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Drone Laws in Hong Kong

Drone regulations and links for people flying drones in Hong Kong.

drone laws in Hong KongHong Kong Drone Regulations

According to Hong Kong national aviation authority, the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department (HKCAD), flying a drone is legal in Hong Kong, but we recommend being aware of and compliant with the drone regulations listed below before doing so.

If you’d like to contact the HKCAD directly before you travel with any questions you might have, here is their contact information: uas@cad.gov.hk / +852 2910 6352

flying a drone in Hong Kong

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

General Rules for Flying a Drone in Hong Kong

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

  • If flying for commercial purposes and / or if flying a drone that weighs more than 7 kilograms (15.4 pounds), you must submit an application to the HKCAD. If flying a drone that weighs less than 7 kilograms (15.4 pounds) for recreational purposes, no application is required.
  • If flying for commercial purposes, the drone pilot must maintain records of each flight pursuant to the permission granted and make such records available to HKCAD on request.
  • If flying for commercial purposes, the UAS operator is required to maintain and submit an operations manual covering the procedures to be followed for UAS operations. This document is a key requirement to enable HKCAD to accurately assess the application and the safety case before deciding whether to grant a permission.
  • Drones may not be flown within 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) of an airport.
  • Drones may not be flown within 50 meters (164 feet) of a person (other than people involved in the flight), vessel, vehicle, or structure except during takeoff and landing.
  • The drone pilot must maintain visual contact with the drone at all times while in flight.
  • Permission must be obtained from the land/property owner on whose land/property the UAS is intended to operate.
  • Drones may not be flown above 90 meters (295 feet).
  • Drones may not be flown at night.
SUA are power-driven aircraft weighing 25 kg or below which are operated without any pilot onboard, which include drones, model aircraft (fixed wing or helicopters) etc. To facilitate the development of the SUA sector, the Government enacted the new Small Unmanned Aircraft Order (“Cap. 448G”) which commenced on 1 June 2022.  

All remote pilots and responsible persons (e.g. owners, operators etc) are encouraged to get prepared for legal requirements such as registration, labelling, awareness/training, insurance, CAD’s prior permissions etc.
Remote pilots and responsible persons are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the information in this link prior to operating SUA. For further enquiries, please contact the Unmanned Aircraft Office at sua@cad.gov.hk.

For more information on Hong Kong drone laws, see this page on the HKCAD website.

Know something we don’t about drone laws in Hong Kong? 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 Hong Kong 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 Hong Kong? Here you go: