Good news on flying drones in National Parks in Thailand

[John Gowland]

I would not fly a loud drone in public, go into the mountains where it is much more fun. You don't need attention.

 

[TheJauntingApe]

Hi Tom it's a difficult one because there are signs everywhere saying you can't fly but that's true of many national parks and it's outdated because you can now fly in National parks as long as you have a copy of your passport insurance for your drone and the two government communication officerses. National Broadcasting Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) and Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT).
Most national parks have an office where you pay for entrance. This is the office where you can register your drone. So when you get there just ask. If there is a big "no" and you have reminded them of the Government change in 2023 saying you can fly in national parks, use some common sense. Just get to a place where no one can see you, get up high to survey your area and fly. You still have to adhere to common laws of flying ect not on occupied beaches or near airports, although there is no airport there. I see absolutely nothing wrong with flying in an area with no people no danger to life, property or local fauna. It's just silly. So fly Tom, but do let us all know how you found it. I am going to visit in the next few months.

Hi John, this is an interesting thread indeed. I have weeded through the internet many times in search of how to legally fly your drone inside national parks in Thailand. How to obtain authorization etc. This thread ranks high on google in those search terms. Now I have read this thread over and over, and unless Im missing something, Im getting the feeling that there may be some misinformation throughout. Something that may get readers in trouble with the law in Thailand. I hope I am wrong! But can you please back up your claims with at least one resource? There is no link to anything at all on the parks, and also the FEIC site does not say you can fly without the NBTC, it says you must obtain it within 30 days, not fly without until you obtain it. Sure you can fly without, but it is 100% taking a risk. However each time Ive entered Thailand with a drone I received my NBTC within 24 hours. So I dont see an issue. The national park thing is what I am trying to sort out now. And I dont believe it is legal without proper authorization from the department of National parks.

 

[Xi Zhou]

Thailand is awesome, but it pays to know people, or to know who to pay.

I was able to film whenever, wherever i wanted with my Air 3 due to a friends' connections higher up the food chain, who was highly interested in flying mine.

I cant wait to go back, this time with all our drones.

 

[RobertD]

So I'm about to visit Thailand for the first time in about 2 weeks. Previous trip canceled due to the pandemic.

After reading about the hoops you have to jump through, I wasn't going to bother trying to fly. In fact for that previous trip, I had gone partly through the application process but I hit a lot of snags IIRC.

I'm going to be in Thailand for 11 full days. The first 4 nights will be in Bangkok, where I won't even bother trying to fly.

The other 8 days or so will be split between Chiang Mai and Phuket.

One service that offers a package of insurance and registration with both CAAT and NBTC is quoting a price of 4214 THB.

Sounds like this FEIC will be around 3100 THB.

My question is whether it's worth doing for chances to fly around Chiang Mai and Phuket island.

I could never find a drone map showing zones where recreational drone flights would be permitted or outright banned.

So for instance, how far would I have to travel outside of Chiang Mai or Phuket to be able to fly? One complication for all this is that I don't know what kind of mobility I will have. For instance, I'd be happy to use Grab or Bolt but not sure how prevalent these ride share drivers are in these areas.

In Phuket, I heard that the taxi mafia will attack ride share drivers. So my mobility may be limited there. In Google Maps it looks like Cape Phrom Top, the very southern tip of the island, would be an interesting place to fly but I don't know if it's permitted. For one thing, it appears to be a popular place people go to for sunsets so it may be difficult to take off and land and avoid flying over people.

Plus, again I don't know how easy it would be to get there and then return to hotel in Old Town Phuket. Could I find a Grab driver or a taxi which wouldn't try to rip you off out there when trying to return?


The other part of my trip will be a few days in Singapore after Thailand. That would probably be the main reason I'd bother to pack my drone.

So the question is would it be worth it to pay these services or spend a part of my limited time in Bangkok to register in order to fly in the remaining week I would have between Chiang Mai and Phuket?

Would you drive without a driver's license, even for a short trip?? "Is it worth it" boils down to your willingness to pay a very steep fine. The penalty for flying an unregistered drone in Thailand can be up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to 100,000 baht. This applies to all drones with cameras, including those used for hobby purposes.

 

[wco81]

That's why I didn't try to fly.

 

[RobertD]

So I'm about to visit Thailand for the first time in about 2 weeks. Previous trip canceled due to the pandemic.

After reading about the hoops you have to jump through, I wasn't going to bother trying to fly. In fact for that previous trip, I had gone partly through the application process but I hit a lot of snags IIRC.

I'm going to be in Thailand for 11 full days. The first 4 nights will be in Bangkok, where I won't even bother trying to fly.

The other 8 days or so will be split between Chiang Mai and Phuket.

One service that offers a package of insurance and registration with both CAAT and NBTC is quoting a price of 4214 THB.

Sounds like this FEIC will be around 3100 THB.

My question is whether it's worth doing for chances to fly around Chiang Mai and Phuket island.

I could never find a drone map showing zones where recreational drone flights would be permitted or outright banned.

So for instance, how far would I have to travel outside of Chiang Mai or Phuket to be able to fly? One complication for all this is that I don't know what kind of mobility I will have. For instance, I'd be happy to use Grab or Bolt but not sure how prevalent these ride share drivers are in these areas.

In Phuket, I heard that the taxi mafia will attack ride share drivers. So my mobility may be limited there. In Google Maps it looks like Cape Phrom Top, the very southern tip of the island, would be an interesting place to fly but I don't know if it's permitted. For one thing, it appears to be a popular place people go to for sunsets so it may be difficult to take off and land and avoid flying over people.

Plus, again I don't know how easy it would be to get there and then return to hotel in Old Town Phuket. Could I find a Grab driver or a taxi which wouldn't try to rip you off out there when trying to return?


The other part of my trip will be a few days in Singapore after Thailand. That would probably be the main reason I'd bother to pack my drone.

So the question is would it be worth it to pay these services or spend a part of my limited time in Bangkok to register in order to fly in the remaining week I would have between Chiang Mai and Phuket?

The "worth" is based on the risks. The penalty for flying an unregistered drone in Thailand can be up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to 100,000 baht. This applies to all drones with cameras, including those used for hobby purposes. Spend a few 1,000 baht and be legal and safe.

 

[John Gowland]

In the "west" it would be silly to drive without a licence. Thailand is not the "west". I is a different world in so many ways. The cases of "the law" being applied are very rare, after 30 years of visiting and living here I have never heard of one. Just use your noggin.

 

[reinhard]

I just found this thread and have to reply because I received a decline two days ago from NBTC.


Reason: they couldn`t decrypt the insurance papers i provided (25 Pages in German)

I was on holiday there 1,5 years ago and applied two months in advance.

get from your insurance agent a paper in deutsch/english

 

[Aaron Choi]

Hi all
I’ve just received the following email from the agent who registered my drone for me in Thailand -

‘For nation park, You will need to send an email “Requesting permission to take still photos and aerial video using a drone camera (for private use)” to head of each national park. These are some information that we have, other than this you can search on google.

• National Park - Koh Chang - [email protected] , [email protected] // https://www.facebook.com/MuKoAngthong.NationalPark/

• National Park - PHIPHI ( document in download)

• National Park - Lanta > [email protected]// Call 075 656 576 //

Facebook page : อุทยานแห่งชาติหมู่เกาะลันตา - Mu Ko Lanta National Park

• National Park - Khao Sok Email : [email protected] // Facebook : อุทยานแห่งชาติเขาสก - Khao Sok National Park

• National Park - Koh tarutao Email :[email protected] // Call :+66 7478 3597’

I was at Maya Bay & PhiPhi yesterday and was told I couldn’t fly without approval so make sure you get the necessary documents filed and permission granted before you do it. If you don’t you’ll be heavily fined and could end up in jail.
I hope this helps.
Cheers
Sean

Thank you for your posting. Could you kindly tell me where I can download document for Phi Phi?

 

[Scotlynn]

I just this morning used the FEIC service for registration and insurance so I will update hopefully within a week how it went. So far the cost was 2,247 Thai baht ($109.49AUD) for both registration and Insurance for a Mavic Pro 3 (249g)
I am about to spend 90 days in Thailand so just over $1 a day isn't that bad to save the hassles from the men in Brown

I have kept Seans useful emails (below) that will be handy for National Parks
‘For nation park, You will need to send an email “Requesting permission to take still photos and aerial video using a drone camera (for private use)” to head of each national park. These are some information that we have, other than this you can search on google.

• National Park - Koh Chang - [email protected] , [email protected] // https://www.facebook.com/MuKoAngthong.NationalPark/
• National Park - PHIPHI ( document in download)
• National Park - Lanta > [email protected]// Call 075 656 576 //
Facebook page : อุทยานแห่งชาติหมู่เกาะลันตา - Mu Ko Lanta National Park
• National Park - Khao Sok Email : [email protected] // Facebook : อุทยานแห่งชาติเขาสก - Khao Sok National Park
• National Park - Koh tarutao Email :[email protected] // Call :+66 7478 3597’

 

[wco81]

Hope it works out for you.

But if you are going to be in the country for 90 days, you could also have gone through the registration process yourself?

I visited Thailand for a total of 12 nights or so. If I tried to register with both agencies from the time I landed, I think half my planned stay would be over before the agencies approved or rejected my application.

Maybe a better option for people who plan to stay 7-14 days, to have the licenses all ready to go and maybe also the arrivals from the national parks where you want to fly and film.

 

[Scotlynn]

Hope it works out for you.

But if you are going to be in the country for 90 days, you could also have gone through the registration process yourself?

I visited Thailand for a total of 12 nights or so. If I tried to register with both agencies from the time I landed, I think half my planned stay would be over before the agencies approved or rejected my application.

Maybe a better option for people who plan to stay 7-14 days, to have the licenses all ready to go and maybe also the arrivals from the national parks where you want to fly and film.

100% agree that it would be great for 7-14 day stays as I think your holiday would be over by the time you got it done.
As for me its a blend of ease (insert Lazy) and 12 locations to shoot in those 90 days so Im happy to pay and hit the ground running. Plus as you said getting it now allows me to start pre contacting National Parks and obtaining approvals early.

 

[John Gowland]

My insurance and all other documents to fly in national parks is out of date. However I have been to many parks since and they never check the dates, takes time and effort. So they photocopy the docs store them and seems they are never looked at again. Like so many multiple documents such as the multiple docs for banking they never get looked at again. Imagine the time it would take. Never had a problem in years. But that suites me.

 

[Stefan in Thailand]

Thank you for your posting. Could you kindly tell me where I can download document for Phi Phi?

Look here on this website is explained how to get the info from an official website of the wildlife department: How to Fly a Drone Legally in a Thai National Park

The staff of national parks usually don't check their email inbox often. Call after you sent the application.

Enjoy your drone in Thailand
Stefan

 

[Tom Mitura]

My insurance and all other documents to fly in national parks is out of date. However I have been to many parks since and they never check the dates, takes time and effort. So they photocopy the docs store them and seems they are never looked at again. Like so many multiple documents such as the multiple docs for banking they never get looked at again. Imagine the time it would take. Never had a problem in years. But that suites me.

Hi John, what is the latest drone situation in Thailand? When I was last here 2 years ago it was really laid back despite the Internet confusion - I got the NBTC and CAAT paperwork but no-one cared or checked it except in the Phi Phi national parks area. Im coming again in a few weeks with the same DJI Mini 4 but I've seen social media posts that Thailand has become really strict since August 2025? Could you please advise what's going on based on your experience?

 

[John Gowland]

I think it’s amazing, good news, and it seems to have happened midway through 2023. The Thai government has allowed you to fly a drone in National Parks, you do, however, have to have documentation from the two main organisations and a copy of your passport. That is five paged documents that I keep hard copies with me all the time I am flying and especially when I know I am going to a national park. You can do this yourself, but it can be long and laborious working through Thai government offices, or you can get an agent to do it for you. You can find them online easily. But the most pleasantly surprising change for me is that when you buy a drone in Thailand, I bought mine in Big Camera, Patong, they offer, for a small fee 1,500 baht, to organise the license for you. However, the bad news is that you if you have an already purchased drone from outside of Thailand, there is some sort of fine before you get a license. I’m not clear on this so don’t quote me on it but it was from the mouth of an expert. Please find an expert and have them explain this better than I can, because I’m not 100% sure on It. What I do know, is that once you have a license for your Thai purchased drone the “boys in brown” or the offices of the National Parks do not check the actual details of the drone model. So, I take three with me, Mini 4 Pro, Air 2S and the Avata. But as usual I do not fly near people; I don’t feel comfortable in Thailand. In Western Australia, where I used to live, I do not feel like that. I am just so happy I can legally fly in some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. I have posted some footage already in Photo and Video Showcase and have much more to come.Sorry for the long post but I do think It is now worth coming for a holiday just to do fly free in beautiful, Thailand. I will post much more as I become more familiar and definite about the recent changes. I am sure there are more flyers with more knowledge than I, If you do find them please post here. Maybe it would be good to arrange sections on the latest law/custom of flying in various countries/states? I will post info as I become for assured of the changes in the law/custom for those who want to know.

I’m afraid at the moment all drone flying is banned because of the Thai Cambodia conflict. Now if you are in a very secluded place with no one around. But if someone sees you and keeps up the news which few Thais do then maybe? I have not flown since the ban came in. When the conflict ends you will be able to fly as normal including national parks. It does not look like the conflict will end soon. The ban is a bit daft because the only areas that are of concern are 50 kilometres of either side of the border but a ban is a ban.

 

[Aerophile]

I’m afraid at the moment all drone flying is banned because of the Thai Cambodia conflict...

That would seem to contradict what has been posted recently in this thread:

Thailand - Drone ban lifted but App to report flights mandatory now​

No?

I thought the war was over...gosh, doesn't a FIFA Peace Prize mean anything nowadays?