Insurance: who requires it, and on what conditions.

This page records only who requires insurance and on what conditions, as each body states it. It gives no cover limits or prices, and it does not compare or recommend insurers or policies. Whether a particular policy covers a particular flight is a question for the policy's own terms. Insurance is not a safety measure: anyone hurt in a drone incident needs medical care whatever cover is in place.

United Kingdom: the Civil Aviation Authority

The CAA's Drone and Model Aircraft Code, CAP2320 (March 2026), point 20, sets the line by purpose and weight:

• Recreation under 20 kg: insurance is optional when flying only for fun, recreation, sport or hobby.
• Any other purpose: third-party liability insurance is required.
• 20 kg or more: third-party liability insurance is always required.

The CAA's insurance page adds detail. It says anyone flying a drone or model aircraft for any commercial reason must hold third-party insurance as a minimum, and gives paid photography or video, surveys, deliveries and work uses as examples. For recreation, sport or hobby flying, it says insurance is optional but notes that the flyer is responsible for their actions and could be held liable for injury or damage. Where insurance is required, the CAA says it must comply with Assimilated Regulation (EU) 785/2004, and it links the Civil Aviation (Insurance) Regulations 2005. The CAA's earlier Drone Code leaflet (December 2020) also told flyers to make sure they were adequately insured.

The BMFA's member cover (association terms)

The British Model Flying Association's members' handbook (section 5) describes its cover. These are the association's terms, not law.

• Its primary member cover is third-party liability, protecting the member against liabilities arising from model flying. The BMFA says it is not an automatic cover for the injured party.
• Whether aircraft are covered depends on flying within the BMFA's Article 16 authorisation or the Open category, and FPV flying is covered only when done in accordance with the Article 16 authorisation.
• Juniors in its Schools and Youth Groups scheme have reduced-rate cover only while flying under their group leader's supervision; full junior membership is needed for full cover.
• Commercial or trade activities, paid or unpaid, are excluded from member cover.
• Members flying in the USA or Canada should tell the BMFA, and AMA membership is generally required for flying in the USA, according to the handbook.

European Union: EASA

EASA's FAQ says drone operators must always have insurance for drones above a certain weight, citing Article 14(2)(d) of Regulation (EU) 2019/947, and that most EASA member states also make third-party insurance mandatory for lighter drones. EASA says national rules must therefore be checked. National rules were not researched for this site.

United States: the Academy of Model Aeronautics

No FAA statement on insurance could be read, because faa.gov returned an error to every request during the research. What was found comes from the AMA, a model-aircraft association, and describes its own arrangements.

• The AMA's guidance "Flying at AMA Chartered Club Sites" (2016, revised November 2021) says AMA members and clubs pool resources to obtain liability insurance for themselves and for the owners of their flying sites, and that clubs with exclusive rights to a site should allow only AMA members to fly there.
• The same document says a non-member may have a one-time supervised trial flight, during which only AMA members are insured, and the club is protected if the flight follows the AMA's National Model Aircraft Safety Code.
• It also describes an Introductory Pilot Program in which a non-member may be covered during lessons with a designated AMA instructor over a period of 90 consecutive days.
• A search summary of another AMA document, not read, says AMA-chartered clubs require their flying members to hold AMA membership for its liability insurance. That is unconfirmed.

Australia: the MAAA

The MAAA's FPV policy, MOP066 (19 August 2019), lists MOP057, the MAAA's Insurance Conditions, among the documents FPV flyers must follow, and its racing rules (section 9.3) say each participant must meet national requirements including insurance. MOP057 itself was not read, and CASA's website could not be reached, so no Australian legal requirement for insurance is recorded here.

Canada

MAAC's insurance terms could not be read, and no Transport Canada statement on drone insurance was found in the research.

Racing

No racing body's insurance requirement is recorded in the research apart from the MAAA rule above. MultiGP's rule book could not be read, and no FAI insurance rule is recorded.

In short