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26th Feb, 2021 by: Himalayan Magic Treks
Fly drone in Nepal for tourist / foreigner
Flying a drone is very trendy thing to do nowadays be it for a professional work or for fun. A country like Nepal filled with astounding natural beauty might be a perfect spot for the drone. But if you want to fly a drone as a foreigner in Nepal, then it might not be that easy. There are many rules and regulations that you need to follow implemented by the Nepal government.
Before that one may ask: why flying a small drone in the air has such restrictions?
Several ministries and government agencies of Nepal are specifically involved with the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), also called drones.
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According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), unregulated drone operation and flying in sensitive regions might poses security threats, weakens air safety and intrude other personal privacy. You will only need to obtain the permission from CAAN if your drone is more than 2kg and flying it above 200 ft from the ground level.
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Ministry of Communication And Information Technology inspects any technological medium that radiates frequency. Since drones also has communicating device in it they are concerned that it might create interference with sensitive devices being used by the security personals, military, etc.
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Ministry of Home Affairs is responsible for the national security and any threats that might harm it. So, the home ministry needs to make sure that advanced technology like a drone is not a threat to the country.
Rules and regulations for flying a drone in conservation/ protected areas of Nepal for foreigners and tourist
The procedure and the processes are very long. So it might be best to take help from the agency/ person in Nepal, that you are corresponding with.
Weight of the drone
The drone should be at least less than 2 kg. Most of the popular consumer drones weighs less than it. But if the drone has weight more than 2 kilograms then the cost could become the double. I know sounds ridiculous right!! But it is what it is.
Permission from the authorities
You might have to get more permission from different authorities varying the purpose of the flying the drone. The obtained permission is usually valid for maximum three months. It can then be extended for further three months only if you have valid reason for the extension. For a foreigner to fly a UAV/ drone in Nepal, they must receive valid legal permission from the following authorities:
- Department of Tourism
- Ministry of Home Affairs
- Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN)
- Concerned Conservation Area/ National Parks
Restricted places
There are many places that have restriction for the drone. You cannot fly the drone near 5 km from the airport and international borders. Religious heritages and sites like Pashupatinath, Swayambunath, Durbar Square, Boudhanath and so on are restricted. Some historical monuments and places like Singha Durbar (Former King Palace) are also not allowed for drone. The residence of the head of country (president, vice-president and prime minister) are also restricted.
Flying the drone for filming documentary in the Conservation areas of Nepal
- The target of documentary filming
- Purpose for filming the documentary
- Method of filming the documentary
- Catalogue of the camera
- Equipment list of camera’s bodies including price list
- Permission from Nepal Film Board Development
- Apply at least 5 weeks before using the camera of the drone
Authority letters you will need for flying a drone in Nepal for tourist or foreigners
- Ministry of Tourism
- Authorized letter from Home ministry
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Authorized letter from a trekking agency
- Authority from Ministry of Defense
- Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration
- Authorized letter from group leader
Authorized fees
- Entrance fees
- Authorized liaison officer from communication office including all his expenses and fees
- National park fees for drone
- Insurances of liaison officer (from an insurance company in Nepal)
- Administrative expenses
Things to remember while flying a drone
Even though you are granted all the necessary authorization, there are several moral and social behavior that you should consider while using a drone.
- The drone pilot should be knowledgeable about controlling the drone.
- Do not drop any sort of objects from the drone.
- Do not fly drone above crowd of people.
- Avoid flying the drone near building and vehicles.
- Do not lose the sight of the drone.
- Do not fly drones in reckless manner.
If you have any question regarding the permission for flying drone in Nepal for tourist, you can us contact us.