When it comes to drone flying in Croatia, the rules are very simple and logical. We often use the drone during our adventures and we’re sharing Croatia drone rules with you so you can know what to expect and what to prepare before your flight.
Croatia drone rules are one of the most liberal ones in Europe and we have an advanced app for drone flying that makes this activity piece of cake. At least the ‘obeying the laws’ part of it. We’ll talk a bit more about the app later in the text.
We encourage you to take your drone with you if you are coming to Croatia. You’ll have a lot of nice scenes to capture. Don’t be afraid of flying your drone in Croatia, our Croatian Civil Aviation Agency did a great job when it comes to simplifying your drone flying.
In the end, in this text we speak about the most common drone flying in Croatia, meaning you’re just an ordinary person and want to film something for your own purposes. If you are doing some commercial work then Croatia drone rules get a bit more complicated for you.
drone flying in croatia – AMC portal app
The first thing you need to know when it comes to drone flying in Croatia is an app that lets you report your every flight to the Airspace Management Cell (AMC) which is responsible for keeping our skies safe. We suggest you download the app on your mobile phone and get familiar with its interface.
The whole flight reporting process is as simple as it could be. You open the app, GPS reads your location, you set the flying radius and maximum altitude and you’re good to go in a few minutes. The app will register your flight and your flight zone, but you must click the tactical activation request a few minutes after the countdown. In the first step, you just reserved your flying spot, and tactical activation means that you’re actually flying in that zone.
A good thing about the app is that it will warn you when you are in controlled airspace and it will tell you flying restrictions in that area.
croatia drone rules – very useful links
Starting with the actual drone rules now, make sure you obey them and you won’t have any problems. Make sure you check the CCAA official website. You’ll find a ton of good information there too. Here’s the link to the User screen that will help you and give you the most important information for drone flying in Croatia.
Please visit AMC portal for a more details about Croatia drone rules.
your drone must be marked
If you are using a drone below 5 kilograms of weight, your drone must be marked by a non-combustible tile or sticker with your information.
registering your drone and reporting flights
When it comes to drone flying in Croatia, rules are next. If you are flying a drone below 250 grams(Mavic mini for example is 249 grams), you can fly during the day and night and you don’t need to register in the Croatian civil aviation agency (CCAA). You still need to abide by the rules below.
If you are flying a drone with a mass between 900 grams and 250 grams, you don’t need to register in the CCAA and you can fly only during the day.
If your drone is heavier than 900 grams but less than 5 kilos, you can fly during the day and night but you need to register in CCAA.
having valid insurance
If you are flying with Phantom 4 Pro, for example, you need to have insurance for your drone. We suggest you have insurance for any drone you are flying. It’s not so expensive and it can help you a lot in case of any damage to third parties.
no flying above 120 m is allowed
So you have reported your flight, it has been approved. You have requested tactical activation and you started to fly. So are there any limits now? Yes, for the safety of other air traffic, the upper limit for your drone flying is 120 meters above the point you are currently flying from. If you are flying from a hill that is higher than 120 meters, you can fly 120 meters above it.
If you are in controlled airspace, outside of 5 kilometers radius from the airport, your upper limit is 50 meters. You cannot fly inside of the 5 kilometers radius of the airport unless you have special permission.
no flying above a group of people
Drones are a great thing but anything that flies can potentially fall down. And you don’t want to be responsible for your drone falling onto someone. So when you’re drone flying in Croatia, make sure you stay away from people. To be exact, you are not permitted to fly closer than 50 meters to a group of people. Also, you are not allowed to fly above a group of people at any height.
This part of drone rules in Croatia is very important because people can easily get hurt if you are not using your drone correctly. We advise you to have insurance for your drone which will cover falls and damage your drone might do to third parties.
flying near the airports is not allowed
This one is very important too. We already mentioned that you are not allowed to fly above 120 meters. The reason for that is because other aircraft like helicopters fly above this height and if you go into their zone, things can get complicated.
When it comes to the airports, rules are simple, no flying near the airports are permitted. There was a guy filming something near the Split airport and the whole airport was shut down and traffic rerouted. He was never discovered, but in the case he was, he would pay a huge fine.
The problem is the extra cost of the aircraft rerouting and all these people in them have their arrival points changed. Imagine how much damage is that only because of one single drone flight. The worst thing that can happen is the drone and airplane collision which would have catastrophic results.
no flying outside of your field of view
Drone flying in Croatia must be done within your field of view. Yes, most of the drones have cameras today, but they often tend to lose their signal and that’s when things can get complicated. To avoid that, make sure you see your drone all the time.
national parks and protected areas have special rules
Finally, drone flying in Croatia has some other restrictions when it comes to national parks and other protected areas. You need special permits for flying in most of these areas and it’s best to send a mail to the national park administration and explain to them what you want to do. In most cases, you’re going to get your written permit soon.
Enjoy your drone flying in Croatia and stay responsible!
