Film crew hire/London/Locations and permits
Filming in London. Who says yes, how much notice they want, and what it costs.
London isn’t one permit. Each borough and the City has its own film service, and the Royal Parks, TfL, Network Rail, the Thames and the private estates all give their own permission, with their own notice and their own insurance figure. This is the guide we work from, in our office on City Road, by Old Street. Fees checked October 2026.
Borough film services
33
Underground · 1–10 crew
£900 an hour
Royal Parks · 10 or fewer
5 working days
Drones in restricted airspace
21 days’ notice
On this page
01 The short version
How filming permission works in London
01
Work out whose land it is
A Soho pavement is Westminster’s. The Square Mile is the City of London Corporation’s. Hyde Park is the Royal Parks’, Trafalgar Square the Greater London Authority’s, and the tidal Thames, foreshore included, the Port of London Authority’s. Canary Wharf, King’s Cross and Battersea Power Station are private estates that say yes or no themselves.
02
Apply to the right office, early enough
Film London’s guide is at least three days for a small crew and 10 for a large or complex one. Westminster counts its days from when the fee is paid, TfL wants three weeks, and a drone in the restricted airspace over the centre needs 21 days through NATS.
03
Tell the people who need telling
Residents and businesses get a letter, copied to the borough film service. The Met Police Film Unit hears about replica weapons, police costume and filming from a moving vehicle; inside the Square Mile it’s the City of London Police.
Finding the location first
Film London
A free locations advice service, an online locations library, help finding a location manager, and a production facilities map that shows where each borough film service starts and stops.
Agencies
JJ Spaces (JJ Studios’ website now redirects to it) lists more than 1,000 spaces, with unit and crowd bases.
The recce
We walk it before the shoot: the producer and the gaffer recced an Uxbridge office 13 days before a September 2025 shoot, and we recced a City client’s 13th floor the day before filming in March 2026.
Who files it
On a full production our producer applies for all of it, in our name. On a crew hire the location and its permission stay with you, as producer of record, and a production manager we book can run the applications, the parking and the call sheet for you.
02 Borough film services
The boroughs: who says yes, and how fast
Film London sends every on-street shoot to the borough’s own film service: the first call for pavements, council land and council buildings. Six central boroughs use FilmFixer; Westminster, Hackney, Lambeth and the City run their own. From each office’s own pages and 2026/27 fee sheets, checked October 2026.
| Borough | Who handles it | Notice | Small-crew fee | Public liability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster: the West End, Soho, Mayfair, Marylebone, Pimlico | City Promotions, Events and Filming (in-house) | 3 working days for 7 or fewer, counted from when the fee’s paid · 10 with parking · 15 above 10 crew · nights 30–40 | Application £228 (turnover under £1m) or £462, VAT included. Late notice £1,080. | £5m; £10m for large productions |
| Camden, Islington, Southwark | FilmFixer | 3 working days small · 5 medium · drones 7 | Street filming, 1–5 crew: £100 + VAT | £5m; £10m with a drone |
| Tower Hamlets: Whitechapel, Wapping, the Isle of Dogs | FilmFixer | 3 working days small · 5 medium · drones 7 | £95 + VAT | £5m; £10m with a drone |
| Kensington and Chelsea | FilmFixer | 3 working days small · 5 medium · drones 14 | £99 + VAT | £5m; £10m with a drone |
| Greenwich (not Greenwich Park, which is the Royal Parks’) | FilmFixer | 3 working days small · 5 medium · drones 7 | £84 + VAT | £5m; £10m with a drone |
| Hackney | Screen Hackney (in-house) | Small-crew notice 1–3 working days · under 30 crew 5 · over 30, 7–10 | Extra small £100 + VAT; a drone £300 + VAT on top | £5m |
| Lambeth: the South Bank, County Hall, Vauxhall | Lambeth’s film office (in-house) | “A few working days” for a small handheld shoot · parking 10 | 1–5 crew: £86 | £5m; £10m in event spaces and parks |
| The City of London | City of London Film Office | 1–3 weeks by size (see below) | £95 + VAT, handheld, 5 or fewer | No figure published |
Small crews
FilmFixer boroughs
Five or fewer on a pavement, handheld or a camera on a tripod, with 1.5m of pavement left clear, generally needs no permit. Not on private, pedestrianised, estate, market, park or cemetery land, and FilmFixer still advises one for commercial broadcast.
Westminster
Five or fewer in total, handheld only (no tripods, drones or jibs), nothing stored on the pavement, and 2m left clear. Add a tripod and you need a Notice of No Objection.
The City and Lambeth
No exemption published. The City issues a Notice of No Objection for small, portable filming; Lambeth licenses “all professional filming and photography on council land or public roads”.
Hackney
No exemption in Film London’s sheets or Hackney’s FilmApp terms, so call Screen Hackney first.
Film London’s line
If filming won’t cause an obstruction, “no licence or official permission is required”, but it strongly recommends calling the borough film service first. Where a Notice of No Objection is offered, it’s free or £25–£100.
Worth knowing
Westminster’s filming page says it currently can’t accept applications inside its published timescales, or speed them up for the late fee. Plan a Westminster street day as if the 10 working days were the minimum, not the target.
03 The City
The City of London: the Square Mile does it differently
The City isn’t a borough film service. The City of London Film Office handles its streets, its own buildings, its bridges, parking and drone permissions, and the City of London Police, not the Met, do the policing. From the City’s own pages and FilmApp, checked October 2026.
Notice
One week for a camera and tripod with 10 or fewer and no parking; two weeks for 10–20 crew with up to five parking dispensations; three weeks for anything else. Crews over 10 film only outside 07:00–19:00 on weekdays.
Fees
£95 for five or fewer handheld, £210 for a camera and tripod with 10 or fewer, up to £750 for more than 100, plus VAT and paid before filming. Admin beyond the first hour, and site meetings, are £200 an hour.
Most of it is private
On private land the City asks you to “obtain first the consent of the landlord”. Its own property goes to the film team “regardless of crew size”.
Police
City of London Police, booked three weeks ahead, for replica firearms, emergency-service vehicles and hazardous effects; two weeks’ notice for unusual vehicle activity.
Bridges
Tower Bridge takes an application and a location fee. On the Millennium Bridge the application fee covers 30 minutes, then £300 up to two hours and £500 up to four, plus VAT.
The Barbican
The Centre handles its interiors, the Lakeside Terrace and the Sculpture Court; the residential estate goes to the City’s film office. When we asked about the estate for a client in May 2026: 20 crew at most for a mobile shoot, handheld only, 8am to 8pm, and it can’t be closed to the public.
Bigger asks
Road closures 12 weeks, traffic control six, a hoarding licence 20 working days.
Insurance in the City
The City publishes no public liability figure: insurance “at levels acceptable to the City of London Corporation”, with a copy of the policy. Carry at least £5m and confirm it with the office. Four of our recent London jobs were in City offices; what their buildings asked for is further down.
04 The Royal Parks
The Royal Parks: permission, a fee, and no vox pops
The eight central parks are Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, The Green Park, St James’s Park, The Regent’s Park, Primrose Hill, Victoria Tower Gardens and Brompton Cemetery. Greenwich, Richmond and Bushy are a cheaper tier. Any filming in them needs permission, and almost always a fee. From the January 2026 rate card and March 2026 policy, checked October 2026.
| Cast and crew | Central parks · 4 / 8 / 12 hours | Greenwich, Richmond, Bushy · 4 / 8 / 12 hours |
|---|---|---|
| 1–10 | £1,160 / £1,740 / £2,530 | £790 / £1,270 / £1,900 |
| 11–20 | £1,580 / £2,320 / £3,480 | £1,160 / £1,690 / £2,530 |
| 21–40 | £2,010 / £2,950 / £4,120 | £1,480 / £2,220 / £3,060 |
Notice
At least five working days for 10 or fewer, 10 for bigger units, and 10 for every request in The Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill, counted from when all the paperwork is in. Under five days “cannot be guaranteed”.
Applying
The online form, acknowledged within three working days; questions to film@royalparks.org.uk. Payment in full 24 hours before the shoot, and £5m public liability at least.
No vox pops
“Vox-pops are not permitted in any of The Royal Parks”, and filming in or near playgrounds generally isn’t either.
On top
Vehicles £50–£250 + VAT each, prep and strike days at half the daily rate, and double time from 19:00 to 07:00. Cancelling costs half the fee (up to £500), the full fee inside 24 hours.
Drones
Written permission from The Royal Parks, plus NATS for the central parks, which all sit in restricted airspace. Allow 10 working days.
Open spaces that aren’t the borough’s
Trafalgar Square
The Greater London Authority’s, like Parliament Square Gardens: 14 days’ notice, £1,000 an hour + VAT, case by case, £5m public liability and RAMS.
Hampstead Heath
The City of London Corporation: a permit, a reply within 14 working days, £5m, and no recreational drones.
Battersea Park
Wandsworth’s film service, at £5m public liability.
05 Transport
TfL and the stations: three weeks, £10m, off-peak
The TfL Film Office covers the Underground, Overground, DLR, TfL piers and the cable car. Network Rail runs 11 of London’s main stations itself. Both want £10m. From TfL’s and Network Rail’s own pages, checked October 2026.
| Underground, Overground, DLR | Network Rail stations | |
|---|---|---|
| Notice | At least three weeks (15 working days); a £600 + VAT late fee inside that | Five working days for 10 or fewer, on a Small Scale Filming Agreement; £500 more inside that |
| Permit | £900 an hour for 1–10 crew, £1,100 for 10–20, plus VAT and staff; supervision from £70 an hour | Corporate and commercial work: £750 an hour + VAT for 10 or fewer, two-hour minimum, paid in advance |
| When | Weekdays 10:00–15:30 and 20:00–23:30; weekends generally any time, with extra staff costs | Weekdays 10:00–16:00 or 20:00–06:30; weekends usually any time; 12 hours at most |
| Kit | Tripods at staff discretion, never on platforms or near escalators; no flash or extra lighting outside exclusive areas; no petrol or diesel generators | More than 10 people needs a staff escort, charged extra. Overrunning into the peak isn’t allowed (a £5,000 surcharge) |
| Insurance | At least £10m, in the name of the company actually filming | Up to £10m |
Also on the network
Exclusive areas
Aldwych, the closed station; Bank at weekends, with a Waterloo & City line train; Charing Cross, with a Jubilee line train. From £2,000 an hour for the station, £3,000 with your own train, plus VAT.
Trains in service
Limited cast and crew, lightweight handheld kit only, and nobody drinking, or seeming to: alcohol is banned on camera across the Tube, buses, DLR, trams and stations.
Buses
You can’t film in most working bus stations and depots. Film London’s TfL sheet says operational buses are out, so hire a private bus, and run the script past TfL’s press office first.
Red routes
TfL’s main roads need TfL’s permission whatever the crew size. TfL currently asks seven weeks’ notice, a temporary measure during a cyber security incident.
The 11 Network Rail stations
Clapham Junction, London Bridge, Cannon Street, Charing Cross, Euston, King’s Cross, Liverpool Street, Paddington, St Pancras International, Victoria and Waterloo. St Pancras needs HS1’s own risk assessment, and some spaces belong to third parties such as King’s Cross Estate Services and Eurostar. Contact: filming@networkrail.co.uk.
Travelling with kit
Getting kit there on the tube is a separate rule from filming on it: what you can carry, nothing over 2m. It’s in the logistics guide, with when to send a runner by tube and when by van.
06 Estates
Private estates: permission on top of the borough’s
Some of London’s most-filmed streets are private. The estate says yes first, and the borough may still need telling. From each estate’s own pages, checked October 2026.
Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf Group (filming@cwg.com): 10 working days, 12 with a risk assessment, £10m public liability, and “under no circumstances” drones. A camera on a stationary tripod “may not need a permit”; anything more needs a method statement and a site-specific risk assessment. Cancelling inside 24 hours can cost the whole fee.
Southbank Centre
Through FilmApp, at least five days ahead: from £315 an hour for one to five crew, a £690 minimum spend, plus VAT. Generally £10m, though £5m may do for small shoots. The wider South Bank is Lambeth’s.
Battersea Power Station
A permit for any tripod, mount, gimbal or light, through the press office. “Drones are strictly prohibited”: it sits in a restricted zone.
King’s Cross
The King’s Cross Events Team. Notice and fees aren’t published, so ask early. The station is Network Rail’s.
More London and London Bridge City
One managing agent, MAPP, for both. Notice and fees aren’t published.
Broadgate and Somerset House
Broadgate publishes no filming contact, and it’s in the City, so the landlord’s consent comes first. Somerset House arranges commercial filming in advance through venue hire.
07 From our jobs
What London buildings asked us for
Most of the London shoots we crew happen indoors, on private property, so the permission comes from the building. Every building wants something different. These are from our own call sheets and emails.
E14
Canary Wharf · One Canada Square · October 2024
A podcast set on the 48th floor
For a US media agency: Canary Wharf Group’s filming and photography application, every van booked into the loading bay by registration, our risk assessment and method statement, and the agency’s insurance certificate. Hi-vis for anyone in the loading dock, which the building doesn’t supply. The vans dropped the kit and left, because it’s a working bay, and crew names went to reception for passes.
City of London · 30 St Mary Axe · April 2026
Interviews in the Gherkin
On a full production here, the building wanted every crew member’s full name and email for sign-in, ID at reception, every bag and case searched, and the van’s registration in advance, then the van searched again before it went down to the basement. The owner asked for no logo in shot and no staff who weren’t part of the shoot.
EC3
City of London · Gracechurch Street, EC3 · November 2024
Davies Group’s London office
Interviews with six staff, then vox pops. Building security wanted every crew member’s name for passes, and exactly what kit was coming in, before the day.
EC2
City of London · March 2026
Two days in a City tower
For a software client’s customer story: an access permit filed for a 07:45 arrival, security sending us to the goods lift up to the 13th floor, every attendee entered in the building’s booking system, and a release form for everyone on camera.
EC4
City of London · Cannon Street, EC4 · September 2025
A law firm’s office
Four days for a chip maker’s US agency, two of them here: the kit went in through the underground car park off Dowgate Hill and straight into the lift.
W1
Marylebone · May 2025
Inside a restaurant
For a property developer’s film, the restaurant’s senior marketing manager agreed in writing: web, social and a little paid use, no TV or outdoor advertising, and we offered the venue sign-off of its segment. No fee came up.
NDA
London · May 2026
A tech company’s office
Before the crew could go in: an NDA, a risk assessment, a PAT certificate dated within the last year (one from 2022 was turned down, so the replacement DOP had a new PAT test the day before), liability insurance, a parking form, and every attendee’s name, email, company and role.
SE1
Lambeth · County Hall · June 2025
AimHi Earth × PepsiCo
A full production in Sustainable Ventures’ space at County Hall. We kept it to one room, which made Sustainable Ventures’ sign-off to film simpler.
08 The river
The Thames: the river has its own authority
Who
The Port of London Authority: “A permit is required for all commercial filming, photography, and event activity on the tidal Thames”, from the foreshore to boats moored or moving, social media content included.
Notice
At least five working days for a small production and four weeks for a complex one, with a late fee outside five days. Fees are agreed with the PLA’s corporate affairs team; harbour launches and Notices to Mariners are extra.
Boats
Licensed and insured vessels only.
Drones over the river
Notify the PLA through its drone portal at least three working days ahead (four weeks for a multi-drone event). Over 250g, tell London VTS 30 minutes before take-off and again when you land. Stay 50m from vessels, and never fly over or under a bridge. Contact: drone@pla.co.uk.
The bridges
Tower Bridge and the Millennium Bridge are the City’s, with their own fees; London, Southwark and Blackfriars bridges may carry charges too.
09 Drones and airspace
Drones over London: who has to say yes
There’s no London-wide ban. There are three restricted areas where nothing flies below 1,400ft without clearance, airport zones to the west and east, and landowners who say no outright. From the CAA, NATS, the airports and the statutory instruments, checked October 2026.
| Permission | Who grants it | Notice |
|---|---|---|
| The restricted areas: Hyde Park (most of Westminster), the City of London, the Isle of Dogs | The air traffic control unit, through an Enhanced Non-Standard Flight application on the NATS portal | At least 21 days; London applications “may take longer”, and under seven days may not be processed |
| Heathrow’s flight restriction zone | Heathrow, an Off Airfield Drone Permit through the NATS portal | Heathrow says 14 days; NATS asks 21, so allow 21 |
| RAF Northolt’s zone | The RAF’s online form | 21 working days; one flight per permit |
| Take-off, landing and the highway | The borough (FilmFixer if you’re on or within 30m of public land), The Royal Parks, the PLA or the estate | FilmFixer boroughs 7 working days (Kensington and Chelsea 14); Royal Parks 10; PLA 3 |
| Police | The Met, told about every commercial drone shoot (Film London says the Film Unit issues a Drones CAD once landowners agree); the City Police in the Square Mile | No published notice |
| The CAA | Only for a Specific-category flight, such as one under PDRA01 (£524 a year) | Held by the pilot |
IDs
Since 1 January 2026, a Flyer ID for anything of 100g or more, and an Operator ID from 250g, or 100g with a camera. The Flyer ID lasts five years; the Operator ID is renewed every year.
Class marks
New drones carry a UK class mark, UK0 to UK6, and fly with Remote ID on in UK1, UK2 and UK3.
Height
120m at most. PDRA01 gives no automatic right into a restricted area or an airport zone.
Insurance
Third-party liability for any paid flying. Film London says at least £5m to film in London, and the FilmFixer boroughs ask £10m.
No-fly sites
Canary Wharf and Battersea Power Station, at all; Hampstead Heath, for recreational flying; The Royal Parks, without written permission. The RAF says Hillingdon prohibits drones in its public areas.
On the day
A temporary restriction for a royal event or a flypast withdraws every clearance inside it while it lasts. Check the NOTAMs that morning.
Most of that paperwork sits with the pilot. Here’s how we book a drone operator in London.
10 In public
The rules for filming in public in London
How it works in practice. It isn’t legal advice: check the official sites before you shoot.
Filming in public isn’t illegal
What needs permission is the kit and the space it takes: tripods, lights, cables and vehicles. Small shoots of three people or fewer may not need every part of Film London’s Code of Practice.
Weapons need a reference number
No weapon, prop and replica included, without the Met Police Film Unit’s agreement, and a FILMWEAPON CAD number from it first, requested in weekday office hours. FilmUnit@met.police.uk.
Uniforms and vehicles
Tell the Film Unit about police or military costume and vehicles, re-created crimes, nudity and tracking shots. Actors in police costume don’t leave set, “POLICE” graphics are taped over, and there are no sirens.
Residents get a letter
Speak to the borough film service first, then write to affected residents and businesses with enough notice and copy it to the borough. A runner usually walks it round.
Children need a licence
A child performance licence takes 21 days.
People on camera sign a release
On one City shoot in 2026 the releases went through the client’s own contract system.
11 Insurance
Public liability: £5m, £10m, and whose certificate it is
Every permit asks for a public liability certificate, and London has two figures. Which certificate goes in depends on who the producer of record is.
| Who’s asking | Public liability |
|---|---|
| The boroughs (FilmFixer, Hackney, Lambeth, Westminster) | £5m. £10m for a drone in the FilmFixer boroughs, large Westminster productions, and Lambeth’s event spaces and parks |
| The City of London | No figure published; carry £5m and confirm |
| The Royal Parks, Trafalgar Square, Hampstead Heath | £5m |
| TfL: Underground, Overground, DLR | At least £10m, in the name of the company filming |
| Network Rail stations | Up to £10m |
| Canary Wharf | £10m |
| Southbank Centre | Generally £10m; £5m may do for a small shoot |
Crew hire
You’re the producer of record
The certificate the venue gets
Yours. Councils, the Royal Parks, TfL and the estates want your public liability, and TfL wants it in the name of the company filming.
What our insurance covers
The 2%: employers’ liability for every crew member we book, and the kit we hire in for you. Nothing else on the shoot.
What it costs
10% booking fee + 2% insurance, on everything we book.
Permits
Yours to hold.
Full production
We’re the producer of record
The certificate the venue gets
Ours: our production policy, £10m public liability included, with a certificate naming the venue.
What our insurance covers
The 5%: insurance across the whole shoot, and the contingency.
What it costs
15% production fee + 5% insurance and contingency, on the production budget.
Permits
We apply in our name, and the fees go in the budget.
Not sure which it is? If your own producer or director will run the day, it’s crew hire. If you want us to take the production on, it’s a full production quote, and the London crew page takes either brief. Shooting from abroad? Here’s how overseas teams book London.
Need a London location sorted?
Tell us where and when. We’ll come back with whose permission it needs, the notice it takes and the insurance they’ll ask for. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Quick contact form
12 Questions
Filming in London: questions
Do I need a permit to film in London?
It depends whose land it is. Five or fewer, handheld or on a tripod with 1.5m of pavement clear, can generally film without one in the FilmFixer boroughs: Camden, Islington, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Kensington and Chelsea, and Greenwich. Westminster allows it handheld only, with 2m clear. The City, Lambeth, The Royal Parks, TfL, Network Rail, the Thames and private estates such as Canary Wharf each give their own permission.
How much does a filming permit cost in London?
Checked October 2026: a small crew’s street filming fee is £84–£100 + VAT in the FilmFixer boroughs and £95 + VAT in the City; Westminster’s application fee is £228 or £462, VAT included, by company turnover. Locations cost more. The Royal Parks charge £1,160 + VAT for up to four hours in a central park for a commercial crew of 1–10, TfL £900 an hour on the Underground and Network Rail £750 an hour for corporate and commercial work, both plus VAT.
How much notice do I need to film in London?
Film London’s guide is at least three days for a small crew and 10 for a large one. Westminster from three working days, counted from when its fee is paid; the City one to three weeks; The Royal Parks five working days for 10 or fewer; TfL three weeks; Network Rail five working days; Canary Wharf 10–12 working days; a drone in the restricted areas at least 21 days. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours, so it’s usually the notice period that sets the date.
Can I fly a drone in London?
Yes, with planning: there’s no London-wide ban. Over Hyde Park and most of Westminster, the City and the Isle of Dogs you need an Enhanced Non-Standard Flight clearance through NATS, at least 21 days ahead, plus the landowner or borough and a word with the Met. Heathrow and RAF Northolt have their own zones. Canary Wharf and Battersea Power Station don’t allow drones at all.
Can I film on the London Underground?
Yes, with a TfL permit: three weeks’ notice, at least £10m public liability, £900 an hour + VAT for 1–10 crew plus supervision from £70 an hour, weekdays 10:00–15:30 or 20:00–23:30. For full control, TfL offers Aldwych, Bank at weekends or Charing Cross, with a train if you need one.
Can I film in Hyde Park?
Yes, with The Royal Parks’ permission: at least five working days for 10 or fewer, £1,160 + VAT for up to four hours for a commercial crew of 1–10, £5m public liability, and no vox pops. A drone needs written permission and NATS clearance, because the central parks sit in restricted airspace.
Can I film at Canary Wharf?
Yes, with Canary Wharf Group’s permit: it’s a private estate. Allow 10 working days, 12 with a risk assessment, carry £10m public liability, and leave the drone at home. When we crewed a podcast on the 48th floor of One Canada Square, every van was booked into the loading bay by registration and everyone in the dock wore hi-vis.
What public liability insurance do I need to film in London?
The boroughs and The Royal Parks ask £5m; TfL, Network Rail and Canary Wharf £10m, and so do the FilmFixer boroughs for a drone. On a crew hire you’re the producer of record, so the certificate is yours. On a full production our policy covers the shoot, £10m public liability included, and the certificate names the venue.
Around the crew
