This application provides an unmanned aerial vehicle authentication method and an apparatus. The method includes: sending, by a communications device after determining that a type of a terminal is a UAV, authentication information of the terminal to an authentication server, so that the authentication server can perform authentication on the terminal based on the authentication information of the terminal, and therefore, the authentication server completes authentication on the terminal. In addition, the unmanned aerial vehicle is allowed to fly only after authentication on the terminal succeeds. Therefore, flight security of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be improved.