Can I fly a drone in Madrid or Barcelona?

In the centre of a large city several restrictions usually overlap: aerodrome environment, security zones and the article 40 ladder of distances to buildings. It is not impossible, but it is rarely a free flight: there is almost always an owner's permission or a notice to the Interior involved.

How close to a building can I fly?

In the open category, 5 metres with a class C1 drone or a C2 in low-speed mode, and 30 metres with a C2 in normal mode. Overflying it is forbidden. All three admit exemption with the prior permission of the building's owner.

Can I film from the air anywhere?

No. In a zone restricted for photographic flight you may fly, but capturing imagery requires prior authorisation from the Ministry of Defence through CECAF. It is a separate procedure from the flight, with its own lead times.

Can I fly in a national park or a protected area?

It is a conditional zone: overflight requires prior coordination with the manager of the area, and each designation is governed by its own management plan. In State marine special protection areas, recreational flight is not considered compatible.

Are the 150 metres of A3 a Spanish rule?

No. It is UAS.OPEN.040 of Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and applies equally across the Union. What is Spanish is the regime of distances to buildings in article 40 of RD 517/2024.

What about a beach or a municipal park?

They are built-up environment, and this surprises almost everyone. Article 40.1.c expressly includes public beaches holding constructions or installations for leisure, recreation or sport, even temporary ones, and parks and gardens under municipal competence. So a beach with a bar, or a park in your town, carries the overflight prohibition and the distances to buildings just like any street.

Where can I fly a drone in Spain?

Spain applies the European framework and, on top of it, Royal Decree 517/2024, which is what really complicates urban flying. Its articles 38 to 42 set out security zones, essential infrastructure, distances to buildings, aerodromes and controlled airspace, and article 43 the procedure for coordinating with whoever manages them. And there is a figure of its own that catches out anyone with a camera: the zone restricted for photographic flight, where flying is allowed but capturing imagery requires authorisation from the Ministry of Defence.

Applies to Spain.Reviewed on September 17, 2026

In short

The aviation authority is AESA. ENAIRE publishes the official zone viewer and is who you coordinate controlled airspace with.
Art. 40.3.b: in the open category you may not overfly buildings or dwellings, and you must keep 5 metres with a C1 (or a C2 in low-speed mode) and 30 metres with a C2. Art. 40.4 allows exemption with the owner's prior permission.
Art. 40.3.a: an operation in a built-up area is notified to the Ministry of the Interior at least 5 calendar days in advance, stating date and time slot.
Art. 39: over essential infrastructure flight is forbidden except with the owner's express permission, with 25 metres horizontally for linear infrastructure, 10 for non-linear, and a minimum of 50 metres vertically above the highest point.
The zone restricted for photographic flight does not forbid flying: it forbids capturing imagery without authorisation from the Ministry of Defence (CECAF).
The 150 metres of subcategory A3 are NOT Spanish: they are the European UAS.OPEN.040.

Four authorities, and it pays not to mix them up

AESA is the aviation authority: it registers operators, handles pilot training and grants specific category authorisations. ENAIRE is the air navigation service provider: it publishes the official geographical zone viewer and is who you coordinate controlled airspace with.

Then come the Ministry of the Interior, which is notified of operations in built-up areas, and the Ministry of Defence, which authorises the capture of imagery in zones restricted for photographic flight and governs the areas of interest for National Defence. Knowing which one governs your site is what tells you which door to knock on.

The urban ladder of article 40, which is what people get wrong most

The first thing is knowing what counts as a city, because article 40.1 is broader than it looks: built-up environment covers settlements consolidated by building, residential, commercial or industrial areas with urban services, and publicly accessible recreational areas with installations, among which the text itself places beaches and municipal parks. From there, flying in a Spanish city is not settled with a yes or a no. In the open category, article 40.3.b forbids overflying buildings, houses and dwellings, including courtyards and recreational areas. It then sets minimum horizontal distances to any building: 5 metres for a class C1 drone, or a C2 with low-speed mode engaged, and 30 metres for a C2 in normal mode.

All of those restrictions admit exemption under article 40.4: with prior permission from the owner or manager of the building they can be reduced or lifted, provided the rest of the rules are met. In other words, the question is often not «may I?» but «who do I ask?».

The notice to the Interior and the vertical extent of the urban zone

Article 40.1 defines the general urban zone, and its vertical extent is not the 120 metre ceiling: it reaches 300 metres (1,000 feet) above the highest obstacle within a 600 metre radius. That figure is what decides whether your flight enters the zone or passes above it.

And article 40.3.a requires notifying the operation to the Ministry of the Interior at least 5 calendar days in advance, stating date and time slot. They are not working days: they are calendar days, which in practice brings the paperwork forward more than people reckon. It is also wise to coordinate with the town council, which may regulate the use of the ground you take off from.

Security, defence and essential infrastructure

Article 38 defines security zones on grounds of military security, National Defence and State security, including civil installations declared of military interest. There, flight is forbidden except with prior and express permission from the owner or the responsible manager.

Article 39 does the same for infrastructure providing essential services: energy and petrochemicals, transport (rail, ports, roads), water, gas and electricity, telecommunications, and essential services such as hospitals, barracks and law enforcement premises. Also forbidden except with express permission, with limits of 25 metres horizontally for linear infrastructure, 10 for non-linear (and 10 from the covered surface or fence for essential services) and a minimum of 50 metres vertically above the highest point.

The zone restricted for photographic flight, the one nobody expects

This is a specifically Spanish figure and its logic differs from all the others: it does not restrict the flight, it restricts the camera. It stems from article 37.2.c of RD 517/2024, which refers to article 20 of RD 1180/2018.

If your operation does not include capturing images or video, meeting the zone's general conditions is enough. If you are going to film or photograph, you need prior authorisation from the Ministry of Defence, through CECAF. For an inspection or audiovisual job, that procedure is what sets the calendar, and it is precisely the one discovered too late.

Aerodromes, controlled airspace and nature

These are three separate channels and they get confused a lot. Article 41 defines the aerodrome and heliport zones, and in Spain they do not depend on what each facility publishes: their dimensions are fixed. Up to 45 metres height, an area 6 kilometres along the extended runway centreline and 5 kilometres either side; above that height and up to 900 metres, 10 kilometres and 7.5 kilometres. Article 42 covers controlled airspace and flight information zones, and there operation is forbidden except by two routes worth knowing: flying within sight and below 60 metres outside aerodrome zones, which is additionally exempt from a flight plan and from control authorisation; or coordinating with the air traffic service provider under the article 43 procedure, which usually does require a flight plan. For those flying regularly there is the EARO agreement with ENAIRE, signed per operator and concept of operations.

And protected natural areas are conditional zones under article 19 of RD 1180/2018: overflight requires prior coordination with the manager of the area, and each park is additionally governed by its own management plan. In marine special protection areas under State competence, recreational flight is recorded as not compatible.

Frequently asked questions

See all questions

Can I fly a drone in Madrid or Barcelona?: In the centre of a large city several restrictions usually overlap: aerodrome environment, security zones and the article 40 ladder of distances to buildings. It is not impossible, but it is rarely a free flight: there is almost always an owner's permission or a notice to the Interior involved.
How close to a building can I fly?: In the open category, 5 metres with a class C1 drone or a C2 in low-speed mode, and 30 metres with a C2 in normal mode. Overflying it is forbidden. All three admit exemption with the prior permission of the building's owner.
Do I need to notify anyone to fly in a city?: An operation in a built-up area is notified to the Ministry of the Interior at least 5 calendar days in advance, stating date and time slot. It is also wise to talk to the town council if you will occupy public land.
Can I film from the air anywhere?: No. In a zone restricted for photographic flight you may fly, but capturing imagery requires prior authorisation from the Ministry of Defence through CECAF. It is a separate procedure from the flight, with its own lead times.
Can I fly in a national park or a protected area?: It is a conditional zone: overflight requires prior coordination with the manager of the area, and each designation is governed by its own management plan. In State marine special protection areas, recreational flight is not considered compatible.
Are the 150 metres of A3 a Spanish rule?: No. It is UAS.OPEN.040 of Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and applies equally across the Union. What is Spanish is the regime of distances to buildings in article 40 of RD 517/2024.
What about a beach or a municipal park?: They are built-up environment, and this surprises almost everyone. Article 40.1.c expressly includes public beaches holding constructions or installations for leisure, recreation or sport, even temporary ones, and parks and gardens under municipal competence. So a beach with a bar, or a park in your town, carries the overflight prohibition and the distances to buildings just like any street.

This guide is general information and planning support, not legal advice and not a flight authorisation. Regulations change and every country adds its own conditions. Before taking off, always check the official sources for your jurisdiction and current aeronautical information. The remote pilot in command is solely responsible for the flight.