Drones on Svalbard
After 1. January 2021, all pilots flying a drone that has a camera or is heavier than 250 g, needs to register themselves at Flydrone.no. You will then have the opportunity to fly drones in EASA countries in the open category. As a registered drone pilot in EASA countries, it is not necessary to register in Norway to fly in open category.
It is forbidden to fly drones in a zone with a radius of five kilometres from the airport in Longyearbyen. Ny-Ålesund also has a zone of 20 km around the city with radio silence and drone ban. This means that in practice there is a ban on flying drones in Ny-Ålesund and throughout Kongsfjorden.
If you are going to fly drones outside the prohibition zone, you must familiarize yourself with the rules of drone flying. Here are the most important:
- it is forbidden to disturb the wildlife on Svalbard
- do not fly higher than 120 meters above the ground
- keep a distance of 150 meters from people, buildings, boats etc
- you must always be able to see your drone
- familiarize yourself with the rules of filming and photographing other people
- it is not allowed to fly drone in the dark, unless there is a light mounted on the drone
Find more information about the rules and regulations under the link to the right.