🖐 In this blog post we’ll share all law links and known rules about recreational and commercial drone use in Romania (Bucharest). Give a 👍 at the end of this post if you enjoyed it & feel free to ask any questions or share your experience in The Forum. Keep in mind that the content below is updated to the best of our ability & does not replace official sources & your own research.
Recreational vs Commercial drone use in Romania
Romania differentiates between commercial & recreational drone usage - see our post to differentiate recreational vs commercial drone usage. Both are subject to restrictions and a code of conduct. Additionally, depending on the weight of your drone and where you want to fly your drone, different rules will apply.
✅ In Romania, drone regulations falls under the Romanian Civil Aviation Authority (AACR) & they can also be contacted anytime via:
Email: dir.gen@caa.ro
Phone: (+40) 212 081 508
Can I travel to Romania with my drone?
✅ Currently, there doesn't seem to be any restrictions on bringing drones within Romania as long as your import is considered as legitimate (generally one drone per person).
🚨 Be aware of the airline you purchase to travel as some main ones will only accept your drone on-board if its batteries are detached & placed in a firecase during travel time. Most airlines will have a battery voltage limit based on the recommendation of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). You can find more info about a specific airline here.
Where can I fly my drone in Romania?
✅ We did not find an official fly zone map for drones in Romania "If you have more information about this, please let us know in the Forum anytime". Thankfully, in the meantime, app.airmap.io has listed all flight zones in a convenient way based on your flight intentions organised in a 3 colors.
Romania drone fly map
🚨 Do not fly within 30 km of Romanian borders without permission of the Ministry of Defense.& stay away from urban areas.
🦅 National parks & reserves are on a case by case permission & you might need to check directly with the local park or reserve authorities. The Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve definitely requires a permit to fly your drone which will cost you about 11€ - more info 🐢🦎
Recreational & Commercial Drone use in Romania
✅ If your drone weights more than 500 g, you will need to register your drone prior taking off in Romania. Moreover, if you wish to fly in a controlled zone or take photos/videos, you will need to ask for permission. Aside from & if your drone weights less than 15 kg, you will be pretty sweet.
Saying this, within the permitted zones, you will need to follow a few rules:
mark your drone with your provider Romanian registered identification.
fly your drone at a maximum of 120 m max altitude or 300 m away from you.
fly a drone that weighs less than 15 kg (above, you will a need a license which will cost you about 600€).
give priority to all other categories of aircraft. If you see a plane or helicopter during your flight, land your drone immediately.
🚨 If your drone weights more than 20 kg, you will need a third party insurance.
🚨 Flights for aerial photography or aerial filming might require the approval of the Ministry of National Defense as mentioned in Hotărâre nr. 912/2010 (art. 4.1.f) (if you fly above strategic buildings) You can apply for a permission via this link (after having registered) 💡 Check with AACR about this one as its the law, but they might be able to help you with it.
How to register my drone in Romania?
🌏 If you hold a foreign registration, you may be able to avoid the Romanian one but is only on the paper & we never heard any successful such case so check ahead.
💡 If you want to avoid this part, fly a drone weighting less than 500 g such as the DJI Spark or the DJI Mavic Air. Considering a Spark is about can be found below 400€, the Romanian registration cost (114€) saved will give you about 25% of the budget needed 👌
✅ This is a two step process:
1/ Complete this form & return to dir.gen@caa.ro The only thing is that it is in Romanian and we expect you will need to complete it in Romanian. To complete your application you will need:
a photo of your drone
a copy of your personal identification documents
2/ Once approved, you will need to head to the CAA office & once your registration is complete they will stick a chip (with a syringe, "yes, yes") on your drone & a white registration ID (you can reproduce this last one yourself in another color if preferred).
💲 It will cost you 114€ (tax incl.) to complete which you can pay (in €) via bank transfer to the IBAN RO15 RNCB 0307 0050 2421 0002 or via credit card (but it seems to take longer).
🕔 Allow 10 working days to complete the process.
🚨 Note to de-register your drone (leaving or selling for e.g.), it will also cost you 114€ (tax incl.) as you will need to head to the CAA office for an officer to remove your chip.
How to get a permission to fly my drone in Romania?
For flying in a non restricted airspace
If you do not intend to fly within a restricted or controlled airspace, you will simply need to call the Romanian Civil Aviation Authority at least 30mins ahead at (+40) 212 081 508 (they speak English 👌) & you should receive a reference number.
Once you're done with flying, call them back and mention your reference number to close your case. Note, if you intend to fly within the mountains 🌲, there is not much range there and you should warn them ahead to close your case automatically.
For flying in a restricted airspace
✅ This is also an easy 1 step online form to complete & return to dir.gen@caa.ro The only thing is that it is in Romanian and we expect you will need to complete it in Romanian. To complete it you will need:
your identification number
the geo-coordinates of your flight zone
all your and your drone's information
👍 Cool stuff, you can ask up to 4 different zones at the same time via this form.
✅ You can also ask to segregated a dedicated airspace for your drone for tests for example by completing this online form & explaining what type of drone will fly there.. Romnian Civil Aviation Authority is even kind to provide templates for Mavic Pro, Phantom 3 & Inspire 1 drone models (which we guess are the most common over-there).
What do I risk for flying a drone illegally in the Romania?
🚨 The amount & scope of the fine will depend on the nature & severity of your infraction. The judges will also evaluate if you intentionally committed the infraction and/or if you had any commercial purposes to do such.
Once you've got everything in order, you can start flying above Romania's awesome landscapes and create videos like this one:
✅ Please leave a comment or update the Forum when you receive news and/or gain experience with your drone in Romania! Have fun and safe flight!
Disclaimer: Although great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information researched, we take no responsibility for any loss, harm or damage caused as a direct or indirect consequence of relying on this information. It is your responsibility to seek advice from qualified local & relevant authorities for needed information about local drone regulations.
Other resources
Directiva de Navigabilitate (in Romanian)
UAV Forms (in Romanian).
Sources
Guide to the operation of unmanned aerial aircraft on board (in Romanian).
Hotărâre nr. 912/2010 (art. 4.1.f) (for aerial imagery).