I did research, but want to confirm.

[astroprojector]

Hi There

I am planning a trip to France in May. I will be in Paris and Loire Valley. I am planning to bring a Mini 3 or 4 (have not decided yet). From what I gather the Drone rules in France are very restricting and according to this map https://www.geoportail.gouv.fr/donnees/restrictions-uas-categorie-ouverte-et-aeromodelisme, anywhere where it is red it is a strict No Fly zone.

I am correct or can I fly recreationally with Mini drone with out registration?

Thank you

 

[Cafguy]

Drone Laws in France | UAV Coach (2023)

Want to learn more about drone laws in France? Check out our list of links and regulations for people flying drones in France.

uavcoach.com

 

[MS Coast]

Hi There

I am planning a trip to France in May. I will be in Paris and Loire Valley. I am planning to bring a Mini 3 or 4 (have not decided yet). From what I gather the Drone rules in France are very restricting and according to this map https://www.geoportail.gouv.fr/donnees/restrictions-uas-categorie-ouverte-et-aeromodelisme, anywhere where it is red it is a strict No Fly zone.

I am correct or can I fly recreationally with Mini drone with out registration?

Thank you

Be aware that France, as a member of the European Union, is party to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations and has some additional rules of their own. There is not option for flying a non-toy drone without registration.
A couple of years ago, I went through the process getting an EU drone license, but that's only part of the current requirements. When I visited France last year, I left the drone at home. It just wasn't worth the fuss, in my opinion. I don't regret that decision. There was less to carry around and I had more time to really enjoying the scenery, talking with people, and doing my part to ease the surplus of great wines, cheeses, and breads that plagues the country.

You may hear a few folks tell you to just ignore the rules and take the drone. Sure, you can probably get away with it in remote places, but it's disrespectful and you'll be looking over your shoulder the entire time.

Enjoy your trip, whatever you decide.

Here's another summary of drone rules for France. There are number of similar sites, and EASA and the French civil aviation authority have good websites.

The rules for drone flyers in the European Union (Europe Drone Laws Simplified) - Drone Laws

Drone flights in countries in Europe Union and others are governed by EASA. Here are the EASA rules simplified with links to regulators

drone-laws.com

 

[laurent45]

Hi, I can confirm what is stated above for drone registration.
In addition all tourist spots are usually no flying zone, and it makes sense as a lot of tourists are there.
I am living in the Loire Valley, and it is true for Loire Valley castles. For instance, you have also some helicopters tours and ballons tours flying around....
So forget about taking castle drones, BUT you can find some spots away from cities, castles, where you can enjoy the LOire river, and it is worth a fly.

 

[astroprojector]

Hi, I can confirm what is stated above for drone registration.
In addition all tourist spots are usually no flying zone, and it makes sense as a lot of tourists are there.
I am living in the Loire Valley, and it is true for Loire Valley castles. For instance, you have also some helicopters tours and ballons tours flying around....
So forget about taking castle drones, BUT you can find some spots away from cities, castles, where you can enjoy the LOire river, and it is worth a fly.

Thanks, I will be visiting Loire Valley and noticed all the Chateau and castle in the NFZ.

 

[astroprojector]

Be aware that France, as a member of the European Union, is party to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations and has some additional rules of their own. There is not option for flying a non-toy drone without registration.
A couple of years ago, I went through the process getting an EU drone license, but that's only part of the current requirements. When I visited France last year, I left the drone at home. It just wasn't worth the fuss, in my opinion. I don't regret that decision. There was less to carry around and I had more time to really enjoying the scenery, talking with people, and doing my part to ease the surplus of great wines, cheeses, and breads that plagues the country.

You may hear a few folks tell you to just ignore the rules and take the drone. Sure, you can probably get away with it in remote places, but it's disrespectful and you'll be looking over your shoulder the entire time.

Enjoy your trip, whatever you decide.

Here's another summary of drone rules for France. There are number of similar sites, and EASA and the French civil aviation authority have good websites.

The rules for drone flyers in the European Union (Europe Drone Laws Simplified) - Drone Laws

Drone flights in countries in Europe Union and others are governed by EASA. Here are the EASA rules simplified with links to regulators

drone-laws.com

I did all required registrations for the non-EU resident and even to a course, but most likely will be leaving the drone at home.

 

[Roofdrone]

Be aware that France, as a member of the European Union, is party to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations and has some additional rules of their own. There is not option for flying a non-toy drone without registration.
A couple of years ago, I went through the process getting an EU drone license, but that's only part of the current requirements. When I visited France last year, I left the drone at home. It just wasn't worth the fuss, in my opinion. I don't regret that decision. There was less to carry around and I had more time to really enjoying the scenery, talking with people, and doing my part to ease the surplus of great wines, cheeses, and breads that plagues the country.

You may hear a few folks tell you to just ignore the rules and take the drone. Sure, you can probably get away with it in remote places, but it's disrespectful and you'll be looking over your shoulder the entire time.

Enjoy your trip, whatever you decide.

Here's another summary of drone rules for France. There are number of similar sites, and EASA and the French civil aviation authority have good websites.

The rules for drone flyers in the European Union (Europe Drone Laws Simplified) - Drone Laws

Drone flights in countries in Europe Union and others are governed by EASA. Here are the EASA rules simplified with links to regulators

drone-laws.com

Follow the rules...Hmmm Yes. I think that is a biggie. And I think that most or all of us are always trying to do the right thing. But I also think that most of us get into areas that we roll the dice in. But for me... not in a foreign land. Just to dangerous

 

[lowdrone]

Hi There

I am planning a trip to France in May. I will be in Paris and Loire Valley. I am planning to bring a Mini 3 or 4 (have not decided yet). From what I gather the Drone rules in France are very restricting and according to this map https://www.geoportail.gouv.fr/donnees/restrictions-uas-categorie-ouverte-et-aeromodelisme, anywhere where it is red it is a strict No Fly zone.

I am correct or can I fly recreationally with Mini drone with out registration?

Thank you

I obtained what I needed for flying a mini 3 Pro in France quite easily and I had many enjoyable flights last summer with no problems. Sure there are lots of red zones, but there are still many areas that are fine and photogenic! I had all my documents with me when I flew and followed the rules.

 

[Aerophile]

I obtained what I needed for flying a mini 3 Pro in France quite easily and I had many enjoyable flights last summer with no problems. Sure there are lots of red zones, but there are still many areas that are fine and photogenic! I had all my documents with me when I flew and followed the rules.

This.

Yes, there are lots of places in France where you can not fly legally. That's true at home, too (home for me = the USA) and it's also true in most countries so it should not come as a complete shock that you can't just fire up your drone and get footage of the Eiffel Tower or major Chateaux of the Loire Valley. There are crowds in places like that (even when the Olympics are not taking place).

I have flown my Mini 3 Pro - legally - in Portugal, Thailand, Honduras, Malta, and Japan (I may be forgetting another country or two). In about 6 weeks, I'll be going to France and will be bringing my drone (which is why I dug down into this thread).

I've already got my EASA registration. I have the French airspace map listed above. Yes, there are plenty of "red" no-fly zones. But there are also plenty of places where one can fly a drone (albeit often with altitude restrictions). Sure, many popular tourist locations are in the red "no fly zone" airspace (as they probably should be) - but honestly, that's true at home, too: big cities, popular tourist attractions, national parks and monuments are usually off limits everywhere (you know, places with crowds...). If that spoils it for you, then yeah, maybe you should leave the drone at home (or maybe you should add some places that are not overwhelmed with tourist crowds to your itinerary, and not just for flying your drone...).

My upcoming trip is to Corsica, a large French island in the Mediterranean. Corsica is (I believe) the 4th largest island in the Mediterranean, and is a popular vacation destination (mostly for the French and other Europeans, though it's not a major destination for American tourists). The scenery looks wonderful (lots of beautiful beaches and remote, rugged coast) and as best I can tell, a lot of it is NOT in red no-fly zones (though some of it definitely is).

I have a question about exactly how to interpret the French airspace as depicted in their official airspace map, which I'll post separately.

 

[Aerophile]

Here's what the French (national) airspace map looks like:

So yeah, there's a lot of red, but not all over (France is not a small country). For those who are geographically challenged, Corsica (where I'm headed) is that bit in the lower-right corner, off the coast of Northern Italy.

Here's what the airspace map looks like for Corsica:

Again, there's some red, but lots of Not Red, too. I am prepared to live with that, but am wondering about something...

 

[Aerophile]

Now here's where it gets tricky (at least I think so). From a high level, one can see that the "red" prohibited airspace often follows the coastline. That's pretty obvious in many places. But when you zoom in, the depiction of the prohibited airspace often follows the coastline just loosely, not precisely. There are many places where parts of the shoreline appear to NOT be under prohibited airspace. Here's an example around the port of Bastia, one of the largest cities in Corsica:


Note the areas along the shore that are NOT under the full-intensity red (prohibited) airspace. If I launch from those places, and keep the drone out of the red (prohibited) airspace, is that not legal? One could point to the map and show that it's airspace where the only restriction is a maximum of 30 meters altitude (which I could live with).

My concern is that an official would scoff and say that the airspace depiction was only approximate, and that the INTENT was (obviously?) to follow the coastline. But this airspace map is the official government source; it seems clear to me that their map says you CAN fly "around the edges" IN SOME PLACES and if their intent was to prohibit flight over ALL the beaches and harbors and coastal strips, their map should depict it that way. It does not depict that.

Of course, my intent would be to try and be discreet, not draw attention to myself or the drone (it's a mini, so it's pretty quiet and not easy to see); I would avoid flying directly over people (the standard EASA requirement), etc., and avoid military bases, security, etc. (believe me...). If I'm confronted by security or police and told to not fly there I would move along. But it seems reasonable to me that the way the airspace is depicted on the official government-provided airspace map is what dictates where one can and can not fly. If their intent was to prohibit flying over that beach or that breakwater or that lighthouse, the map should/would have been drawn depicting those places as under prohibited airspace, not just outside of it. Splitting hairs? I dunno.

I'm trying to follow the rules, and I plan to - as long as the rules are clear.

Thoughts?