Where can I fly a drone in Switzerland?
Switzerland is not in the European Union, but it has applied the EU drone regulation since 2023 under its bilateral air transport agreement. On top of it come its own rules, those of the VLK (SR 748.941): zones where no drone may fly, a distance from aerodromes for drones over 250 g, cantonal rules and mandatory insurance. The authority is FOCA (BAZL), which publishes the zones on an official map.
Flying at a specific spot?Check it on the map
In short
- The EU regulation 2019/947 applies, with the open, specific and certified categories, and the Swiss VLK on top.
- No drone may fly within an aerodrome perimeter, over prisons, military areas and electrical substations, or within 750 m of nuclear power plants (Art. 27 VLK).
- Above 250 g it is prohibited to fly within 5 km of an aerodrome runway and, in an active CTR, above 120 m (Art. 28 VLK), unless an exemption is granted.
- Cantons may restrict drones under 25 kg (Art. 34 VLK): wildlife rest areas, forests and waters.
- Third-party liability insurance is mandatory above 250 g, for at least one million francs.
- The minimum pilot age is 12 in the open category and 14 in the specific category.
The EU regulation, with Swiss rules on top
Since 2023 Switzerland has applied the EU drone regulation under its bilateral agreement with the Union: the categories, the A1, A2 and A3 subcategories, the 120-metre ceiling and the SORA are the same as in any EU country.
What Switzerland adds is in the VLK, the federal ordinance on special-category aircraft (SR 748.941). It sets its own zones, a distance from aerodromes, the minimum pilot age and insurance, and lets the cantons regulate drones under 25 kilograms. The authority is FOCA (BAZL), the federal office of civil aviation.
Where no drone may fly
The VLK prohibits flying any drone, whatever its weight, within the perimeter of a civil or military aerodrome, over penal institutions, over the military areas listed in its annex, over electricity grid substations, over the Ruswil compressor station and the Wallbach metering station, and within 750 metres of the nuclear power plants and the Würenlingen interim storage facility.
An exemption can be requested from whoever is responsible in each case: the aerodrome manager or the tower, the canton for prisons, the army for military areas.
Over 250 g: aerodromes and CTRs
With a drone over 250 grams it is prohibited to fly within 5 kilometres of the runways of a civil or military aerodrome, and inside an active control zone above 120 metres above ground. The aerodrome manager can set a smaller zone adapted to the site, and it is the manager, or the tower if the aerodrome has air traffic control, who grants exemptions.
At 250 grams or less these two rules do not apply.
Reserves and cantonal rules
Flying drones is prohibited in federal hunting reserves and waterbird reserves, except for the police, rescue and a few purposes authorised by the canton.
In addition, each canton may restrict drones under 25 kilograms. There are wildlife rest areas that ban take-off, landing or overflight during the rest period, forests where you may not fly below 50 metres without a permit and waters where flying comes with conditions. Since 2024 the cantons send these zones to FOCA, but not all of them have done so.
Your registration, your certificate and your insurance
Operator registration and exams are done in dLIS, the FOCA portal. Registration costs 10 francs and does not expire, and the A1/A3 exam is taken online for 20 francs. The minimum pilot age is 12 in the open category and 14 in the specific category, and EU certificates are valid in Switzerland.
Above 250 grams third-party liability insurance is mandatory, for at least one million francs, and you carry the proof on every flight.
How AXPA handles it
FOCA publishes the zones on an official map and AXPA serves them as published, with their text in your language. But the law defines zones that map does not draw in full: the 5 kilometres are measured from the runway and not from a point, some aerodrome perimeters and prisons are missing, and several cantonal rules have not reached FOCA.
AXPA draws those zones from the law, says so on each one and never shows less than the authority publishes. It adds the active restricted areas from the Skyguide daily bulletin, and the viability panel tells you which zones your operation touches and whom to ask for the exemption.
Frequently asked questions
See all questions- Are my EU registration and certificate valid in Switzerland?
- Yes. Switzerland applies the EU regulation, and certificates from the Union, Norway and Iceland are valid without any formality. If you are registered as an operator in an EU state, that registration is valid.
- Do I need insurance to fly a drone in Switzerland?
- Yes, if it weighs more than 250 grams: third-party liability insurance of at least one million francs, with the proof on you on every flight.
- Which official map do I have to check?
- The FOCA drone restrictions map on map.geo.admin.ch, and before every flight the Skyguide daily bulletin of restricted areas. AXPA brings both together and adds the zones the law defines and the map does not draw.
Keep reading
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.