The 4 Drone licencing requirements for Australian farmers

27/06/2024: Videos of DJI Agras T50 unboxing and performing a route mission.
26/4/2024: The DJI Agras T50 was just announced for the Australian market. See details here.
26/4/2024: To see the T50 bundles and pricing, go here.

For ‘Normal’ size drones including mapping drones such as DJI Mavic 3 Multispectral (M3E, M3M, M3T) or Phantom 4 RTK.

Step 1: get an operator accreditation – it’s free and lasts for 3 years

Start here:
https://www.casa.gov.au/drones/get-your-operator-credentials/operator-accreditation

Step 2: register your drone before its first flight - $40 if over 500 grams (most of them such as DJI Mavic 3 , Phantom 4, Air 3 etc)

Start here:
https://www.casa.gov.au/drones/registration-and-flight-authorisations/register-your-drone

For spray drones (DJI T25, T50 etc)

Steps 1 and 2 above plus:

Step 3: keep the required records of your operations

Start here:
https://www.casa.gov.au/drones/registration-and-flight-authorisations/record-keeping

Step 4: get a remote pilot licence (RePL). About $1500-2500 , and 3 days online form home, plus 1-2 days face to face , depending on which training company you choose. DFH subsidises these costs for customers who purchase their spray drone with us. For more information please contact the DFH ag. team on 1300 029 829 or [email protected]

Note that if you have the DJI T10, you can skip Step 4: remote pilot licence (RePL), because the T10 is the only one that is less than 25kgs – its falls into a different CASA category.

Important notes to remember:

There are no CASA authorisations required to conduct spraying operations when operating one drone on your own land besides the RePL and so long as you remain within the standard operating conditions.

The above rules are for when flying on your own property (not being paid to fly).If flying on other people’s property (typically being paid to fly), you will need to add a Type Rating (also called an endorsement (about $1,100.0) , and have a Remote operators certificate ReOC (about $2,000.0). DFH also subsidises these costs for customers who purchase their spray drone with us. For more information please contact the DFH ag. team on 1300 029 829 or [email protected]

Always adhere to the drone safety rules (standard operating conditions) – these apply to all operators.

Related Drones in Our Shop