With its instantly recognisable streets, parks, bridges and squares, London is an amazing place to shoot. But if you’re planning anything beyond a quick handheld shot, understanding permits is essential to getting stuck into filming this iconic city. This isn’t just bureaucracy for bureaucracy’s sake – it keeps the cast, crew and the public safe, and helps you actually get the shot you planned without being interrupted.
Here’s what you need to know.
In practice, most London filming doesn’t actually involve a formal “permit” – it involves written permission or a Notice of No Objection from the borough you’re filming in.
In London, many streets, parks and public spaces are controlled by local authorities (your borough council) or specific landowners. If you’re filming in a way that might inconvenience others, whether that’s blocking a pavement, using lighting rigs and tripods, or shutting down a road, you’ll usually need to get that permission before you can get the shot.
For filming on public highways and council-owned land, you’ll engage with the Borough Film Service (BFS) in the relevant borough. The BFS will tell you what kind of permission you need, along with the applicable charges.
If your shoot is entirely inconspicuous (a super small crew, handheld camera, no lights or large kit, and not blocking walkways), some boroughs won’t require a formal permit or notice. However, since it’s hard to be sure which boroughs these looser rules apply to, it’s always still a good idea to contact them so you don’t get asked to move on the day.
London’s 32 boroughs and the City of London each handle filming permissions independently. When you know where you want to shoot, you’ll apply to the local council’s film office.
So, for example, Westminster City Council notes that certain shoots with small crews (five people or less, handheld only) do not require an application if filming doesn’t block access or equipment on the pavement. This particular borough even offers customers a free 20-minute consultation service for help and advice before you apply, so that you can be sure if you do or don’t need permission.
The City of London, on the other hand, always requires permission for any filming on streets or parks it controls, and issues a Notice of No Objection via its Filmapp system.
In every borough, the process begins by explaining your plans – location, dates, crew size, equipment – so they can advise on permits, risk assessments, insurance and any other requirements. Most councils will have an online form where you upload all of these details, and sometimes additionals like a detailed scale drawing of the activity area or the description of your activity, including the infrastructure used and any activities involving children or VIPs, etc.
In other words, you share as many specific details as possible so that the BFS can determine whether the filming can safely take place in their borough.
We’d love to give you a flat rate, but there isn’t one flat London permit fee that applies everywhere, and there’s no single permit that covers “all of London”.
In the City of London, for example, basic application fees for a Notice of No Objection are (as of publication in January 2026):
However, these figures can’t be used elsewhere – other boroughs’ fees vary significantly. Some councils charge an administration fee on top of the notice (especially if meetings, site visits or extra time are needed), and others charge for additional services like parking suspension or stewarding.
Many boroughs also offer Notices of No Objection for free or at a modest cost of between £25 and £100 for smaller, undisruptive shoots.
Note: Additional service costs (traffic management, road closures, parking bay suspensions, police supervision for complex ops) are typically separate from the basic permission fees and can push your costs up quite a lot, especially for commercial productions.
Timing varies by borough and complexity. A small, straightforward shoot in a quiet location can sometimes be arranged within a few days if you give clear details and the council accepts that your plan won’t obstruct others.
When larger crews are involved, or if you need additional permissions like parking management or road closure orders, councils generally recommend at least 10 working days’ notice to ensure they can assess, consult (often including police or highways teams), and issue the relevant permissions.
For really busy areas, elaborate setups, or shoots requiring multiple approvals, planning a good few weeks or even a couple of months in advance gives you the best chance of hitting your desired dates.
Sounds like too many hoops to hop through? Worry not – there are still lots of circumstances where you don’t actually need to apply for London filming permission. You’ll still need to check with your relevant BFS, but London councils generally don’t require a permit if:
It’s also worth noting that many public parks and gardens, including Royal Parks like Hyde Park or Regent’s Park, still require specific filming permissions if your shoot is organised, involves crew, or interrupts normal park use. Only casual photography and handheld mobile filming for personal use can slip under this rule.
If you’re hoping for “zero cost” shooting, the closest you’ll get is small, unobtrusive filming in public areas where you’re not being a bother to anyone. The public highway, which includes most streets and pavements, can be used without a formal permit if you fit the conditions above, and you’re not placing equipment or blocking access.
We’ll also note that certain spaces can seem public but are actually privately owned or managed and will always need filming permission (and can cost a lot). These spaces include the likes of The Royal Parks, Trafalgar Square, Parliament Square and a few more of London’s most iconic backdrops. These are managed by a number of agencies, for which you can find most of the contact details here.
If you’re planning to film in London, you won’t get very far without the right insurance in place. This is a requirement that local authorities and councils will check before they issue any permission to film, so skipping it is not an option.
Public Liability Insurance protects you and your production if something goes wrong on location – for example, if someone gets injured, or property is accidentally damaged during your shoot. Councils and borough film services expect to see proof of this coverage in your application.
As a general rule, you should arrange insurance early in pre-production and keep it active through to the end of post-production. That’s because an incident can happen anytime during shooting or related activities, and your policy is what allows you to show you’ve taken responsibility for keeping people and places safe.
How much cover you need varies by shoot and location. For straightforward street filming, a policy with at least £2 million in cover is often required, and in some areas you may need £5 million or more. Larger productions, complex locations, or boroughs with higher public risk can ask for higher limits, too, so it’s always best to check with the relevant local authority or the BFS handling your application.
All this planning, fees, insurance needs, and liaison with councils – it’s all a normal part of London location filming, and it can be a lot of work. Even with the right permissions, you’re still navigating changeable weather, passers-by, traffic, and the unpredictable variables that come with busy urban locations.
This is why studio filming has become an attractive alternative.
At a film studio – like our Virtual Production or Green Screen studio – you know exactly what your environment will be and look like before you shoot: no council to coordinate, no street to block, no pedestrians to manage, and no fear of being asked to stop mid-take because an unexpected lunch-time crowd rolled through. Controlled environments mean you can focus on the creative and technical elements of your project rather than logistics.
For productions that don’t fundamentally need a real street backdrop, or for sequences that can be replicated convincingly in a controlled space, a studio saves time, reduces stress, and knocks off the hidden costs that can accompany location permits.
Want to know more? Or book a recce to check out our film studios? Simply get in touch and we’ll answer your questions, or book you in for a visit.
