Drone Laws in Bulgaria

Bulgaria Drone Regulations

According to Bulgaria’s national aviation authority, the Bulgarian Air Traffic Services Authority (BULATSA), flying a drone is legal in Bulgaria, but we recommend being aware of and compliant with the drone regulations listed below before doing so.

If you’d like to contact BULATSA directly before you travel with any questions you might have, here is their contact information: amc@bulatsa.com / +359 2 945 91 80 (fax)

Why fly a drone in Bulgaria? To get great aerial shots like these!

General Rules for Flying a Drone Within the European Union

Bulgaria is a part of the European Union and therefore must abide by the drone regulations put in place by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). In addition to these regulations, Bulgaria also has regulations that are country-specific.

Based on our research and interpretation of the laws, here are the most important rules to know for flying a drone within the European Union.

There are three operational categories that determine drone regulations based on the weight of the drone and the intended operation. This section will only cover the Open Category, to see all European Union laws and categories, click here.

A drone can be operated in the “Open “category if:

• The drone has one of the class identification labels 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4.
• The drone was purchased before 1 January 2023, with no class identification label as above.
• The drone has a maximum take-off mass of less than 25 kg (55 lbs).
• The remote pilot keeps the drone at a safe distance away from people.
• The drone will not be operated directly over people unless it has a class identification label or is lighter than 250 g (0.55 lbs). (Please refer to subcategories of operations: A1, A2, and A3 to find out where you can fly with your drone).
• The remote pilot will maintain a visual line of sight (VLOS) or the remote pilot will be assisted by a UA observer.
• The remote pilot will not operate the drone above 120m (400ft).
• The drone will not carry any dangerous goods and will not drop any material.

General Rules for Flying a Drone in Bulgaria

Based on our research and interpretation of the laws, Bulgaria does not yet have a system of regulations in place for drone operations. For the moment, the only way to fly a drone in Bulgaria is to obtain permission directly from the Civil Aviation Administration (DG CAA).

Here is the process:

• Applicants must request permission to fly their drone by submitting a letter to the Directorate General “Civil Aviation Administration” (DG CAA) at least eight days in advance of drone operations. Here is an example letter provided by BULATSA.
• The letter must describe the activity, the necessary zone/zones, date of the activity, beginning and end hour, responsible person during the activity, and mobile telephone number for contact with him / her.
• A scanned copy of the obtained permission by the DG CAA along with the original letter sent to the DG CAA (the letter is also referred to as the “Application for Use of Airspace” on the BULATSA website) must then be emailed here: amc@bulatsa.com, or faxed here: +359 2 945 91 80 at least 8 calendar days before the planned use of airspace.
• If the application is approved, the Airspace Management Cell produces a NOTAM message. After its publication the message is sent to the applicant along with other pertinent information about their approved flight.

For more information on Bulgaria’s drone laws, see this page on the BULATSA website.

Know something we don’t about drone laws in Bulgaria? Send us an email at support[at]horizonap[dot]com. We are not international aviation attorneys and do our best to keep this page up-to-date for drone pilots, but the reality is that given the pace of the small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) industry and how governments are responding, drone regulations in Bulgaria can change throughout the year, and those changes can be hard to track. If we missed something, please reach out to let us know.

Want to get a feel for the kind of footage you could get flying a drone in Bulgaria? Here you go: