Drone Laws in Estonia

Estonia Drone Regulations

According to Estonia’s national aviation authority, Estonia’s Civil Aviation Administration (ECAA), flying a drone is legal in Estonia, but we recommend being aware of and compliant with the drone regulations listed below before doing so.

If you’d like to contact the ECAA directly before you travel with any questions you might have, here is their contact information: ecaa@ecaa.ee / +372 610 3500

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

General Rules for Flying a Drone Within the European Union

Estonia 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, Estonia 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 Estonia

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

• A permit is not required for flights below 500 feet / 150 meters. For flights above 500 feet, see the section below for information on permit requirements.
• For drone flights below 500 feet / 150 meters, drone pilots must request approval at least three working days in advance. For flights above 500 feet / 150 meters, drone pilots must both hold a permit and request approval at least seven working days in advance. Learn more about these requirements on this page on the ECAA website.
• For personal use, you can film anywhere with a drone without having to notify anyone or ask anyone for permission, but you may not intentionally film someone without their knowledge and permission. For commercial use, you must have written permission from anyone who can be visibly identified within your footage. Learn more about privacy and filming in Estonia here.
• Drones must not be operated irresponsibly or in a manner that may result in endangering human life, health, property, or other users of the airspace.

For more information on Estonia’s drone laws, see this page on the ECAA website and this page on the European Union’s official website.

Know something we don’t about drone laws in Estonia? 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 Estonia can change throughout the year, and those changes can be hard to track. If we missed something, please reach out to let us know.

Permit Requirements for Flying a Drone in Estonia

There are different airspace blocks in Estonia that require a single permit from the Civil Aviation Administration for drone operations. Here they are:

• Flights in controlled airspace and flight information zones
• Flights in or near prohibited, restricted, temporarily separated, temporarily reserved, parachute jumps, moparaplanes, and sensitive fauna
• All flights above 500 feet / 150 meters from the ground

Learn more about permit requirements on this page on the ECAA website.

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