Traveling to Thailand

[John Gowland]

Hi gracebkk, the agent I used is a Thai guy called Danny, [email protected].
I am sure he would not mind me passing on his contact details. He is very supportive, very good at his job and will guide you through the complex and drawn out process.
However, the Thai governing bodies, there are two of them, who oversee the process don’t want you to fly a drone in Thailand, so they make it very difficult. My application, that satisfy all the criteria, thanks to Danny, has been sitting on some official’s desk since March 2019. I am hopeful one day it will go through. So, it’s up to you, I am pleased I went through the endless documents in hope. I have heard of some went though it very fast and without issue, but they tended to be the ones who lived in Thailand or were staying for long periods and went to these bodies with a Thai interpreter and were successful.

I hope you have better luck than I. Take care.

 

[gracebkk]

Hi gracebkk, the agent I used is a Thai guy called Danny, [email protected].
I am sure he would not mind me passing on his contact details. He is very supportive, very good at his job and will guide you through the complex and drawn out process.
However, the Thai governing bodies, there are two of them, who oversee the process don’t want you to fly a drone in Thailand, so they make it very difficult. My application, that satisfy all the criteria, thanks to Danny, has been sitting on some official’s desk since March 2019. I am hopeful one day it will go through. So, it’s up to you, I am pleased I went through the endless documents in hope. I have heard of some went though it very fast and without issue, but they tended to be the ones who lived in Thailand or were staying for long periods and went to these bodies with a Thai interpreter and were successful.

I hope you have better luck than I. Take care.

Hi John. Thank you for answering my question. I tried contacting Danny but he was quite unresponsive. Would you happen to know any other agents/company that would be able to help me apply for a drone permit in Thailand?

 

[bushie]

I was in Thailand a few months back. Did my homework but it seems the whole drone registration scheme is non operational. The accepted process seems to be

. Dont fly in National parks
.Dont fly around Bangkok (I was in Phuket and flew several places around there (see Thailand travel - need liability insurance UK - ideas?)
. Talk to locals. They mostly have no problems and are just curious

 

[John Gowland]

General attitudes have changed a lot in the last few years. There is developing a general negative attitude towards drones. If the boys in brown see you and you do not have the correct papers you could well be in deep do doos.

I don't know of any one else other than Danny gracebkk and since the whole process of getting the right papers has ground to a deliberate halt I am not surprised Danny is simply not doing it anymore, because in the past he had a lot of success. So until further notice don't even bother. If mine comes through I will let you know. I fly every day in Patong but far away from anyone's eyes.

 

[gracebkk]

General attitudes have changed a lot in the last few years. There is developing a general negative attitude towards drones. If the boys in brown see you and you do not have the correct papers you could well be in deep do doos.

I don't know of any one else other than Danny gracebkk and since the whole process of getting the right papers has ground to a deliberate halt I am not surprised Danny is simply not doing it anymore, because in the past he had a lot of success. So until further notice don't even bother. If mine comes through I will let you know. I fly every day in Patong but far away from anyone's eyes.

That'd be great! Thank you very much!

 

[John Gowland]

Fantastic news, yesterday I received permission by the Thai government bodies to fly in Thailand. Yahooooooooo! Over the moon and is Danny is his first success in a long time for those living outside Thailand

 

[wco81]

Fantastic news, yesterday I received permission by the Thai government bodies to fly in Thailand. Yahooooooooo! Over the moon and is Danny is his first success in a long time for those living outside Thailand

How much did you have to spend for insurance?

Also they require a passport stamp showing I had no problems entering Thailand or a visa.

Well I only have a 9-day trip planned, so how am I going to apply for a permit if I have to wait to arrive in Thailand first?

I guess I won't bother at all. Interesting to hear about the attitudes of some of the local police and people.

 

[John Gowland]

Not sure what the insurance part of it was but I think it was around 2-4 thousand baht. Danny sorted the whole thing out.
Takes months I am afraid.

 

[wco81]

Thanks, I guess if I have time, I'll submit the picture of the passport stamp, probably won't have license for this trip.

So I'll take pictures with my regular camera on this first trip to Thailand.

 

[colorado kid]

I fly to Bangkok in 6 days and have my 19 day stay in Thailand planed out. Awaiting my drone registration acceptance. Sorry you cannot fly under any circumstances within Bangkok, it’s a 19-kilometre radius. If you get caught it will be heavy duty. Jail and big fine. I take a lot of risks but would not do that one.
Richard Barrow in Thailand
How to register your drone in Thailand
To fly anywhere in Thailand you need to register your drone which is very difficult to do unless you live there or you have been within the last year and have a tourist or any entry visa in your passport, then you can employ an agent, as I have done, and they will guide you through the complex process.
Two or so years ago it was amazing to fly in Thailand no problems at all. Now they make it very difficult to do so legally. You can still risk it as long as you are away from people. Many do this and not encountered issues. This will be my 20th, about, trip.
There have been no issues, to date, of bringing a drone into Thailand with or without registration.
Airports don’t seem to know or care how you carry your batteries as long as you do not put them in the hold. So, carry on only. I put mine in plastic food bags. I have 4 Phantom and 3 Mavic 2. As long as the connectors are covered but again, airport staff only seem to know you have to have them carry on.
After you arrive, whatever you do, always carry about 1 or 2,000 Thai baht to help in difficult situations.
Then, have a ball, Thailand is an amazing place to take a holiday.

thanks for the informative comment. i just purchased the mini and as far as i understand, due to its only being 249 grams, i do not need register it with anyone. this should also apply in thailand, yes? also, batteries in ziplocs will suffice? thanks in advance!

 

[dawgpilot]

thanks for the informative comment. i just purchased the mini and as far as i understand, due to its only being 249 grams, i do not need register it with anyone. this should also apply in thailand, yes? also, batteries in ziplocs will suffice? thanks in advance!

I wouldn't assume at all that every country exempts drones under 250 grams from their rules.

 

[Thomas B]

Drone Laws in Thailand | UAV Coach (2023)

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

uavcoach.com

 

[John Gowland]

Unfortunately colorado kid the below 250 rule does not matter in Thailand.
What they are concerned about is that if it has a camera no matter the weight.

 

[shb]

Fantastic news, yesterday I received permission by the Thai government bodies to fly in Thailand. Yahooooooooo! Over the moon and is Danny is his first success in a long time for those living outside Thailand

So can you fly in Bangkok?

 

[John Gowland]

Even with certification you still need more "permissions" to fly in Bangkok, it is a red zone. If you are part of a big multimillion media company, then, fine, easy. As an averaged income individual, you will need to do a lot of leg work. A lot, and then you will probably be rejected.

Be smart, stay away from people including densely populated areas and you will be perfectly fine.

 

[shb]

Even with certification you still need more "permissions" to fly in Bangkok, it is a red zone. If you are part of a big multimillion media company, then, fine, easy. As an averaged income individual, you will need to do a lot of leg work. A lot, and then you will probably be rejected.

Be smart, stay away from people including densely populated areas and you will be perfectly fine.

I noticed on DJI fly, the airports in Bangkok don't have geo zones. Very strange.

 

[John Gowland]

I was close to an airport once, thought I was well away, DJI drone refused to take off.

 

[shb]

Been researching drone arrests in Thailand.
Found two recent videos on how to get your drone registered. The minimum time it will take is 2 weeks, and the 2nd lady said it took her a month. You can buy drone insurance before you goto Thailand, as long as it's valid in Thailand. It will also pay, if you lose, or crash, your drone.

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Another relevant link:

https://aseannow.com/topic/1069505-thai-man-threatened-with-300000-baht-fine-and-jail-for-flying-a-drone/

 

[wco81]

For Americans at least, you have to have a stamp on your passport showing you are legally visiting Thailand and you have to show that to one of the two agencies you have to apply to for the permit.

So that means you won't be able to get the permit until several days at least into your visit so unless you're staying at least a couple of weeks, you may not have much time to fly with a legal permit.

I would go through it to get the permit and then maybe in the future if I revisit, I won't have to deal with it again.

But no, these permits are only good for a month or so, so you have to do it every time you visit.

They're basically telling foreigners that sure you can fly your drone but we really prefer that you don't.

So we will make you jump through all these hoops to discourage you.

 

[John Gowland]

It does look a little easier than before but not much. When you have done that be aware you still cannot fly in National Parks, and you still cannot fly in red zones which covers most of Thailand.

UAV/Drone Flight Restrictions in Thailand

The Regulation of Airspace and Radio, specifically mentions that you can not fly in a 9km radius around most Airports. in addition, there are quite large patches of areas that are designated &#8220…

0x8.in.th

When your holiday is over you must re-apply when you next go to Thailand.

Overall, Thailand is self-harming with over burdening of bureaucratic and excessive procedures. I opened a bank account recently and I estimated I signed 9 documents, yes 9. Plain stupid.