Flying in Mexico.

[T-roy]

Would like to take my drone to Cabo in March. I read it's not illegal to take it there but illegal to fly in Mexico. Would appreciate some input.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Heya T-roy, welcome to the forum.

Mexico comes up frequently on the forum here.
A search does bring up many threads, but you have to wade through a few mentions of 'New Mexico' too.

In general, most threads vaguely corroborate that it's hard to fly legally in Mexico, but doing it sensibly many do and have no problems.
Never fly at the busy touristy places, the Inca ruins etc, busy beaches, places like that.

I have a recollection that you can't get permission to fly unless a resident there, but sub 250g might be exempt ?
What are you flying ?

 

[T-roy]

Heya T-roy, welcome to the forum.

Mexico comes up frequently on the forum here.
A search does bring up many threads, but you have to wade through a few mentions of 'New Mexico' too.

In general, most threads vaguely corroborate that it's hard to fly legally in Mexico, but doing it sensibly many do and have no problems.
Never fly at the busy touristy places, the Inca ruins etc, busy beaches, places like that.

I have a recollection that you can't get permission to fly unless a resident there, but sub 250g might be exempt ?
What are you flying ?

Mavic air 2. No plans on flying anywhere populated.

 

[T-roy]

Heya T-roy, welcome to the forum.

Mexico comes up frequently on the forum here.
A search does bring up many threads, but you have to wade through a few mentions of 'New Mexico' too.

In general, most threads vaguely corroborate that it's hard to fly legally in Mexico, but doing it sensibly many do and have no problems.
Never fly at the busy touristy places, the Inca ruins etc, busy beaches, places like that.

I have a recollection that you can't get permission to fly unless a resident there, but sub 250g might be exempt ?
What are you flying ?

Mavic air 2.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Ok, so no sub 250g, which I THINK you could do ok following the country's drone rules.

It's pretty hard to get hard and fast info about the real situation on the ground there, as said MANY post here do fly over 250g class and have no issues.

The official rules though, it looks like no foreign pilots can get a license to fly over 250g.

Drone Laws in Mexico | UAV Coach (2021)

Drone Laws In Mexico 2023: Top Full Guide For You. - LucidCam

Want to know more about the topic of Drone Laws In Mexico? Then you should check out this guide. Mexico is an excellent location for flying...

lucidcam.com

Finding drone info like you can on the FAA site ??
Good luck, the official Mexican airspace authority website is . . .

Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil

Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil (AFAC) Funciones: La Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil (AFAC), tiene como propósito establecer, administrar, coordinar, vigilar, operar y controlar la prestación d…

www.aicm.com.mx

Use Google translate or other such to hopefully make sense of it.
The do have a contact us page, not sure what sort of response you might get, but could be worth a try to email.

 

[T-roy]

Mavic air 2. No plans on flying anywhere populated.

 

[Marty Markoe]

Mavic air 2. No plans on flying anywhere populated.

Proverb: If a tree falls in the woods and there is no one around to see or hear it ..........?

 

[T-roy]

Proverb: If a tree falls in the woods and there is no one around to see or hear it ..........?

Yes but can I take it into to Mexico. Will it be confiscated because it's over 250g?

 

[Coskier]

I took my Mavic 2 Pro there (Cabo) in 2020 with no issues. Got permission from the property I was staying at to fly there. Ended up not getting in the air, but everyone was cool about it leading up to it. YMMV

 

[Gringorio]

I've both flown into Mexico (San Jose del Cabo and Mazatlan) and driven across the border into the states of Baja California and Sonora, most recently last October. My drones have never been questioned going through customs. There was more interest in my vitamins and DSLR camera.

That said, poking around online for an exact interpretation of the Mexico drone law I found inconsistent information. There's the standard stuff about vlos, over 400 feet, not flying in national parks and historical sites. What I have not been able to clarify is the part about needing to be a Mexican citizen to fly. For example, I've read that non-citizens can fly recreationally. And, I've read you have to be Mexican citizen to fly commercially.

Anyhow, I've not been bothered by anyone when flying my drone for fun in Mexico. Of course, I was considerate about where and when I flew.

 

[MS Coast]

Finding drone info like you can on the FAA site ??
Good luck, the official Mexican airspace authority website is . . .

20 kt wind and rain are keeping me inside today, so I've checking into this topic.

Here's what appears to be the regulations for RPAS (drones, similar to SUAS in the US) in Mexico. Of course, they're in Spanish, but Google Translate seems to do a reasonable job. My Spanish is very limited, so don't consider this the strict gospel.

http://www.sct.gob.mx/fileadmin/DireccionesGrales/DGAC-archivo/modulo2/nom-107-sct3-2019-201119.pdf

There are three classes of RPAS based on weight.

• RPAS Micro, <2kg
• RPAS Pequeño (small), 2 - 25 kg
• RPAS Grande (big), > 25 kg

I'm trying to figure out whether I can fly a Mini 2 or Air 2S in Mexico. So, I'm focused on the micro category and strictly non-commercial use. Most of what I'm able to find on US drone sites has no specific references or documentation, and a lot of it seems to be simply copycatting. I don't trust what I've been able to find. I need to understand Mexico's laws, not just get an idea of what I can get away with. If there's much doubt, the drones stay home.

I'm unable to find anything dealing directly with non-citizens bringing and using drones in the country.

Sections 4 and 5 deal with the rules for operation. The basics (VLOS, max altitude, distance from airports, distance from pilot, ..) translate well. There are some specifics that aren't like the rules in the US, such as keeping the drone within 1500 feet from the pilot.

There are two things I'm unable to sort out.

• Registration of the drone - Seems to be required. Foreign drones are not specifically described. I've read on US drone sites that only citizens of Mexico can register a drone.
• Is there any general prohibition regarding non-citizens bringing drones to Mexico and flying them?

I hope there's someone on the forum whose Spanish is much better than mine and has some direct knowledge of the regulations. Anyone?

 

[BobN2Tech]

We have a vacation home in Cabo, and I take my Mini 2 drone all the time with me from California, via Southwest. Never had any problem at airports coming or returning. I keep the drone in my carry on luggage with my clothes. Technically it is illegal to fly any drone of any size unless you are a Mexican Citizen (resident does not necessarily imply being a Citizen). I never fly where there are people or in areas where it might be a national monument (which is illegal). If you keep inconspicuous, you will probably never have an issue. I think the Police in Cabo really don't care as long as you're not bothering people or causing a problem.

 

[MS Coast]

We have a vacation home in Cabo, and I take my Mini 2 drone all the time with me from California, via Southwest. Never had any problem at airports coming or returning. I keep the drone in my carry on luggage with my clothes. Technically it is illegal to fly any drone of any size unless you are a Mexican Citizen (resident does not necessarily imply being a Citizen). I never fly where there are people or in areas where it might be a national monument (which is illegal). If you keep inconspicuous, you will probably never have an issue. I think the Police in Cabo really don't care as long as you're not bothering people or causing a problem.

"Technically it is illegal to fly any drone of any size unless you are a Mexican Citizen"

Do you have an official source for that? Thanks.

 

[BobN2Tech]

You can go to https://www.gob.mx/sct and search for the document "Secretaria De Comunicaciones Y Transportes" 14 de Novembre 2019, and RPAS rules in Mexico. I researched this over a year ago, and it's all in Spanish, of course. If you are doing this for commercial purposes you can usually get a waiver from the Air transportation department in Mexico, but since I only fly recreational, I don't do that.

 

[MS Coast]

You can go to https://www.gob.mx/sct and search for the document "Secretaria De Comunicaciones Y Transportes" 14 de Novembre 2019, and RPAS rules in Mexico. I researched this over a year ago, and it's all in Spanish, of course. If you are doing this for commercial purposes you can usually get a waiver from the Air transportation department in Mexico, but since I only fly recreational, I don't do that.

The document is linked directly in post #11.

Have you found anything that says that recreational flying for non-citizens is allowed? Where? Thanks.

 

[BobN2Tech]

That document I referred to, read section 4.10.16
"4.10.16. No podrán operar en México un RPAS con matrícula o registro extranjero u operados por operadores de RPAS extranjeros, diferentes a los mencionados en el numeral 4.10.15 de la presente Norma Oficial Mexicana, a menos de que exista un acuerdo bilateral entre la Autoridad Aeronáutica y la Autoridad de Aviación Civil del estado de registro/matrícula."

Which translates to:
"An RPAS with foreign registration or registration or operated by foreign RPAS operators, other than those mentioned in numeral 4.10.15 of this Official Mexican Standard, may not operate in Mexico, unless there is a bilateral agreement between the Aeronautical Authority and the Civil Aviation Authority of the state of registration/registration."

As far as I researched the US does not have bi-lateral agreement with Mexican aviation authority. If you work for a company, then if they don't have an agreement with Mexico, you should not fly.

But as I said earlier, Cabo apparently does not enforce these rules, unless you create a problem with the authorities (Police). But, I can't guarantee that. It's like driving over the speed limit occasionally, most people do it, but sometimes you could get caught!

 

[MS Coast]

Yes, thanks. That seems to preclude all drone operations. I understood that you were saying that recreational flights were allowed.

 

[BobN2Tech]

This applies to all drone operators. It does not distinguish between recreational or commercial use in that clause. I would not assume that it does not apply for recreational.

 

[MS Coast]

This applies to all drone operators. It does not distinguish between recreational or commercial use in that clause. I would not assume that it does not apply for recreational.

I misread what you said in #14. I see now that you were referring to the waiver only. Thanks.

 

[Merrill277]

I would never do anything like that in Mexico. We went to Cancun once and rented a car. I was extorted twice by cops for doing absolutely nothing wrong. Once for $100.00 and once for $55.00. The second time it was all the money I had so he let me off eaceeee. I once read about a couple that ran a extortion stop. They were both shot point blank. Their little boy survived. Look it up. Drones and not bothering anyone, or just an excuse to extort you? Do not trust the cops there!!!