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Drone rules in the Czech Republic (2026): law, zones, fines

Verified against official sources on September 29, 2026

In short

You can fly a drone in the Czech Republic under the EU rules, usually in the open category: under 25 kg, in visual line of sight and within 120 m of the ground. Register with the ÚCL if your drone weighs 250 g or more, can transfer more than 80 J on impact, or has a camera and is not a toy, and before flying in towns and villages, national parks, protected landscape areas or the inner and military airport zones enter the flight in DroneMap, unless your drone needs no registration. Liability insurance of at least CZK 1,000,000 is required for A2 flights and for A3 flights with a drone over 4 kg.

On this page

Who regulates drones

Drones in the Czech Republic are regulated by the Úřad pro civilní letectví (ÚCL, the Civil Aviation Authority) in Prague. The common EU drone rules have applied here since 31 December 2020.1,2,3

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  • The ÚCL publishes its detailed drone information in Czech only, because it changes often.2
  • By law the ÚCL administers the digital zone map. The DroneMap tool itself is run by Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic (ŘLP ČR), which also publishes the zone data on its AIM site.1,4,5

Registration

You must register as an operator if you fly, in the open category, a drone of 250 g or more, one that can transfer more than 80 J on impact, or one with a camera or other sensor that can capture personal data unless it is a toy. Every flight in the specific category needs registration too.3

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  • Residents of the Czech Republic, and businesses based here, register with the ÚCL; filing online requires electronic identification. You can be registered in only one EU member state at a time.3,1,6
  • Registration runs on the ÚCL portal dron.caa.gov.cz and your operator number arrives by e-mail. Display it on every drone that requires registration.6,3
  • Online training, the pilot test, registration and the registration number are all free of charge on the ÚCL portal.7

Categories and weight classes

Most hobby flights fall into the open category, which needs no prior authorisation, although many Czech zones require you to enter the flight in DroneMap. The drone must weigh under 25 kg, stay in visual line of sight within 120 m of the closest point of the ground, never fly over assemblies of people and drop nothing.3,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16

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  • In A1, C0 and eligible legacy or privately built drones under 250 g may overfly uninvolved people but never assemblies. C1 must be flown with the reasonable expectation that no uninvolved person will be overflown. A2 keeps 30 m from uninvolved people, reducible to 5 m with active low-speed mode under the applicable conditions. A3 stays 150 m from residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas.3
  • The class label decides the subcategory: C0 (under 250 g) and C1 (under 80 J on impact or under 900 g) fly in A1, C2 (under 4 kg) in A2 or A3, C3 and C4 (under 25 kg) in A3. C1, C2 and C3 drones must fly with active direct remote identification and geo-awareness.17,3
  • Drones without a class label placed on the market before 1 January 2024 fly in A1 if under 250 g and in A3 if under 25 kg. Anything outside the open category needs an operational authorisation or, for a standard scenario, a declaration, with the authority where the operator is registered.3

Pilot competence

The pilot test depends on the class, not only the weight: a C1 drone, and any flight in A3, needs online training and an online theory test. On the ÚCL portal the test has 40 questions, a 60 minute limit and a 75% pass mark.3,18

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  • Flying in A2 needs the A2 certificate: the online test, self-practical training and an extra theory exam of at least 30 questions. You apply in your pilot profile on dron.caa.gov.cz within 3 months of passing that exam.3,1,19
  • The minimum pilot age is 16, except for C0 toys in A1, privately built drones under 250 g and flights under direct supervision of a qualified pilot. The online test result and the A2 certificate are valid for 5 years.3
  • Carry your proof of competency while flying, unless the drone is a C0 or an unlabelled or privately built drone under 250 g. The Police and the ÚCL may ask for it and order you to stop the flight.3,1

Where you can fly

Keep the drone in visual line of sight, watch for manned aircraft, stop the flight if it becomes a risk and stay away from an ongoing emergency response unless the emergency services allow it. At night the drone must show a green flashing light.3

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  • Before every flight, whatever its purpose, get the current Czech geographical zones and follow their conditions. The ÚCL can add temporary zones, and a Police order closing airspace takes effect once it is shown in DroneMap, so check it right before take-off.3,8,2,1
  • Prague Castle (LKP1) is a prohibited area where a drone flight also needs the Police's favourable opinion. Along the Vltava around Charles Bridge (LKP329, ground to 120 m, since 2 April 2026) and in Dejvice (LKP330) you need an ÚCL specific-category authorisation or flight permission (OKL) with Police or Military Police consent, which the ÚCL obtains.20,21,22
  • In the outer part of an airport control zone you may fly only up to the height shown in the published grid for that spot, and higher only after coordinating with air traffic services and entering the flight in DroneMap. In the inner part and in military zones every flight must be entered in DroneMap, flights above the grid need coordination, and the inner military zone needs the airport operator's permission.11,23

Geographical zones

The ÚCL sets the national zones by measures of general nature under § 44e of Act No. 49/1997 Coll.; the current set, LKR310 to LKR320, took effect on 1 September 2025. DroneMap (dronemap.gov.cz) is the official map under § 44j of the Act, both for checking zones and for entering flights.1,8,16,15,13,11,24,9,12,10,14,20

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  • In towns and villages (LKR316), national parks, protected landscape areas and small protected areas (LKR318), the inner airport zones (LKR314B, LKR314D) and the military airport zones (LKR314E, LKR314F) you must enter the flight in DroneMap before take-off: its area, height and time, the drone type and mass class and your operator registration number. Drones that need no operator registration are exempt.8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16
  • In towns and villages plan an A1 flight so that you reasonably expect to overfly no uninvolved person, counting people in cars and behind windows, and for A2 secure the area against uninvolved people. In national parks and protected landscape areas you also need, before the flight, a statement from the nature protection authority that no permit is needed, or its permit.9,10
  • Near roads (as a rule 15 to 50 m from the road axis), electrical substations of 110 kV and above, drinking-water reservoirs and defence sites you need the consent of the road administrator, station operator, water authority or the person responsible for the site, and near railways (up to 60 m from the track) and power lines of 220 kV and above the conditions range from a DroneMap entry or a notice to the operator's consent. If an open-category flight conflicts with a zone, the ÚCL can issue a free flight permission (OKL) in an administrative procedure with a risk assessment, so apply well ahead through dron.caa.gov.cz.12,15,13,14,16,25,21,3

Insurance

Czech law requires the operator to hold liability insurance for flights in A2, in A3 with a drone over 4 kg, and in the specific category. Members of an association authorised under § 54n are exempt from this duty but must hold the cover that their association's rules or EU law require.1

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  • The minimum cover is CZK 1,000,000 per event in A2 and A3, unless an EU regulation sets the limit. In the specific category it is CZK 2,000,000, 5,000,000 or 10,000,000, depending on the drone's mass.26,1
  • Czech law gives way to EU Regulation 785/2004 where it applies: it covers aircraft operators except, among others, model aircraft under 20 kg, and requires at least 0.75 million SDR of third-party cover below 500 kg. Neither text says which drone flights count as model aircraft.1,27,28

Privacy and photos

According to Recommendation No. 1/2024 of the Czech data protection authority (ÚOOÚ), the operator of a drone camera that captures identifiable people, live or recorded, may be a controller of personal data, and a controller must follow the GDPR.29

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  • Only narrow private uses fall outside the GDPR, such as filming your family's own property showing only them with their agreement. Publishing such footage freely, for example on the web, is not covered.29
  • Privacy and data protection are part of the online pilot test.3

Flying as a visitor

If you are registered as an operator in another EU member state, you do not register again to fly here. Remote pilot certificates issued in the EU are recognised in every member state.3,30,31

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  • Visitors from outside the EU register with the authority of the first EU country where they intend to fly, which is the ÚCL if that is the Czech Republic, and EASA states this registration is then valid across its member states. Filing online with the ÚCL requires electronic identification, so check early how you can identify yourself.17,32,1,6,30,3
  • A non-EU drone qualification does not replace the EU competence required for your operation. Complete the EU training and examination when your drone class and subcategory require them; the obligation is not universal for every lightweight drone.32,3

Penalties

Breaking a zone condition, a Police order or an EU operating limit such as the 120 m ceiling, or flying without valid proof of competency, can cost a pilot up to CZK 100,000. Losing visual line of sight or flying near a rescue operation can cost up to CZK 75,000, and flying under the influence of alcohol or drugs up to CZK 50,000.1,3

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  • An operator who is not registered, does not display the registration number, or has no required insurance faces up to CZK 100,000, whether a private individual or a business.1
  • An operator whose breach of the EU drone rules causes an accident faces up to CZK 3,000,000.1
  • Offences are heard by the ÚCL or the Ministry of Transport, and the Police can settle some on the spot, such as flying without competency, under the influence of alcohol or unregistered.1

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to register a drone under 250 g in the Czech Republic?

Only if it has a camera or another sensor that can capture personal data and it is not a toy, or if it can transfer more than 80 J on impact. From 250 g every drone needs registration, which is free on the ÚCL portal.3,7

Do I need to pass a drone test in the Czech Republic?

It depends on the class, not only the weight. A C1 drone and any flight in A3 need the free online test, and A2 needs the A2 certificate.3,7

Can I fly a drone in Prague?

Not around Prague Castle (LKP1), where a flight needs the Police's favourable opinion, nor along the Vltava around Charles Bridge (LKP329, ground to 120 m, since 2 April 2026) or in Dejvice (LKP330), where you need an ÚCL authorisation or flight permission (OKL) with Police consent, which the ÚCL obtains. Elsewhere, built-up areas are zone LKR316, where you must enter the flight in DroneMap, and check DroneMap for the Prague airport control zone.20,21,22,9,8,10,11,12,13,14,15,16

Is drone insurance mandatory in the Czech Republic?

Yes for A2 flights, for A3 flights with a drone over 4 kg and for the specific category, with at least CZK 1,000,000 cover per event in the open category. Where EU Regulation 785/2004 applies, Czech law defers to it and its minimum of 0.75 million SDR, whatever the subcategory.1,26,27,28

What are the fines for drone offences in the Czech Republic?

A zone condition, a Police order, an EU operating limit such as the 120 m ceiling, or flying without competency: up to CZK 100,000. Losing visual line of sight: up to CZK 75,000, flying under the influence of alcohol: up to CZK 50,000, and an operator whose breach causes an accident: up to CZK 3,000,000.1,3

I am a tourist from outside the EU. What do I need to fly here?

Register with the ÚCL if the Czech Republic is the first EU country you fly in, which online requires electronic identification, and complete the EU online training and test, because EASA states no non-EU training is recognised yet.17,32,1,6,3

Sources

Informational summary, not legal advice. The official sources below are binding.

  1. 1
    Zákon č. 49/1997 Sb., o civilním letectví (znění účinné od 1. 11. 2025)Sbírka zákonů a mezinárodních smluv (e-Sbírka) · accessed September 29, 2026
  2. 2
    Unmanned AircraftCivil Aviation Authority of the Czech Republic (ÚCL) · accessed September 29, 2026
  3. 3
    Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 on the rules and procedures for the operation of unmanned aircraft (consolidated text, 1 May 2025)Publications Office of the European Union (EUR-Lex) · accessed August 6, 2026
  4. 4
    Přehled zeměpisných zón pro bezpilotní systémy bez vlivu na klasický provoz s pilotem na paluběÚřad pro civilní letectví · accessed September 29, 2026
  5. 5
    Unmanned Aircraft: UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems), DronesAIM, Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic · accessed September 29, 2026
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  1. 6
    Provozovatel bezpilotního systémuÚřad pro civilní letectví · accessed September 29, 2026
  2. 7
    Základní informace k miniwebu ÚCL pro bezpilotní systémyÚřad pro civilní letectví · accessed September 29, 2026
  3. 8
    Opatření obecné povahy LKR310Úřad pro civilní letectví · accessed August 4, 2026
  4. 9
    Opatření obecné povahy LKR316Úřad pro civilní letectví · accessed August 4, 2026
  5. 10
    Opatření obecné povahy LKR318Úřad pro civilní letectví · accessed August 4, 2026
  6. 11
    Opatření obecné povahy LKR314Úřad pro civilní letectví · accessed August 4, 2026
  7. 12
    Opatření obecné povahy LKR317Úřad pro civilní letectví · accessed August 4, 2026
  8. 13
    Opatření obecné povahy LKR313Úřad pro civilní letectví · accessed August 4, 2026
  9. 14
    Opatření obecné povahy LKR319Úřad pro civilní letectví · accessed August 4, 2026
  10. 15
    Opatření obecné povahy LKR312Úřad pro civilní letectví · accessed August 4, 2026
  11. 16
    Opatření obecné povahy LKR311Úřad pro civilní letectví · accessed August 4, 2026
  12. 17
    Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 on unmanned aircraft systems and on third-country operators of unmanned aircraft systems (consolidated text, 24 June 2025)Publications Office of the European Union (EUR-Lex) · accessed August 6, 2026
  13. 18
    Registrace pilota bezpilotního systémuÚřad pro civilní letectví · accessed September 29, 2026
  14. 19
    Způsobilost pilotů pro provoz v podkategorii provozu A2Úřad pro civilní letectví · accessed September 29, 2026
  15. 20
    Opatření obecné povahy LKR320Úřad pro civilní letectví · accessed August 4, 2026
  16. 21
    Opatření obecné povahy LKP329 VLTAVA, zakázaný prostor pro lety bezpilotních letadelÚřad pro civilní letectví · accessed September 29, 2026
  17. 22
    Opatření obecné povahy LKP330 DEJVICE, zakázaný prostor pro lety bezpilotních letadelÚřad pro civilní letectví · accessed September 29, 2026
  18. 23
    Basic rules for operating drones in the Czech Republic (Czech Drone Rules)Řízení letového provozu ČR, s.p. (Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic) · accessed September 29, 2026
  19. 24
    Opatření obecné povahy LKR315Úřad pro civilní letectví · accessed August 4, 2026
  20. 25
    Oprávnění k letuÚřad pro civilní letectví · accessed September 29, 2026
  21. 26
    Vyhláška č. 108/1997 Sb., kterou se provádí zákon o civilním letectví (znění účinné od 28. 4. 2023)Sbírka zákonů a mezinárodních smluv (e-Sbírka) · accessed September 29, 2026
  22. 27
    Regulation (EC) No 785/2004 on insurance requirements for air carriers and aircraft operators (consolidated text, 30 July 2020)Publications Office of the European Union (EUR-Lex) · accessed September 29, 2026
  23. 28
    Hlavní předpisy upravující problematiku pojištění odpovědnosti provozu za škody z provozu bezpilotního systémuÚřad pro civilní letectví · accessed September 29, 2026
  24. 29
    Doporučení ÚOOÚ č. 1/2024 ke zpracování osobních údajů prostřednictvím záznamů z kamer bezpilotních letadelÚřad pro ochranu osobních údajů · accessed September 29, 2026
  25. 30
    Travelling with dronesEASA · accessed September 29, 2026
  26. 31
    Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 on common rules in the field of civil aviation (Basic Regulation, consolidated text, 2 August 2026)Publications Office of the European Union (EUR-Lex) · accessed September 29, 2026
  27. 32
    I am a non-EU visitor and I want to fly a drone in EuropeEASA · accessed September 29, 2026