Can I fly my drone on holiday in Europe or Japan? The rules side by side

What are the basic EU rules for a holiday drone?

This is not legal advice. Rules change; check with the authority named.

Drone flying in EASA Member States follows Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947.³ EASA says its Member States are the 27 EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.⁵

Most leisure flying falls in the 'open' category.² Under Article 4 of that regulation, an open-category flight needs a drone of less than 25 kg, kept at a safe distance from people and not flown over assemblies of people, kept in visual line of sight (VLOS) except in follow-me mode or with an observer, kept within 120 metres of the closest point of the ground (except when flying over an obstacle), and carrying no dangerous goods and dropping nothing.¹

Before each flight the remote pilot must get updated information on any geographical zone published by the country of operation. In flight the pilot must not be under the influence of alcohol or psychoactive substances, and when flying at night must switch on a green flashing light on the drone.¹

What do the class labels on EU drones mean?

EASA says that since 1 January 2024 open-category flights must use a drone with a C0 to C4 class identification label, a drone you built yourself for your own use, or an unlabelled drone placed on the market before 31 December 2023.² Its summary table sorts them like this:

EASA gives a minimum remote pilot age of 16 for most of these drones, and a State may lower it to 12, in which case the lower age applies only in that State.²

On remote identification, EASA's open-category page says All drones operating in the open category (with limited exceptions) need to be equipped with a remote identification system.² Its registration page says remote ID is mainly associated with drones labelled C1, C2, C3, C5 and C6, and will be compulsory for many operations in the next update of the rules.³

When must I register, and where if I live outside the EU?

Under Article 14 of Regulation 2019/947, operators must register when flying in the open category a drone with a maximum take-off mass of 250 g or more or one that could transfer more than 80 joules of kinetic energy to a person on impact, or a drone equipped with a sensor able to capture personal data, unless that drone complies with Directive 2009/48/EC.¹

You register once, in the Member State where you live, and must display the registration number on the drone.¹ EASA says that registration is then recognised across all EASA Member States.³

If you live outside the EASA Member States, EASA says you register as a drone operator with the national aviation authority of the first EASA state you intend to fly in, and do not need to register again in another EASA state.⁴ The legal basis is Article 41 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945: the competent authority for a third-country operator is that of the first Member State where the operator intends to operate.¹

EASA's travel page adds that visitors also need to pass the online training and exam for a European pilot certificate, and that some national authorities offer them in English.⁴ Its open-category table lists no training beyond reading the manual for C0 drones.²

EASA keeps a list of national aviation authorities with links, country by country, to where you are allowed to fly, operator registration and online training; for Greece it lists a separate registration link for non-EU visitors.⁵

EASA also notes that under the European rules insurance is mandatory for drones over 20 kg, and that many Member States require third-party liability insurance for lighter drones under national law.³

Where can't I fly a drone in Europe?

Article 15 lets each Member State define UAS geographical zones for safety, security, privacy or environmental reasons, and within them prohibit some or all drone flights, set conditions, or require prior authorisation.¹

EASA describes three main kinds of zone: excluded zones, where flying is prohibited; restricted zones, where conditions apply and you need prior authorisation, for example near airports, heliports, national parks, military installations, hospitals or nuclear power plants; and facilitated zones, where open-category flying is allowed.⁶

Some zones only set a height limit lower than the 120 meters allowed in the open category, or allow flights only at certain times, for example because of an event nearby.⁶ EASA says checking the zones before and during each flight is the pilot's responsibility, using the national aviation authority's website or app.⁶

Outside the EASA Member States, EASA says you must follow each country's own drone law, and that EU operator IDs and pilot certificates are not automatically recognised there.⁴ Albania, Montenegro, Serbia and Türkiye, which this site covers, are not on EASA's list of Member States.⁵

What counts as a drone in Japan, and must I register it?

Japan's drone rules are set by the Civil Aeronautics Act and published by the Civil Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).⁷ Multirotors and model aircraft weighing less than 100 g, battery included, are classed as 'model aircraft' rather than unmanned aircraft.⁷⁸ MLIT's guidelines say the drone rules do not apply to model aircraft, but the Act's Article 134-3 still requires permission to fly them around airports or above a certain height.⁸

Article 132-2 of the Act bars flying an unmanned aircraft that is not registered.¹⁵ MLIT's English page says drones of 100 g or more must be registered, display a registration ID and have a remote ID function.⁷

MLIT's guidelines add that Japan's pilot certificate and aircraft certification systems, which began on 5 December 2022, are unique to Japan, and that you cannot fly under another country's qualification or certification systems.⁸

Where do I need permission to fly in Japan?

Under Article 132-85, you need MLIT permission in advance to fly around airports, at 150 m or more above the ground or water, or over densely inhabited districts (DID).¹⁵⁸⁹ MLIT says emergency response airspace, declared for search, rescue and similar operations, cannot be flown even with those permissions.⁹⁸

The guidelines say permission is needed even over your own private property, but not when flying indoors.⁸ MLIT says densely inhabited districts are set from the national census and points to the Geospatial Information Authority's online map to check whether a spot is inside one.⁹

According to the guidelines, applications go to a Regional Civil Aviation Bureau or airport office through the online DIPS 2.0 system, 10 business days before the flight.⁸

What rules apply to every flight in Japan?

Wherever you fly, Article 132-86 requires you not to fly under the influence of alcohol or drugs, to check the drone before flight, to avoid collisions with aircraft and other drones, and not to fly in a way that is a nuisance to others.¹⁵⁷

Unless you have MLIT approval, or fly as a certified pilot with a certified drone under the Act's conditions, you must also:¹⁵⁸

• fly only in daytime, from sunrise to sunset;⁸
• keep the drone and its surroundings in sight with your own eyes at all times (MLIT gives first-person-view goggles and watching a monitor as examples of flying beyond visual line of sight);⁸
• keep a distance of 30 m from third parties and their buildings, vehicles and other property;⁸
• not fly over places where many people gather, such as festivals and fairs;⁸
• not carry hazardous materials and not drop objects.⁸

MLIT's English page says a sentence or fine is imposed if you fly your drone without complying with the rules.⁷

What changed around Japan's major airports and key sites in July?

A second law, the Small Unmanned Aircraft Flight Prohibition Act (小型無人機等飛行禁止法), bans flying small drones over designated important facilities and the area around them, whatever the drone's weight or size, and needs its own procedures on top of any Aviation Act permission.¹²¹¹ The facilities include the National Diet, the Prime Minister's Office, the Imperial Palace, embassies, Self-Defense Forces and US forces facilities, designated airports and nuclear sites.¹²

An amendment to that law (Act No. 47 of 2026), promulgated on 24 June 2026, took effect on 14 July 2026 and widened the surrounding 'yellow zone' to about 1,000 m around each facility.¹²¹³

For the eight airports MLIT designates under that law (New Chitose, Narita, Tokyo International (Haneda), Chubu, Osaka International (Itami), Kansai, Fukuoka and Naha), MLIT posted a notice on 3 July 2026 re-designating the surrounding area from about 300 m to about 1,000 m, applying from 14 July 2026.¹⁰¹¹¹²

To fly over one of those airports or its surrounding area you need the airport operator's consent (over the surrounding area, a landowner's consent also covers flights above that land), and you must notify the airport operator and the prefectural public safety commission, and also the Commander of the Regional Coast Guard Headquarters where the area includes sea, at least 48 hours before the flight (except in disasters or other unavoidable emergencies); an Aviation Act permission does not replace these steps.¹¹¹⁴ Notice to the commission goes through the local police station or online; the police-station route asks for a form with a map of the flight area and a photograph of the drone.¹⁴

The National Police Agency says flying in breach of the law over a facility itself (the red zone) can be punished with up to one year's imprisonment or a fine, and over the yellow zone with up to six months or a fine; it gives the fine in both cases as 50万円以下の罰金.¹² Check the latest: 警察庁 (National Police Agency), 小型無人機等飛行禁止法関係

EU and Japan side by side

This is not legal advice. Rules change; check with the authority named.

What this page cannot tell you

• Rules change. Japan widened the zones around key facilities and eight airports in July 2026, and EASA says remote ID will become compulsory for many operations in the next update. Check the authority's own page before you fly.
• No national zone maps here. We have not collected each country's geographical-zone map; EASA's list of national aviation authorities links them.
• Open category and basic flights only. This page does not cover the EU 'specific' category, Japan's certified-pilot flights, or commercial work.
• Not legal advice. We summarise what the official texts say. Check with the national aviation authority, MLIT or the National Police Agency.

Related: What the law says about photographing people · Photography near military sites · Shrine and temple photo rules in Japan.