ISO/IEC 22460-1:2025

Cards and security devices for personal identification - ISO UAS licence and drone or UAS security module - Part 1: Physical characteristics and basic data sets for UAS licence

This document establishes requirements and recommendations for the design format and data content of a drone or UAS remote pilot and remote crew licence, encompassing both visual human-readable features and machine-readable technologies. By establishing a common basis, this document aims to standardize drone or UAS remote pilot and remote crew licence without impeding the efforts of individual national or regional drone or UAS-related authorities. NOTE Not all jurisdictions require drone or UAS remote pilot and remote crew licences.

Cartes et dispositifs de sécurité pour l'identification des personnes — Permis ISO et module d'identité de drone pour les drones (véhicules ultralégers ou systèmes d'aéronefs sans équipage à bord) — Partie 1: Caractéristiques physiques et jeu de données de base pour les permis de systèmes d'aéronefs sans équipage à bord

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 01-May-2025
• ICS: 35.240.15 - Identification cards. Chip cards. Biometrics
• Technical Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 17 - Cards and security devices for personal identification
• Drafting Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 17 - Cards and security devices for personal identification
• Current Stage: 6060 - International Standard published
• Start Date: 02-May-2025
• Due Date: 28-Nov-2025
• Completion Date: 02-May-2025

Overview

ISO/IEC 22460-1:2025 specifies the physical characteristics and basic data sets for drone and UAS remote pilot and remote crew licences. The standard defines requirements and recommendations for both human‑readable and machine‑readable licence elements to support secure identification, international interoperability and automated verification. It establishes a common foundation for domestic and international drone licences (DDrL / IDrL / IUAL) while allowing national and regional authorities to apply additional rules.

Key technical topics and requirements

• Card format and size: Licence design follows ISO ID‑1 size principles for portable, card‑based UAS licences.
• Mandatory and optional data elements: A minimum mandatory data element set is defined, with provisions for supplementary national/regional fields.
• Human‑readable design: Visual layout, categories, symbols and anti‑tamper features to support manual verification (see Annex A, B).
• Machine‑readable technologies: Support for integrated circuits (ISO 7816) and contactless chips (ISO 14443) at the discretion of issuers.
• Security and integrity: Recommendations for cryptography, access control and secure storage of eID/RID within a Drone or UAS Security Module (DSM) to prevent unauthorized remote reading.
• Tiered licence system: Classification of licence types and tiers (DrL TG1–TG2; UAL TG3–TG6) to align skills/privileges with operational complexity.
• Durability and issuance controls: Requirements for card durability, issuance procedures and measures to resist counterfeiting and alteration (Annex C).
• Interoperability mapping: Cross‑references to ICAO and EASA frameworks for harmonized international use (Annex D).

Practical applications and users

• National aviation authorities and regulators: Create or update domestic drone licence programs that are internationally compatible.
• Issuing agencies and credential issuers: Design, produce and personalize secure IDrL/IUAL cards and data sets.
• Card manufacturers and smart‑card integrators: Implement ISO 7816/14443 chip solutions and DSM containers per referenced standards.
• UAS operators, remote pilots and operators’ organizations: Use standardized licences for cross‑border operations and compliance checks.
• UAS Traffic Management (UTM) and enforcement systems: Automate identity verification and access control while preserving pilot privacy and data integrity.

Related standards

• ISO 7816 (contact smart cards)
• ISO 14443 (contactless cards)
• ISO 23629‑8 (eID/RID storage considerations)
• ISO 21895 (reference for UAV weight/categorization)
• Annex D of ISO/IEC 22460‑1:2025 maps to ICAO and EASA requirements

ISO/IEC 22460-1:2025 is essential for stakeholders seeking secure, interoperable and durable drone licence credentials that support both human and machine verification across jurisdictions. Keywords: ISO/IEC 22460-1:2025, UAS licence, drone licence, remote pilot licence, UAS security module, DSM, ISO 7816, ISO 14443, eID/RID, machine‑readable.

Standards Content (Sample)

International
Standard
ISO/IEC 22460-1
First edition
Cards and security devices for
2025-05
personal identification — ISO UAS
licence and drone or UAS security
module —
Part 1:
Physical characteristics and basic
data sets for UAS licence
Cartes et dispositifs de sécurité pour l'identification des
personnes — Permis ISO et module d'identité de drone pour
les drones (véhicules ultralégers ou systèmes d'aéronefs sans
équipage à bord) —
Partie 1: Caractéristiques physiques et jeu de données de base
pour les permis de systèmes d'aéronefs sans équipage à bord
Reference number
© ISO/IEC 2025
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative reference(s) . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Abbreviated terms . 5
5 Drone or UAS remote pilot licence and remote crew licence overview . 6
5.1 Drone or UAS remote pilot licence and crew licence .6
5.2 Tiered licence system .7
5.3 DrL TG1 .7
5.4 DrL TG2 .7
5.5 UAL TG3 .7
5.6 UAL TG4 .8
5.7 UAL TG5 .8
5.8 UAL TG6 .8
5.9 Drone or UAS security module .8
5.10 Drone or UAS licences .8
6 Human-readable data elements on IDrL or IUAL . 10
6.1 General .10
6.2 Visual presence .10
6.3 Data element tables .10
6.4 Basic data elements .11
6.5 Card design . 12
6.6 Drone or UAS categories and symbol descriptions . 12
6.7 Security of an IDrL or IUAL . 12
6.8 Procedures for securing the issuance and use of IDrLs or IUALs . 12
6.9 Card durability . 12
6.10 Additional data elements . 12
Annex A (normative) Card design. 14
Annex B (normative) Drone or UAS categories and symbol descriptions .22
Annex C (informative) Main threats to the security of an IDrL or IUAL .24
Annex D (informative) Mapping between ISO, ICAO and EASA standards .27
Annex E (informative) Distinguishing the number of countries for drone or UAS identification
national code .29
Bibliography .35

© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
iii
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity.
ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations,
governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types
of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the ISO/
IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives or www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs).
ISO and IEC draw attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the
use of (a) patent(s). ISO and IEC take no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any
claimed patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO and IEC had not
received notice of (a) patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers
are cautioned that this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent
database available at www.iso.org/patents and https://patents.iec.ch. ISO and IEC shall not be held
responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions
related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
In the IEC, see www.iec.ch/understanding-standards.
This document was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 17, Cards and security devices for personal identification.
A list of all parts in the ISO/IEC 22460 series can be found on the ISO and IEC websites.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards
body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html and
www.iec.ch/national-committees.

© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
iv
Introduction
0.1  General
This document specifies requirements for a drone or uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) remote pilot licence
(DrL). Its purpose is to facilitate the issuance of a single document that fulfils the functions of both a domestic
drone or UAS remote pilot licence (DDrL) and an international drone or UAS remote pilot licence (IDrL).
Authorities issuing DDrLs that do not adhere to these standards can benefit from incorporating elements of
this document for their domestic licensing procedures. These issuing authorities can define the scope and
function of DDrL as well as the requirements of drone licence and the drone/UAS Security Module (DSM).
The concept of a pilotless aircraft was initially introduced in the 1929 Protocol, and amended at the Paris
Convention on October 13, 1919. A formal definition was outlined in Article 8 of the International Convention
on Civil Aviation (ICAO Doc 7300) signed in Chicago on December 7, 1944, and subsequently amended by
the ICAO General Assembly in 1947. According to ICAO 10019:2015, Item 2.2.1, the remotely-piloted aircraft
system (RPAS) categorizes aircraft without pilots as uncrewed aircraft, while remotely controlled aircraft
[19]
are classified as remote-controlled aircraft .
The RPAS encompasses both operation and personal licensing aspects:
— RPAS operation: This involves the certification, oversight, human performance aspects, RPAS operators
and safety management of RPAS.
— Pilot Certification: The pilots and the other members of the operating crew of every aircraft engaged in
international navigation possess certificates of competency and licences issued or validated by the State
in which the aircraft is registered.
— Personal licensing: This area covers the licensing requirements for remote pilots and air traffic
controllers, as well as any medical prerequisites.
The ISO/IEC 22460 series utilizes licence IDs for drones or UAS remote pilots. The uncrewed aircraft (UA),
which is remotely operated or controlled without onboard personnel, is designed to be controlled by a remote
pilot, ensuring cybersecurity and integrity by storing the eID/RID according to ISO 23629-8. This includes
pilot information within a drone or UAS security module container in accordance with the ISO 7816 series.
To prevent cyberattacks attempting to remotely identify the eID/RID of the UA during flight by UAS traffic
management (UTM) or related entities, cryptographic measures and integrity protection are employed to
safeguard access rights to the elementary file within the DSM in accordance with the ISO 7816 series.
Furthermore, this document aims to achieve the interoperability of eID/RID recorded in the DSM with
integrity once the remote pilot of the UA has obtained flight permission for both local and international
operations.
0.2  Similarities and differences between a driver’s licence and a drone or UAS Licence (UAL)
There exist both similarities and differences between a driver's licence and a drone or UAS licence.
a) Operation Method: An automobile is operated by a driver within the vehicle, whereas a drone or a UAS is
remotely operated or controlled by a remote pilot uncrewed aircraft system.
b) Registration and Insurance Requirements: Both an automobile and a drone or a UAS are registered with
the relevant agencies, and it is mandatory to obtain injury and property insurance. This is necessary
because both types of vehicles bear responsibility for accidents in the event of an accident.
c) Recognition of Certificates and Licences: Certificates of airworthiness and competency, and licences
issued or validated by the contracting state in which the aircraft is registered, can be acknowledged
as valid by other contracting states, provided they meet or exceed the minimum standards established
under the Convention.
d) Licensing exemptions: Motorcycles (e.g. those with engine capacities of 50cc or less) can be driven
without a licence. Similarly, ultra-light toy-level drones (e.g. those weighing 250 g or less, 0.9 kg or less

© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
v
under ISO 21895 maximum take-off grade I, II, or EASA LUC / open category subcategory A1, A2, A3) can
be remotely piloted with a certificate. To obtain the remote pilot certificate, the remote pilot acquires
the necessary knowledge. The preregistered drone owned by the certificate holder can only be flown in
permitted flight areas before sunset.
e) Vehicle Registration Cards and Cybersecurity Measures: Dutch Automobile Registration Card (DA12EN)
is utilized to record the vehicle identification number and automobile registration information on the
IC card EF according to the ISO 7816 series at the time of release. This helps prevent cyberattacks by
incorporating public key information. In addition, DSM performs UAS eID/RID and security functions
similar to the mobile phone subscriber identification module.
0.3  Harmonization and Interoperability
All human-readable drone or UALs issued in each country, including those currently in use, include the
following:
— sufficient information to enable identification of the licence holder;
— security features that make counterfeiting difficult;
— security features that make alteration resistant.
With the increasing global freedom of movement and the growing population and market of the drone or
UAS, along with the expanding application of these systems, there is a pressing need to mitigate drone or
UAS collisions and accidents. Consequently, drone or UAL systems impose additional requirements with
the advent and need for machine-assisted storage, retrieval, reading and verification technologies for the
facilitation of data protection and secure communication.
To achieve maximum global harmonization and interoperability of UTM and ATM, standards in this sector
are imperative. These standards provide common platforms for visual human-readable evidence as well
as for machine-assisted storage, retrieval, reading and verification through the utilization of data storage
technologies incorporated into the drone licence UAS document.
The design approach for the ISO drone or UAS remote pilot and remote crew licence, in accordance with
ISO ID-1 size card standards, aims to establish a secure drone or UAS remote pilot and remote crew licence
not only for domestic purposes but also international compatibility. This licence facilitates both human
verification and machine readability.
While existing domestic drone or UAS remote pilot and remote crew licences may not be recognized or valid
for use in other countries, an ISO drone or UAS remote pilot and remote crew licence would hold validity for
use in any country.
The basic design principles for the document include:
— establishment of a minimum mandatory data element set;
— adoption of a standardized layout for easy recognition;
— implementation of minimum security requirements for both human and machine verification;
— provision for interoperability of the machine-readable content, subject to the discretion of national or
regional drone or UAS-related authorities:
— flexibility to include supplementary optional data elements to fulfil specific national or regional
requirements beyond the minimum mandatory data element set;
— permission for additional physical security features as determined by national or regional authorities to
facilitate international procurements;
— incorporation of machine-readable technologies, such as integrated circuits with contacts according to
the ISO 7816 series and contactless integrated circuit technology according to the ISO 14443 series, at
the discretion of national or regional authorities;

© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
vi
— accommodation of current and future technologies (including mobile, biometrics, cryptography and data
compression) as determined by national or regional authorities.
This design for the drone or UAS remote pilot and remote crew licence results in a document that:
— incorporates security features to deter counterfeiting and alteration;
— enables authorities to authenticate the document’s validity;
— integrates personal data into a secure ID-1 size medium;
— enhances the reliability of licence holder identification;
— allows for the integration of machine-readable technologies;
— facilitates information exchange and mutual recognition among drone or UAS-related authorities.
Issuing authorities can introduce additional functions to an IDrL, provided these functions do not conflict
with the primary purpose of the drone or UAS remote pilot and remote crew licence and do not compromise
the requirements outlined in this document

© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
vii
International Standard ISO/IEC 22460-1:2025(en)
Cards and security devices for personal identification — ISO
UAS licence and drone or UAS security module —
Part 1:
Physical characteristics and basic data sets for UAS licence
1 Scope
This document establishes requirements and recommendations for the design format and data content of a
drone or UAS remote pilot and remote crew licence, encompassing both visual human-readable features and
machine-readable technologies. By establishing a common basis, this document aims to standardize drone
or UAS remote pilot and remote crew licence without impeding the efforts of individual national or regional
drone or UAS-related authorities.
NOTE Not all jurisdictions require drone or UAS remote pilot and remote crew licences.
2 Normative reference(s)
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes
requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references,
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/IEC 7810, Identification cards — Physical characteristics
ISO/IEC 7816 (all parts), Identification cards — Integrated circuit cards
ISO/IEC 18013-1:2018, Information technology — Personal identification — ISO-compliant driving licence —
Part 1: Physical characteristics and basic data set
ISO/IEC 19794-5:2011, Information technology — Biometric data interchange formats — Part 5: Face image data
ISO 21895:2020, Categorization and classification of civil unmanned aircraft systems
ISO/IEC 22460-2, Cards and security devices for personal identification — ISO UAS license and drone/UAS
security module — Part 2: Drone/UAS security module
ISO 23629-8, UAS traffic management (UTM) — Part 8: Remote identification
ISO 23665, Unmanned aircraft systems — Training for personnel involved in UAS operations
ISO/IEC 39794-5:2019, Information technology — Extensible biometric data interchange formats — Part 5:
Face image data
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/

© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
3.1
alphabetic character
A
hexadecimal ranges "41" – "5A" (Latin capital letters), "61" – "7A" (Latin small letters), "C0" – "D6", "D8" –
"F6" and "F8" – "FF" of ISO/IEC 8859-1
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 18013-1:2018, 3.1]
3.2
air traffic management
dynamic, integrated management of air traffic and airspace including air traffic services, airspace
management and air traffic flow management, safely, economically and efficiently, through the provision of
facilities and seamless services in collaboration with all parties and involving airborne and ground-based
functions
[SOURCE: ISO 21384-4:2020, 3.10]
3.3
beyond visual line-of-sight
operation of a uncrewed aircraft system other than vision line-of-sight or extended line-of-sight in which
neither the remote pilot nor any observer use visual reference to the uncrewed aircraft in the conduct of flight
[SOURCE: ISO 21384-4:2020, 3.14]
3.4
data element
item of data that can appear on the drone or uncrewed aircraft system licence in either human or machine-
readable form
Note 1 to entry: A distinction is made between static data elements and dynamic data elements.
3.5
dynamic data element
data element associated with the licence holder which varies from one drone or uncrewed aircraft system
licence (DrL) to the other for a particular licensing authority, thus specifically excluding data elements from
the issuing authority
3.6
drone
unmanned system which is remotely or autonomously operated
[SOURCE: ISO 21384-4:2020, 3.23]
3.7
drone or UAS security module
security device designed to function as a container and cryptographic provider for various components,
including the drone pilot or uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) operator licence, other personal identification
data and optional elements such as the drone ID or UAS ID, and flight permit ID
Note 1 to entry: In this document, drone security module has the same meaning as drone or UAS security module.
3.8
drone licence
document issued by an issuing authority to a drone holder granting the individual the privilege to operate a
drone or uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) within its jurisdiction
Note 1 to entry: The document may facilitate drone licence transactions and provide essential input data for such
transactions. This issued document incorporates various elements and qualifications regarding the licence holder,
including positive identification of the individual; evidence of knowledge of laws and practices; practical driving
proficiency in specific uncrewed aircraft/drone/UAS class categories.
Note 2 to entry: Drone licences are classified into graded tiers of documents, namely TG1, TG2, .TG5, drone licence
and IDrL (Drone Licence).
© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
3.9
extended visual line-of-sight
EVLOS
operation beyond the unaided visual range of the remote pilot, but where the remote pilot is supported by
vision systems or one or more visual observers
[SOURCE: ISO 21384-4:2020, 3.26]
3.10
flight permit
permit required by an uncrewed aircraft to fly in the permitted airspace
3.11
licence holder
individual to whom a drone or UAS licence (DrL) is issued, i.e. the legitimate holder of the TG1/TG2/TG3/
TG4/TG5/TG6 living privileges reflected on a DrL or UAS licence (UAL)
3.12
issuing authority
authorized agent organization that issues a drone or UAS licence (DrL) or a UAS licence (UAL)
3.13
machine-readable technology
machine-readable content
data or information that is encoded into a machine-readable medium
EXAMPLE Bar code or contact or contactless integrated circuit cards in a smartphone mobile drone licence.
3.14
mandatory data element
element required as obligatory
3.15
numeric character
N
hexadecimal range '30' – '39' (digits 0 to 9) of ISO/IEC 8859-1
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 18013-1:2018, 3.20, modified — Note 1 to entry was deleted.]
3.16
operator
person, organization or enterprise engaged in or offering to engage in an operation of an unmanned
aircraft system
[SOURCE: ISO 21384-4:2020, 3.52, modified — Note 1 to entry was deleted.]
3.17
portrait
two- or three-dimensional representation of the face of a person in full-face frontal pose at a minimum
3.18
portrait side of the card
face of the card-carrying visual information containing the reproduction of the portrait of the licence holder
3.19
remote pilot
a person charged by the operator with duties essential to the operation of an uncrewed aircraft and who
manipulates to flight controls as appropriate, during flight time
[SOURCE: ISO 21384-4:2020, 3.63, modified — Note 1 to entry was deleted.]

© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
3.20
remote pilot station
RPS
station at which the remote pilot manages the flight of an uncrewed aircraft
[SOURCE: ISO 21384-4:2020, 3.64]
3.21
remotely-piloted aircraft
uncrewed aircraft which is piloted from a remote pilot station
[SOURCE: ISO 21384-4:2020, 3.67, modified — Note 1 to entry was deleted.]
3.22
remotely-piloted aircraft observer
RPA observer
remote crew member who, by visual observation of the uncrewed aircraft, assists the remote pilot in the
safe conduct of flight
[SOURCE: ISO 21384-4:2020, 3.68]
3.23
remotely-piloted aircraft system
set of configurable components consisting of a remotely-piloted aircraft, its associated remote pilot
station(s), the required command and control links (C2 links) and any other system components as may be
required, at any point during flight operation
[SOURCE: ISO 21384-4:2020, 3.69]
3.24
static data element
data element associated with the issuing authority, and which is the same for all drone or UAS licences (DrLs)
issued on behalf of or by that issuing authority
3.25
special characters
S
hexadecimal ranges '20' – '2F' ( ! “ # $ % & ‘ () * +, - . /), '3A' (:), '3C' – '40' (< = > ? @), '5B' – '60' ([ \ ]
2 3 1
^ _ `), '7B' – '7E' ({ | } ~), 'A1' – 'AC' (¡ ¢ £ ¤ ¥ ¦ § ¨ © ª « ¬), 'AE' – 'A5' (® ¯ ° ± ´ µ), and 'A7' – 'BF' (· ¸ ° » 1/4
1/2 3/4 ¿) of ISO/IEC 8859-1
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 18013-1:2018, 3.28]
3.26
uncrewed aircraft
UA
aircraft which is designed to be operated remotely or autonomously
[SOURCE: ISO 21384-4:2020, 3.79]
3.27
uncrewed aircraft system
UAS
aircraft and its associated elements which are operated remotely or autonomously
[SOURCE: ISO 21384-4:2020, 3.80]

© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
3.28
uncrewed aircraft system licence
UAL
document issued by an issuing authority to a UAL holder granting the individual the privilege to operate an
unmanned aircraft system (UAS) within its jurisdiction
Note 1 to entry: The document may facilitate UAS licence transactions and provide input data for such transactions.
This issued document incorporates several elements and qualifications regarding the licence holder: positive
identification of the individual; evidence of knowledge of laws and practices; practical driving proficiency in specific
Unmanned Aircraft or UAS class categories.
Note 2 to entry: UAS licences are classified into graded tiers of documents, namely TG3, TG4, TG5.
3.29
visual line-of-sight operation
VLOS
operation in which the remote pilot or uncrewed aircraft observer maintains direct unaided visual contact
with the uncrewed aircraft system
[SOURCE: ISO 21384-4:2020, 3.85]
4 Abbreviated terms
AAM advanced air mobility
ADS-B automatic dependent surveillance - broadcast
ATM aircraft traffic management
ATPL airline transport licence
ATS air traffic service
BVLOS beyond visual line-of-sight
CPL commercial pilot licence
DDrL domestic drone or UAS remote pilot licence
DSM drone or UAS security module
DrL drone licence
DrL TG1 drone licence tiered grade 1
DUAL domestic UAS licence
EVLOS extended visual line-of-sight
ICAO international civil aviation organization
IDrL international drone or UAS remote pilot licence
IUAL ISO UAS licence
LUC light UAS operator certificate
MPL multi-crew pilot licence
PPL private pilot licence
© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
RAM regional air mobility
ROC RPAS operator certificate
RPA remotely piloted aircraft
RPAS remotely piloted aircraft system
UAM urban air mobility
UA uncrewed aircraft
UAS uncrewed aircraft system
UAL UAS licence
UTM UAS traffic management
VLOS visual line-of-sight
5 Drone or UAS remote pilot licence and remote crew licence overview
5.1 Drone or UAS remote pilot licence and crew licence
A drone or UAS remote pilot licence is in conformance with this document if it meets all mandatory
requirements specified by each aviation authority.
Remote pilots play a crucial role in ensuring the safe operation of RPAS. They bear similar core
responsibilities to pilots of manned aircraft, including adherence to the rules of the air and compliance with
the laws, regulations and procedures of the relevant states where operations occur. However, it is imperative
to assess the competencies of these individuals to guarantee that their knowledge, skills and attitude are
appropriate for these new types of operations.
According to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Code of Federal Regulations, Drone or UAS
pilots operating under Part 107 (Category 1, 2, 3, 4 small UAS) may be permitted to conduct flights at night,
over people and over moving vehicles without the need for a waiver, provided they meet the requirements
specified in the rule. However, airspace authorizations are still required for night operations conducted in
controlled airspace under 120 m.
In terms of required pilot licences for flying an air taxi, the EASA plan (EASA decided to conduct this activity
in multiple phases and to address first the following three types of operation. Operation types #1, 2, 3)
would initially allow only fully licenced and experienced pilots of aircraft or helicopters to fly an air taxi.
These pilots undergo specific training and inspections before obtaining additional qualifications for piloting
air taxis with passengers. Subsequently, a new pilot qualification and licensing scheme will be introduced,
specifically tailored for piloting air taxis. The operations will commence with an established system that
relies on fully qualified pilots, ensuring a proven level of safety and expertise.
There are multiple types of pilot licences, including the PPL, CPL, MPL and ATPL. The remote pilot is a
new category of aviation professional. In contrast to manned aircraft licences, this document provides a
framework for tiered licences within the open category, specific category and certified category with a single
remote pilot licence covering all types of scenarios. This licence will be annotated with ratings, limitations
and endorsements, as appropriate.
The utilization of UAS, encompassing aircraft and their associated elements, has evolved significantly over
the years. Originally predominant in military applications, UAS are now deployed across a diverse range of
sectors. These include border and coastal patrols, environmental research, communications, agriculture,
digital mapping and planning, and firefighting. Moreover, emerging applications of drones or UAS encompass
aerial photography, search and rescue operations, shipping and delivery, wireless internet access, law
enforcement, and wildlife tracking. With the expanding spectrum of applications, the integration of UAS into
civilian airspace has become increasingly commonplace.

© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
Recently, there has been significant development in passenger-on-board UAS/UAM, RAM and AAM. These
technologies are evolving into a mode of transportation mobility that facilitates vertical take-off and landing
from vertiports located within densely populated cities. Passengers can then seamlessly transition to aerial
corridors for transportation within the urban environment.
5.2 Tiered licence system
Personnel licensing details the standards and recommended practices for personnel licensing. However,
until 2017, RPAS licensing, as a tool to help integrate RPAS into the ATM system, was not covered in any ICAO
document (ICAO Doc Annex 1). ICAO State letter 12/1.1.22-17/53:2017, proposed amendments to Annexes 1
– Personnel Licensing, 2 – Rules of the Air, PANS-TRG Doc 9868 related to RPAS. This was an important first
step towards achieving the safe integration of RPAS into the ATM system.
Licences are used because they are an effective mechanism to regulate individuals, companies and
organizations, particularly those that perform safety-critical tasks. Supported by effective standards,
processes, and procedures, they may ensure that those performing safety-critical tasks are competent.
In a similar manner, a licence may be used to ensure that RPAS operations are carried out within defined
standards, processes, and procedures.
The varied types, sizes, and uses of drones or UAS are important factors to consider when licensing RPAS to
safely integrate them into the ATM environment.
A typical example of national drone regulation tends to specify the requirement of a pilot’s licence, aircraft
registration, restricted zones, and insurance. The specification of these elements varies based on the drone
or UAS mass, altitude, use and pilot experience.
A hierarchical licensing system is already used for aviation, education and operation (ICAO RPAS tiered
licence system): tiered grade 0 to 6 (TG0, TG1, TG2, TG3, TG4, TG5, TG6).
For example, TG0: Tiered grade 0 is an unlicensed pilot open category drone that may fly VLOS AGL 120 m
maximum altitude with ISO 21895 maximum take-off mass grade I (0 to 0,25 kg e.g. 0 < m < 0,25 kg), and
grade II (0,25 < m < 0,9 kg). Kinetic energy Level I ≤ 80 J)
TG0 is similar to EASA’s open category LUC with RPID because it does not require a licence but requires
registration and identification of remote pilot.
5.3 DrL TG1
TG1: Tiered grade 1 is a licenced remote pilot open category drone permitted to fly in VLOS/EVLOS at
a maximum altitude of AGL 120 m with ISO 21895 maximum take-off mass grade III (0,9 to 4 kg e.g.
0,9 < m < 4,0 kg), Kinetic energy Level II 80 J < Ke ≤ 10 Kj.
The eID/RID of the UA should be stored in the DSM container according to ISO/IEC 22460-2.
5.4 DrL TG2
TG2: Tiered grade 2 is a licenced remote pilot open / specific category drone permitted to fly in VLOS/
EVLOS at a maximum altitude of 150 m with ISO 21895 maximum take-off mass grade IV (4.0 to 25 kg e.g.
4,0 < m < 25 kg), Kinetic energy Level III 10 kJ < Ke ≤ 100 kJ.
The eID/RID of the UA should be stored in the DSM container according to ISO/IEC 22460-2.
5.5 UAL TG3
UAL TG3: Tiered grade 3 is a licenced specific category UAS remote pilot permitted to fly EVLOS/BVLOS AGL
at a maximum altitude of 120 m to 1500 m with ISO 21895 maximum take-off mass grade V (25 to 150 kg
e.g. 25 < m < 150 kg), Kinetic energy Level IV 100 kJ < Ke ≤ 1000 kJ and the eID/RID of the UA should be
stored in the DSM container according to ISO/IEC 22460-2.

© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
5.6 UAL TG4
UAL TG4: Tiered grade 4 is a licenced certified category UAS operated by a remote pilot and remote crew.
The aircraft of certified category may fly EVLOS/ BVLOS at a maximum altitude of UAM m with maximum
take-off mass grade UAM according to ISO 21895, Kinetic energy Level UAM and the eID/RID of the UA
should be stored in the DSM container or ADS-B according to ISO/IEC 22460-2.
This licence permits the operation of a drone/UAS with a passenger on board and to deliver cargo according
to ISO 21895 maximum take-off grade V. The drone/UAS is permitted to operate under BVLOS conditions
during the day and at night, e.g. UAM.
5.7 UAL TG5
UAL TG5: Tiered grade 5 is a licenced certified category UAS operated by a remote pilot and remote crew.
The aircraft of certified category may fly EVLOS/ BVLOS at a maximum altitude of RAM m with maximum
take-off mass grade RAM according to ISO 21895 (e.g. 150 kg < m), Kinetic energy Level RAM and the eID/
[17]
RID of UA should be stored in the DSM container or ADS-B according to ISO/IEC 22460-2 .
The licence permits the operation of a drone or UAS with a passenger on board and the delivery of cargo
according to ISO 21895 maximum take-off grade RAM. The drone or UAS is permitted to operate under
BVLOS conditions during the day and at night, e.g. RAM.
5.8 UAL TG6
Tiered grade 6 is a licenced certified category UAS operated by a remote pilot and remote crew. The aircraft
of certified category may fly BVLOS at a maximum altitude of AAM m with ISO 21895 maximum take-off
mass grade AAM (150 kg < mass). Kinetic energy Level AAM and the eID/RID of AA should be stored in the
ISO/IEC 22460-2 DSM container or ADS-B.
The licence permits the operation of a drone/UAS with a passenger on board and the delivery of cargo
according to ISO 21895 maximum take-off grade V. The drone/UAS is permitted to operate under BVLOS
conditions during the day and at night, e.g. AAM.
5.9 Drone or UAS security module
The drone or UAS security module (DSM) is a security device that serves as a container for the drone/UAS
pilot licence, drone/UAS operator licence and other personal identification. The DSM provides storage space
for storing optional elements and cryptographic functions including integrity validation, authentication,
and data encryption.
The UTM or related entities should verify the legitimacy of the eID/RID of the UA in flight and ensure the
integrity of their access right. Consequently, an inseparable relationship should be established between the
[16]
drone/UAS remote pilot licence and DSM .
5.10 Drone or UAS licences
The drone or UAS licences are categorized into Open category, Specific category, and Certified category
requirements as outlined in Tables 1, 2, and 3 below. Tiered licence grades are assigned and utilized from 0
to VI based on the MTOM and Kinetic energy specifications from ISO 21895.

© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
a
Table 1 — Open category tiered licence grade per UAS maximum take-off mass grade
ISO/IEC 22460- ISO 21895 ISO 23629 UTM eID ISO
ISO 21895 Max. BVLOS/
1 Drone / UAS MTOM: 23629
Height EVLOS/ Remark
eID/RID ISO DSM ISO/IEC
Remote Pilot Max. Take-off UTM/
Level VLOS
23629-8 22460-2
b
Tiered Licence Mass Grade ATM
c
Tiered Licence m < 0,9(kg) 120 m AGL /Ke Registered None – VLOS Unlicensed Re-
Grade 0 ISO 21895 MTOM Level I ≤ 80 J ID→ RPID mote Pilot ID
(RPID) Grade I,II plate/print
(EASA Sub
category A1)
Tiered Licence 0,9 < m < 4(kg) 120 m AGL ISO 23629-8 ISO/IEC – VLOS ISO 23665
c
Grade I ISO 21895 MTOM /Ke Level II eID/RID 22460-2 UAS Operation
(EASA Sub Grade III 80 J < Ke ≤ 10 kJ DSM based Training LH
category A2) on
ISO 7816
series
Tiered Licence 4,0 < m < 25(kg) 150 m AGL ISO 23629-8 ISO/IEC TC20/ VLOS/ ISO 23665
c
Grade II ISO 21895 MTOM /ke Level III eID/RID 22460-2 SC16/ EVLOS UAS Operation
(EASA Sub Grade IV 10 kJ < Ke ≤ 100 kJ DSM based UTM Training LH
category A3) on
ISO 7816
series
a
EASA Open category, Subcategory A1, A2, A3.
b
Remote Crew** ICAO UAS, RPAS Annex 1 Personal Licence.
c
Ke: Kinetic energy, ISO 21895:2020, 5.9.
a
Table 2 — Specific category tiered licence grade per UAS maximum take-off mass grade
ISO 23629 UTM eID
ISO/IEC 22460-1 ISO 21895 MTOM: ISO 21895 Max. BVLOS/
ISO 23629
UAS Remote Pilot Max. Take-off Mass Height EVLOS/ Remark
eID/RID ISO DSM ISO/IEC
UTM/ATM
Tiered Licence Grade Level VLOS
23629-8 22460-2
Tiered Licence Grade 4,0 < m < 25(kg) 150 m AGL ISO 23629-8 ISO/IEC 22460- TC20/ VLOS/ ISO 23665 UAS
c
II ISO 21895 MTOM /ke Level III eID/RID 2 DSM based SC16/ EVLOS Operation Train-
Grade IV 10 kJ < Ke ≤ 100 kJ on the UTM ing LH
ISO 7816 series
Tiered Remote Pilot/ 25 < m < 150(kg) 120 m < MH < 1500 m ISO 23629-8 ISO 7816 DSM TC20/ EVLOS/ ISO 23665 UAS
b
Crew Licence Grade ISO 21895 MTOM / Ke Level III eID/RID based on SC16/ BVLOS Operation Train-
III Grade V 100 kJ < Ke ≤ 1000 kJ ISO 7816 series UTM ing: Next
a
EASA Specific category.
b
Remote Crew ICAO UAS, RPAS Annex 1 Personal Licence.
c
Ke: Kinetic energy, ISO 21895:2020, 5.9.

© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
a
Table 3 — Certified category tiered licence grade per UAS maximum take-off mass grade
ISO/IEC 22460-1 ISO 21895 ISO 21895 ISO 23629 UTM eID ISO
BVLOS/
UAS Remote MTOM: Max. 23629
EVLOS/ Remark
eID/RID ISO DSM ISO/
Pilot Max. Take-off Height UTM/
VLOS
23629-8 IEC 22460-2
Tiered Licence Mass Grade Level ATM
d
Tiered Remote UAM (kg) UAM Altitude ISO 23629-8 DSM based TC20/ EVLOS/ ISO 23665
b g
Pilot/Crew Li- ISO 21895 MTOM m eID/RID on SC16/ BVLOS UAS Opera-
d
c
cence Grade IV Grade UAM A-DSB ISO 7816 UTM, tion Training:
/ Ke Level
series ATM Next
UAM
e
Tiered Remote RAM (kg) RAM Altitude ISO 23629-8 DSM based TC20 EVLOS/ ISO 23665
b h
Pilot/Crew Li- ISO 21895 MTOM m eID/RID on UTM, BVLOS UAS Opera-
e c
cence Grade V Grade RAM Ke Level A-DSB ISO 7816 ATM tion Training:
Ex:RAM) RAM series Next
f i
Tiered Remote AAM (kg) AAM Altitude ISO 23629-8 DSM based TC20 BVLOS ISO 23665
b
Pilot/Crew Li- ISO 21895 MTOM m eID/RID on UTM, UAS Opera-
f c
cence Grade VI Grade AAM Ex: Ke Level A-DSB ISO 7816 ATM tion Training:
AAM AAM series Next
a
EASA certified category.
b
Remote Crew** ICAO UAS, RPAS Annex 1 Personal Licence.
c
Ke: Kinetic energy, ISO 21895:2020, 5.9.
d
The UAM MTOM is ISO 21895 Grading VI 150 kg < mass.
e
The RAM MTOM is ISO 21895 Grading VI 150 kg < mass.
f
The AAM MTOM is ISO 21895 Grading V
...