Regulations

Regulations around using drones differ from country to country.

The limitations vary from restricted areas to a pilot license requirement. Please check the law that applies in the country you are flying.

Regulations in Switzerland

In Switzerland the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) is in charge of regulations around drones, which can be found here.

The most relevant regulations are:

• Do not fly over people unless you have the right permission
• Do not fly beyond visual line of sight
• Do not fly higher than 120 m above ground
• Do not fly in restricted areas

More detailed information about operation in Switzerland below.

For operation in the open category:

• Mandatory registration of pilots and operators.
• Training with examination as specified in the sub-category (A1, A2, A3).
• Minimum age for drone pilots of 12.
• Minimum distance from uninvolved persons as specified in the sub-category.
• Maximum flight altitude of 120m above ground level.
• Drones must bear a CE marking and a class identification label. The transitional provisions apply to drones without a class identification label.

For operation in the specific category:

• New permit procedures are available (EU-STS, PDRA, LUC)
• For flights into other EU countries, the permit must be notified to the county of operation with a Cross-Border declaration, after which the permit will be updated by FOCA to include the new country in it. 
• All operators must be registered and the registration number must be added to the remote identification system of the drone.