Drone Laws in Taiwan

Taiwan Drone Regulations

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

If you’d like to contact CAA directly before you travel with any questions you might have, here is their contact information: gencaa@mail.caa.gov.tw / +886 2 2349 6280

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

General Rules for Flying a Drone in Taiwan

The CAA is working on the draft of the “Remote Control System for Remotely Controlled UAVs.” Some elements of Taiwan drone laws are still in the draft stage, including policies for drone registration, inspection, operator training, engineering test, operation restrictions, activity application, insurance, etc. Updates to Taiwan drone laws are publicly available on the CAA’s drone page and will be added to this page once they are finalized.

These are the general rules you should follow when flying a drone in Taiwan:

• The remote drone owner or operator is responsible for the safe use, risk management, and compliance of their operations.
• The drone owner or operator shall notify the CAAC of any incident involving the drone.
• Do not fly a drone that weighs more than 25 kg, unless you have a permit from the CAA.
• The maximum speed of the drone shall not exceed 87 nautical miles or 150 km per hour.
• The actual height of the remote-controlled drone’s flight activities shall not exceed 400 feet from the ground or the surface of the water.
• Keep away from airports, highways, expressways (roads), railways, elevated railways, ground or elevated mass transit systems, buildings and obstacles more than 30 meters.
• Do not operate a remote drone on a moving vehicle or ship.
• Do not throw or spray anything with a remote drone.
• Do not load a drone with dangerous goods.
• Do not fly over crowd gatherings or outdoor gatherings and parades.
• It is not allowed to fly from sunset to sunrise.
• Operate within the visual line of sight. No aids allowed other than corrective lenses to extend the working distance.
• The operator shall not control more than two remote control drones at the same time.
• The operator shall monitor the flight of the remote drone and its surrounding conditions at any time.
• The remote control drone should be prevented from approaching or colliding with other aircraft or obstacles.

Registration and Certification Requirements for Drone Operators in Taiwan

The CAA has enacted the following regulations requiring registration and certification for certain types of drone operations. However, the processes for obtaining registration and certification are still in development.

• Drones that weigh 250 g or more must be registered with the CAA. The registration number shall be marked on the remote control drone.
• All remote control drones of government agencies, schools or legal persons must be registered regardless of weight.
• A drone operator permit is required for drones that weigh 2 kg or more and for government agencies, schools, or legal entities operating a drone.
• A Business Operation Certificate is required for all commercial drone operations.

Traveling to Taiwan with a Drone

Foreigners are required to apply for approval from the Civil Aviation Administration before flying a drone in Taiwan. The required application documents include:

• Application
• Passport photocopy
• The certificate of registration, inspection, and operation certificate of the remote control drone issued by a foreign country or region. If the certificate is in a language other than English, a Chinese translation shall be attached.

The remote control drone registration, inspection, and operation permit of foreigners shall be valid for a maximum of 6 months from the date of issuance. More information about operating a drone as a foreigner in Taiwan is available on this page.

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