones; Schiphol CTR | LFV/Dronechart coordination | 5.5km controlled; 3NM non-controlled | 4km from any aerodrome (AirShare) | 3km prohibited; NAV CANADA RPAS app | LAANC at 726 airports; 400ft AGL | Airport vicinity per gazette (DIPS) |
| Weight Categories | C0<250g C1<900g C2<4kg C3/C4<25kg | C0<250g C1<900g C2<4kg C3/C4<25kg | C0<250g C1<900g C2<4kg; 800g+ SE | C0<250g C1<900g C2<4kg C3/C4<25kg | C0<250g C1<900g C2<4kg C3/C4<25kg | Excluded<250g; Sub-2kg; 2-25kg; 25-150kg | Part 101: <25kg (all sizes same rules) | Micro<250g; Small<25kg; Medium<150kg | <250g exempt rec.; 250g-25kg Part 107 | <100g exempt; 100g-25kg; 25kg+ enhanced |
| Commercial Requirements | Operator ID + A2 CofC/GVC + insurance | Registration + competency + insurance + OA | Registration + CATS + insurance + OA | Registration + competency + insurance + OA | Registration + license + insurance + OA | Sub-2kg: notification; >2kg: RePL+ReOC | Part 101 allows commercial (no cert!) | Basic/Advanced Cert + registration | Part 107 + registration + Remote ID | Registration + cert + DIPS permit + logbook |
| Processing Time | Flyer ID: 24h; OA: 2-12 weeks | Registration: 1-3 days; OA: 4-12 weeks | AlphaTango: immediate; OA: 4-8 weeks | Registration: 10+ days; OA: 8-16 weeks | Operator-ID: 2-5 days; OA: 20-40 days | ReOC: 4-8 weeks; notification: immediate | Part 101: immediate; Part 102: 4-12 weeks | Registration: immediate; RPOC: 4-12 weeks | Registration: immediate; waivers: 90 days | Registration: ~1 week; permit: ~10 days |
| Difficulty Score | 6/10 ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ | 7/10 ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ | 7/10 ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ | 7/10 ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ | 8/10 ★★★★★★★★☆☆ | 5/10 ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ | 3/10 ★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ | 6/10 ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ | 5/10 ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ | 9/10 ★★★★★★★★★☆ |
The MmowW Regulatory Complexity Index weighs five factors equally: number of requirements (registration steps, certifications needed), cost barriers (fees, insurance mandates), processing time (days to full compliance), penalty severity (fines and imprisonment), and bureaucratic layers (number of agencies involved). Each factor is scored 1-10 and averaged. Data sourced exclusively from official government publications — no speculation.
📜 This dataset is licensed under CC BY 4.0 — free to use with attribution.
When citing this comparison in academic papers, blog posts, or reports, please use:
BibTeX, APA, and JSON formats available via the raw dataset (JSON).
MmowW automates drone law compliance for 10 countries. Registration, permits, flight logs — all in one platform.
Start Free — No Credit CardLoved for Safety.