Entering and Flying in Switzerland

[aritrixa]

Hello All,

My wife and I plan to go to Switzerland next spring. Entry point will be Zurich Airport.
Anyone can share here whether border official is keen to search any drone on passengers coming into Switzerland?
Also, I will be very thankful if anyone can share the flying experience in Switzerland, I might go to the same location for the sake of saving the time there.
Note: will bring my drone that weighs less than 250g

Thanks !!!

 

[Lykus]

Welcome to the forum! You can also check DJI Fly App to find fly locations nearby.

 

[MA2 317]

Hello from the Crossroads of America aritrixa.

Nice to meet you.

Since the drone is sub 250g, it looks like the restrictions such as insurance, registration, etc. may not be needed, according to a quick search.

switzerland drone laws - Google Search

Do more research and have fun in Switzerland.

Welcome to the Forum.

 

[Kendallfordguy]

Welcome from Wisconsin!

 

[careless]

Welcome from Kentucky, USA

 

[PakNheat380]

Welcome to the forum from NW Montana

 

[PHZ]

Hello All,

My wife and I plan to go to Switzerland next spring. Entry point will be Zurich Airport.
Anyone can share here whether border official is keen to search any drone on passengers coming into Switzerland?
Also, I will be very thankful if anyone can share the flying experience in Switzerland, I might go to the same location for the sake of saving the time there.
Note: will bring my drone that weighs less than 250g

Thanks !!!

I flew in Switzerland last summer. You need the EASA registration on the drone at a min. The app you want is Skyguide, a guide to Swiss airspace. I drove in from Italy, so no customs concerns. Have fun.

 

[PINEBARON]

Registration: Drones weighing less than 250g are usually exempt from registration, but if the drone has a camera or other sensor that can record personal data, registration as an operator is required.

• CE Marking: Drones under 250g should bear a CE marking. The C0 class identification label is optional.
  
  
• Visual Line of Sight: Always maintain direct visual contact with your drone.
  
  
• Altitude: The maximum flight altitude is 120m above ground level.
  
  
• No-Fly Zones: Respect restricted areas like airports, heliports, nature reserves, and military installations.
  
  
• Gatherings of People: Do not fly over gatherings of 24 or more people.
  
  
• Insurance: Liability insurance is not mandatory for drones weighing less than 250g, according to Elvia.
  
  
• Night Flying: Night flying is permitted for drones under 250g without special authorization, as long as they stay below 120m.
  
  
• Registration: Registering as a drone operator in Switzerland is done through the Swiss online drone platform dLIS.
  
  
• Training: No specific training is required for operating drones under 250g

 

[Laborous]

Welcome to the forum from the beautiful woods of Maine, USA!

 

[wjkrysak]

Welcome to the forum. We look forward to your participation and your view of the world.

 

[GFields]

Greetings from Birmingham Alabama

 

[sarahb]

Welcome!

 

[SpitFire]

Greetings from Chicago the Windy City, welcome to the forum.
FLY SAFE & FLY SMART

 

[LoudThunder]

My wife and I plan to go to Switzerland next spring. Entry point will be Zurich Airport.
Anyone can share here whether border official is keen to search any drone on passengers coming into Switzerland?

Welcome from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, USA. We have a Member's Map in the Upper Right of the Title Bar. Click on "Members" and then Click on "Member's Map…" Check it out and you might find some new flying friends.

Member Map

mavicpilots.com

Others have already offered great advice, now it's up to you to follow it…

Good Luck, Safe Trip, and Fly Safe… Do not be an Ugly American!

 

[aritrixa]

Dear All,
Many thanks for all your warm welcome!

 

[msinger]

Welcome to the forum @aritrixa!

 

[wco81]

Registration: Drones weighing less than 250g are usually exempt from registration, but if the drone has a camera or other sensor that can record personal data, registration as an operator is required.

• CE Marking: Drones under 250g should bear a CE marking. The C0 class identification label is optional.
  
  
• Visual Line of Sight: Always maintain direct visual contact with your drone.
  
  
• Altitude: The maximum flight altitude is 120m above ground level.
  
  
• No-Fly Zones: Respect restricted areas like airports, heliports, nature reserves, and military installations.
  
  
• Gatherings of People: Do not fly over gatherings of 24 or more people.
  
  
• Insurance: Liability insurance is not mandatory for drones weighing less than 250g, according to Elvia.
  
  
• Night Flying: Night flying is permitted for drones under 250g without special authorization, as long as they stay below 120m.
  
  
• Registration: Registering as a drone operator in Switzerland is done through the Swiss online drone platform dLIS.
  
  
• Training: No specific training is required for operating drones under 250g

It's been a couple of years since I've flown in Switzerland, with my Mavic 2 Pro. Now have an Air 3S, which is far more reliable than the M2P, which was on its last legs. So I'm considering visiting again, in part to fly.

I use the FOCA drone map which shows which zones have restrictions. FOCA is their civil aviation agency.

Maps of Switzerland - Swiss Confederation - map.geo.admin.ch

map.geo.admin.ch

The main thing I noticed about the map is that a lot of the restricted zones specifically say only drones 250 grams and below.

I don't recall seeing that 3-4 years ago, they really didn't make that distinction. They wanted your drone and the pilot to be registered with per EASA.

So are they checking drone weights or CE markings these days?

Most of the 250 gram zones ay authorization for heavier drones is possible and has a link. Anyone try to fly heavier drones and get authorization for these zones?

There are plenty of areas which don't have any restrictions. Switzerland is relatively laissez faire compared to other EU countries. The main issue may be that you ascend to the top of mountains where you would see beautiful landscapes below by cable car. So a lot of these destinations which draw a lot of people for the views may be owned by private companies or at least the cable cars and mountain trains would seem to be owned by them. In those cases, the private companies may not allow drones, even if FOCA doesn't show restrictions,

 

[1gratefulflyingdawg]

Welcome from the lovely southwest desert (now that it’s in the high 90’s/ low 100’s. Enjoy your trip. Don’t forget your snow propellers.