Drone Rules & Regulations


India’s Director General of Civil Aviation released an updated policy for flying drones within the country last year.  (Source: http://www.dgca.nic.in/cars/D3X-X1.pdf)  The new policy defines and classifies drones, puts in place a permitting process for operators, and outlines flight restrictions.

Under the new regulation, people can now fly small drones that weight less than 2 kg without a Unique Identification Number (UIN), without the hassle of obtaining permits.

Drone Categories

  1. Nano : Less than or equal to 250 grams.
  2. Micro : From 250 grams to 2kg.
  3. Small : From 2kg to 25kg.
  4. Medium : From 25kg to 150kg.
  5. Large : Greater than 150kg.

Important points to note:

  1. Nano drones are exempt from import clearance and other requirements.
  2. Nano category and some Micro drones do not require remote ID and tracking.
  3. Drones must not be flown more than 400 feet vertically.
  4. Drones can be flown only in daylight
  5. Flights must be within visual line of sight (VLOS).
  6. Drone swarms are forbidden: an operator may only operate one RPA at a time.
  7. Drones must stay away from airports, borders, coasts and military installations.  They must avoid sensitive government locations and parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
  8. Drones cannot be operated from a moving vehicle, ship or aircraft.

Carrying a drone on a domestic flight

You can travel with drones in flight if you are traveling within India. While carrying drones in flight you should keep the following points in mind.

  • The airport authorities won’t allow you to carry it as cabin luggage , you have to put it in check-in luggage. So, make sure that you have packed it nicely with proper cushioning and if possible put a fragile sticker on it.
  • You have to put the lipo batteries in your cabin luggage as lipo batteries and power banks are not allowed in check-in luggage.

Young hipster man with flying drone. Sunny green nature.

Informational Links
