Your licenses, insurance, and certifications are an important part of your professional profile. Keeping them up to date helps clients hire with confidence and ensures you're ready to bid on commercial jobs.
1. FAA Part 107 certificate: the baseline for commercial flight
The FAA Part 107 certification is the federal requirement for any pilot flying a drone commercially in the United States. Without it, you cannot legally accept payment for drone work.
To earn your Part 107, you must pass the FAA’s Aeronautical Knowledge Test at an approved testing center. Once you pass, you receive a Remote Pilot Certificate, which must be renewed every 24 months through a free online recurrent training course.
Every pilot listed on Droners.io is expected to hold a valid Part 107 certificate. Clients see your license number on your profile, and it is often the first thing they check before reaching out. Keeping your certification current signals that you take your work seriously.
Your Part 107 certificate is non-negotiable for commercial work.
2. Liability insurance: what clients expect from you
Your certificate tells clients you can fly legally. Your insurance tells them you are covered if something goes wrong.
Most commercial clients, especially those in real estate, construction, and infrastructure, require proof of liability insurance before hiring a pilot. A common baseline is $1 million in general liability coverage, though some clients in regulated industries or high-value locations may ask for more. Coverage typically protects against property damage or bodily injury caused during a flight.
A few things worth knowing:
Standard homeowner or renter insurance usually does not cover commercial drone operations. You will need a dedicated drone liability policy.
Hull coverage protects your equipment if your drone is damaged or lost. It is separate from liability coverage, but useful to have.
Per-flight policies are available if you do not fly often enough to justify an annual plan. Providers like Verifly and Skywatch offer short-term options.
Carrying insurance makes you a more attractive option to clients comparing bids. Pilots with listed insurance coverage on Droners.io often have a clear advantage when clients are deciding who to hire.
Insurance is what separates a serious pilot from a risky one in a client’s eyes.
3. Additional certifications: optional, but they open doors
Your Part 107 and liability insurance get you in the door. Specialty certifications can open more doors.
Some job types require a specific skill set that goes beyond standard aerial photography or video. Clients in inspections, surveying, agriculture, and construction often look for pilots with documented training in those areas. A few certifications that carry real weight:
Thermography (Level 1 UAS Thermography): Useful for thermal inspection work, including roof inspections, electrical infrastructure, and energy audits. The Infraspection Institute and similar organizations offer accredited programs.
Photogrammetry: Valuable for mapping and surveying jobs. Training through platforms like DroneDeploy or formal coursework shows that you can deliver accurate geospatial data, not just overhead photos.
APSA BPERP (Basic Practical Emergency Response for Pilots): Demonstrates preparedness for emergency situations on-site. Some enterprise clients require it for pilots operating near occupied buildings or active worksites.
Part 107 waivers: If you regularly fly at night, over people, or in otherwise restricted conditions, holding active FAA waivers for those operations expands the jobs you can take on.
You do not need all of these to get started. But adding even one specialty certification can open up a category of work that many pilots cannot bid on.
The more specific your credentials, the fewer pilots you are competing with.
4. How to add credentials to your Droners.io profile
Your profile is how clients decide whether to reach out. Credentials buried in a PDF will not help you. Here is how to make sure yours are visible.
Log in to your Droners.io account and go to your profile settings.
Enter your FAA Part 107 license number in the designated field. This appears directly on your public profile.
Add your insurance details, including your coverage amount and provider. Clients filter for insured pilots, so leaving this blank costs you visibility.
List additional certifications in the credentials or skills section of your profile. Include the certifying body and the year you completed each one.
Update your profile when certifications renew. An expired credential is worse than none.
Clear, complete credentials reduce back-and-forth before a job starts. Clients can move faster when they do not need to ask for documentation they should already be able to see.