dronetravel.guideBriefings checked 8 Oct 2026

Countries · Iberian Peninsula and the Azores, Western Europe · EASA rules

Portugal (mainland and Azores)

Portugal flies under the EU open category, but ANAC's own decision chart routes every drone that can capture images through a separate, free aerial-survey authorisation from the military AAN, and a third-country pilot must collect a Chave Movel Digital in person before registering.

Permit per flight for this profile · checked 8 October 2026

38 rules · 63 sources, 49 of them official · 13 fields unconfirmed · Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil (ANAC) · ANAC Registry (uas.anac.pt) (English)

Everything below follows these two answers. Saved on this device, not sent anywhere.

Your answer

Every engine field and the workflow rest on official pages.

What decides it

  • A drone able to capture images, and the publication of those images, needs an aerial-survey authorisation from the Autoridade Aeronautica Nacional under Decreto-Lei n.º 42071 of 30 December 1958 and Portaria n.º 17568 of 2 February 1960 as amended. The authorisation is required even if you do not intend to capture images and even if nothing is published.confirmed on the cited page

Permits tied to a place or a time

These do not change the country's colour; they decide whether a particular flight is legal where and when you want it.

  • Where ANAC is the manager of a geographical zone the operation falls automatically into the specific category and cannot be flown in the open category; the only route is an operational authorisation or a LUC plus a cross-border application.
  • Flight within a 1 km radius of heliports used by civil protection, of heliports run by public bodies with public-order, security or criminal-investigation duties, and of hospital heliports used only for medical emergencies, is prohibited in the open category.
  • Within a 2.5 km radius of a civil heliport, a certified aerodrome without CTR or ATZ, or an approved ultralight strip, flight needs the express authorisation of the aerodrome, heliport or strip director. Inside an ATZ or TRMZ the authorisation comes from the AFIS or the aerodrome operator, and ANAC authorisation is not needed for either.
  • Military dangerous, restricted, prohibited and temporarily reserved areas, and Lisbon Zones 1, 2, 3 and 4, need an AAN authorisation. A temporary AAN airspace exclusion zone cannot be entered by any civilian operator in any category, even with an authorisation already granted.
  • Flight is prohibited over installations housing sovereign bodies, embassies and consular representations, military installations, places where police missions are taking place, and prison establishments and the educational centres of the prison service, except when authorised by the representative entities of those bodies.
  • When the rural fire-risk level is very high or extreme, UAS cannot be operated in Portugal. The level is set by IPMA and published daily, and the hazard map comes from AGIF.
  • Remote pilots may not operate inside an area where a search and rescue or civil-protection operation is under way without permission from the services responsible for it. ANAC shows PROCIV occurrence areas on the zone map for information only, and they are not geographical zones.
  • Operating in a park, nature reserve or protected area needs authorisation from the nature-conservation authority: ICNF on the mainland, IFCN IP-RAM in Madeira, and the Direcao Regional do Ambiente in the Azores. Mainland protected areas are not published in the common digital format, so the pilot must consult the ICNF geocatalogo and contact ICNF.
  • Over territorial waters or along the coast, the operator coordinates with the Autoridade Maritima Nacional and the capitania with jurisdiction over the place. A drone flown from a beach or other part of the maritime public domain may be checked by the Policia Maritima, and AAN has no jurisdiction there.
  • Operations outside the open-category rules need an ANAC operational authorisation after a SORA or PDRA risk assessment, a standard-scenario declaration flown with a C5 or C6 aircraft, or a light UAS operator certificate. That covers flight above 120 m, beyond visual line of sight, over 25 kg, over uninvolved persons outside A1, over assemblies of people, cargo dropping and swarms.

Before you fly, in order

  1. The UAS operator registers, not the remote pilot. Only EASA-certified unmanned aircraft are registered individually.
  2. Registration is required when the maximum take-off mass is 250 g or more, or the impact energy exceeds 80 J, or the aircraft carries a sensor able to capture personal data, unless the product complies with toy Directive 2009/48/EC.
  3. An open category operator registered in another EU Member State may operate in Portugal without prior ANAC authorisation.
  4. The EU operator registration number must be attached to the drone frame, and an active, up to date remote-identification system used where the aircraft has one.
  5. A European citizen not resident in Portugal registers in the country of residence. ANAC cannot issue a registration number to an EU resident of another country, and nobody may hold two registrations.
  6. ANAC operator registration is free of charge.
  7. The registration must be kept accurate and revalidated every three years. If no access or update is made within the stated period the number is revoked and cannot be recovered, and a new registration must be made.
  8. Operating without operator registration is a contraordenacao under Decreto-Lei n.º 87/2021, classified as very serious.
  9. In the open category remote identification is required only where the geographical zone mandates it and the aircraft is C1, C2 or C3.
  10. A drone able to capture images, and the publication of those images, needs an aerial-survey authorisation from the Autoridade Aeronautica Nacional under Decreto-Lei n.º 42071 of 30 December 1958 and Portaria n.º 17568 of 2 February 1960 as amended. The authorisation is required even if you do not intend to capture images and even if nothing is published.
  11. The AAN authorisation is applied for through the e-AAN application, which is the exclusive route; registration and issue are free, and any adult who can legally sign the request may apply.
  12. Only AAN requests received at least ten days before the activity are guaranteed an answer before it starts, and a request filed after 17:00 the day before an 08:00 operation cannot be granted. Authorisations for drones run for a maximum of 30 consecutive days, and two consecutive days in the zones under Decreto-Lei n.º 248/91.
  13. Operations outside the open-category rules need an ANAC operational authorisation after a SORA or PDRA risk assessment, a standard-scenario declaration flown with a C5 or C6 aircraft, or a light UAS operator certificate. That covers flight above 120 m, beyond visual line of sight, over 25 kg, over uninvolved persons outside A1, over assemblies of people, cargo dropping and swarms.
  14. Remote-pilot competence follows the EU scheme. A1 and A3 training and examination are online at rp.anac.pt. For A2 the course is online but the examination must be scheduled and taken in person at ANAC facilities, and only holders of the A1 and A3 proof of completion may sit it. No A1 and A3 proof is needed to fly a drone under 250 g or a C0.
  15. Geographical zones are published at dnt.anac.pt and must be consulted before the operation. A zone may prohibit some or all UAS operations, impose conditions, require a specific-category authorisation, or admit only certain class marks or aircraft carrying remote identification or geo-awareness.
  16. Where ANAC is the manager of a geographical zone the operation falls automatically into the specific category and cannot be flown in the open category; the only route is an operational authorisation or a LUC plus a cross-border application.
  17. In the operational protection areas of international airports, the prohibited area admits no open-category flight, Area 1 is capped at 30 m above ground, Area 2 at 60 m and Area 3 at 80 m, and a height-measurement system is mandatory there. The polygons are in the Annex to Regulamento da ANAC n.º 1093/2016 and cover Porto, Lisbon, Cascais, Faro, Madeira, Porto Santo, Ponta Delgada, Santa Maria, Horta and Flores.
  18. Flight within a 1 km radius of heliports used by civil protection, of heliports run by public bodies with public-order, security or criminal-investigation duties, and of hospital heliports used only for medical emergencies, is prohibited in the open category.
  19. Within a 2.5 km radius of a civil heliport, a certified aerodrome without CTR or ATZ, or an approved ultralight strip, flight needs the express authorisation of the aerodrome, heliport or strip director. Inside an ATZ or TRMZ the authorisation comes from the AFIS or the aerodrome operator, and ANAC authorisation is not needed for either.
  20. Military dangerous, restricted, prohibited and temporarily reserved areas, and Lisbon Zones 1, 2, 3 and 4, need an AAN authorisation. A temporary AAN airspace exclusion zone cannot be entered by any civilian operator in any category, even with an authorisation already granted.
  21. Flight is prohibited over installations housing sovereign bodies, embassies and consular representations, military installations, places where police missions are taking place, and prison establishments and the educational centres of the prison service, except when authorised by the representative entities of those bodies.
  22. Over territorial waters or along the coast, the operator coordinates with the Autoridade Maritima Nacional and the capitania with jurisdiction over the place. A drone flown from a beach or other part of the maritime public domain may be checked by the Policia Maritima, and AAN has no jurisdiction there.
  23. Operating in a park, nature reserve or protected area needs authorisation from the nature-conservation authority: ICNF on the mainland, IFCN IP-RAM in Madeira, and the Direcao Regional do Ambiente in the Azores. Mainland protected areas are not published in the common digital format, so the pilot must consult the ICNF geocatalogo and contact ICNF.
  24. No drone-specific customs declaration, import authorisation or confiscation rule was found. The customs authority page states only the general traveller rules, and the temporary-importation procedure for non-EU goods requires a guarantee released on re-export and is not drone-specific. Border control of products covered by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 is the customs authority's task.
  25. No ANACOM drone-conformity rule was found. ANAC directs operators to ANACOM where broadband wireless systems in the 5 GHz band are used or where there is doubt about frequency exemptions, and states that using the aeronautical band needs ANACOM approval and personnel holding a valid radio-operator licence.
  26. No Portuguese page opened in this pass states a drone lithium-battery carriage rule.
  27. Open-category operators remain bound by separate regimes on aerial surveys, personal-data capture, privacy, noise, environment and environmental protection, the coastal-zone plan, sovereign and state bodies, and access to military-managed airspace. Image rights over classified immovable cultural heritage need a specific authorisation from the Direcao-Geral do Patrimonio Cultural.
  28. The minimum remote-pilot age is 16. ANAC has issued no regulation lowering it under article 7(2) of Decreto-Lei n.º 87/2021.
  29. Spare lithium batteries in cabin baggage only: up to 100 Wh without approval, 100 to 160 Wh with airline approval and two spares, over 160 Wh not allowed (IATA passenger guidance; airlines may be stricter).

Spare lithium batteries in cabin baggage only: up to 100 Wh without approval, 100 to 160 Wh with airline approval and two spares, over 160 Wh not allowed (IATA passenger guidance; airlines may be stricter).

How a visitor gets legal

Each step as the authority describes it, with who may apply, what it costs and how long it takes.

  1. Step 1

    Check whether you need to register at all

    A drone under 250 g with no image or acoustic sensor and an impact energy under 80 J needs no operator registration. Any camera, microphone or lidar removes that exemption whatever the mass.

    Visitors eligible · none · instant

    Open the official page

  2. Step 2

    EU-registered operators: use the registration you already have

    An operator registered in another EU Member State operates in Portugal in the open category with no ANAC authorisation. Put the operator number on the drone frame and in the remote-identification device, and do not register a second time.

    Visitors eligible · none · none

    • EU operator registration number

    Open the official page

  3. Step 3

    Third-country residents: get a Chave Movel Digital first

    Obtain the Chave Movel Digital in person, with passport, phone number and email, at a Portuguese consulate, or at a Loja do Cidadao if a consulate is not possible. ANAC does not activate it.

    Visitors eligible · not published · not published

    • passport
    • phone number
    • email address

    Open the official page

  4. Step 4

    Register with ANAC if Portugal is your first EU country of operation

    Register at uas.anac.pt as a natural person, selecting Portugal as the country of origin. The number is generated after ANAC validation in the format PRT0123456789abc. The tutorial names any tourist without an EU address, holding a passport and a valid entry visa, as an intended user, while also stating that the address entered must be Portuguese.

    Visitors eligible · free · pending ANAC approval, no published service level

    • passport
    • valid entry visa
    • Chave Movel Digital

    Open the official page

  5. Step 5

    Take the EU remote-pilot training

    A1 and A3 training and examination are online at rp.anac.pt. The A2 examination must be scheduled and taken in person at ANAC facilities and is open only to holders of the A1 and A3 proof of completion, so plan A2 around a visit to ANAC. No proof is needed for a drone under 250 g or a C0.

    Visitors eligible · not published · varies

    • A1 and A3 proof of completion before the A2 examination

    Open the official page

  6. Step 6

    Insure the drone if it is over 900 g

    Take out third-party liability insurance for a maximum operational mass over 900 g and up to 20 kg, and enter the insurer and policy number in the registration record. The statutory minimum capital is fixed in Special Drawing Rights, from 0.26 million at the bottom band.

    Visitors eligible · premium set by the insurer · before operating

    • policy and policy number

    Open the official page

  7. Step 7

    Request the AAN aerial-survey authorisation

    If the drone can capture images, request the authorisation through the e-AAN application, the exclusive route. Registration needs a signed declaration of honour; the area is given as a circle, a polygon or a route; registration and issue are free. Send it at least ten days ahead to be sure of an answer.

    Eligibility not stated · free · ten days ahead for a guaranteed answer; authorisations run up to 30 consecutive days

    • signed declaration of honour
    • drone, pilot and insurance details
    • area definition

    Open the official page

  8. Step 8

    Check the launch point on the geographical-zone map

    Open dnt.anac.pt and read the zone at the launch point. The site offers JSON ED-269 for static zones and JSON ED-318 for static zones plus NOTAM, and carries layers for airports, military areas, CTRs, ATZ and FIZ, RMZ and TMZ, civil heliports, aerodromes, ultralight strips, model-flying sites, HEMS heliports, no-fly zones, natural parks and national conditions.

    Visitors eligible · free · instant

    Open the official page

  9. Step 9

    Check the fire-risk level for the day

    Read the IPMA rural fire-risk level for the municipality. ANAC states that UAS cannot be operated in Portugal while the level is very high or extreme, which in a dry summer closes large parts of the centre and north.

    Visitors eligible · free · instant

    Open the official page

  10. Step 10

    Protected areas: apply to the right conservation authority

    Mainland sites go to ICNF, Azorean sites to the Direcao Regional do Ambiente dos Acores. The only ICNF drone form this pass could open is the commercial filming and photography form: it needs KMZ or KML cartography of the overflight area and a photograph of the drone, goes to rtn@icnf.pt, has a legal response term of 30 to 45 working days and attracts fees. The recreational route could not be read.

    Eligibility not stated · fees under point 18.2 of the ICNF fee table for the commercial form · 30 to 45 working days on the commercial form

    • KMZ or KML of the overflight area
    • photograph of the drone
    • tax number

    Open the official page

  11. Step 11

    Coastal and over-water flights: call the capitania

    To fly over territorial waters or along the coast, find the capitania with jurisdiction over the place and coordinate with it. Flying from a beach puts you in the maritime public domain, where the Policia Maritima can intervene regardless of any AAN authorisation.

    Eligibility not stated · not published · not published

    Open the official page

  12. Step 12

    Aerodromes and heliports: ask the director

    Inside 2.5 km of a civil heliport, a certified aerodrome without CTR or ATZ, or an approved ultralight strip, get the director's express authorisation. Inside an ATZ or TRMZ ask the AFIS or the aerodrome operator. ANAC authorisation is not required for either.

    Visitors eligible · not published · not published

    Open the official page

The numbers

The engine's inputs, each with the verdict our verification pass gave it and the sources it rests on.

FieldWhat the pages sayVerdictSources
May a visiting pilot fly at allYes, after a registration or a notification.Flying is open to visitors under the EU open category. The headline status is raised to permit by rule R17, the Autoridade Aeronautica Nacional aerial-survey authorisation, which ANAC's own decision chart and AAN's own page both require for any drone able to capture images, whether or not you intend to publish them.confirmed on the cited pageS34S38S40S41
EU or EEA registration recognisedYesANAC's wording is narrower than the EASA area: an open category operator registered in another Member State of the European Union may operate in Portugal without prior ANAC authorisation. No page extends that to every EASA-associated state, so a pilot registered in a non-EU EASA state should treat this as unconfirmed.confirmed on the cited pageS34S33S40
UK registration recognisedNoThe recognition sentence names EU Member States only. ANAC's third-country page states that third-country operators must meet the same requirements as operators registered in an EU Member State and are treated the same way as a national operator.confirmed on the cited pageS34S38S1b
US registration recognisedNoThe ANAC registry FAQ answers this directly, naming the United States among the third countries whose tourists must register in the first EU country of operation.confirmed on the cited pageS4bS38S1b
Local registrationRequired from 250 g. Cost: free. Time: no published service level; the request stays pending until ANAC approves it and the number appears in the dashboard. Non-residents: passport and a valid entry visa, plus a Chave Movel Digital obtained in person with passport, phone number and email at a Portuguese consulate or, failing that, at a Loja do Cidadao.The 250 g threshold is one of three triggers: 250 g or more, or impact energy over 80 J, or any sensor able to capture personal data unless the product meets toy Directive 2009/48/EC. The registry FAQ phrases the mass test as greater than 249 g. The registration form still asks for a Portuguese address, which is unexplained for a visitor; see conflicts.confirmed on the cited pageS1S1bS1eS4S4bS5S40S41
Remote IDOpen category: required only where the geographical zone mandates it and the aircraft is C1, C2 or C3. Specific category: mandatory, and any aircraft intended for specific-category operation below 120 m must carry a remote-identification system. The operator number is written on every drone in the format PRT0123456789abc, 16 alphanumeric characters without the three secret final digits; the complete string goes into the remote-identification device.ANAC's cross-border page phrases the open-category trigger more widely, naming C1, C2, C3, C5 and C6 or any case where an attached system is available. C4 is not covered by either wording.confirmed on the cited pageS40S41S1fS4S36
InsuranceMandatory, at least 0.26 million SDR over 900 g to 1.5 kg; 0.38 million SDR over 1.5 kg to 4 kg; 0.56 million SDR over 4 kg to 20 kg; 0.75 million SDR over 20 kg · maximum operational mass over 900 g and up to 20 kg (Decreto-Lei n.º 58/2018), in force since 3 February 2021; above 20 kg Regulation (EC) 785/2004 appliesThe minimum capital is fixed per annuity in IMF Special Drawing Rights, not euros, by Portaria n.º 2/2021 article 2(1), and covers claims from use of the UAS in national territory. Below 900 g ANAC's cross-border page calls insurance recommended but not mandatory.confirmed on the cited pageS3S45S34b
Altitude ceiling120 m120 m above the terrain. Up to 15 m above an artificial obstacle taller than 105 m, within 50 m of it, at the request of the entity responsible for the obstacle. Gliders may fly to 120 m above the terrain but never 120 m above the remote pilot. Lower ceilings apply inside the airport protection areas: 30 m in Area 1, 60 m in Area 2, 80 m in Area 3.confirmed on the cited pageS35S36
Distance from peopleNo flight over assemblies of people in any open subcategory. A1: uninvolved persons may be overflown with caution. A2: keep 30 m horizontal clearance from uninvolved persons, reducible to 5 m under the 1:1 rule with an active C2 low-speed mode. A3: keep 150 m horizontal distance from uninvolved persons and from residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas.confirmed on the cited pageS40S41S35
Line of sightOpen-category operations are flown in visual line of sight. Beyond visual line of sight is a specific-category operation needing an ANAC authorisation, an STS declaration or a LUC.confirmed on the cited pageS35S36
NightAllowed. ANAC's open-category page states that open-category operators may fly by night and by day without ANAC authorisation.The daytime-only rule in article 3 of Regulamento da ANAC n.º 1093/2016 is not among the articles ANAC lists as still in force.confirmed on the cited pageS35
Class marksOpen category: class marks C0 to C4 plus legacy aircraft, flown in A1, A2 or A3, with a maximum take-off mass under 25 kg. C5 and C6 belong to the standard scenarios in the specific category. Without a class label the operation is limited to A1 under 250 g and to A3 up to 25 kg. The class label must be visible on the drone.confirmed on the cited pageS35S40S41S34
FPVNot establishedNo Portuguese page opened in this pass states an FPV-with-observer rule. The only official mentions of FPV are that any FPV drone carries a sensor and therefore needs operator registration, and that AAN authorisation is required for a drone with image-capture capability including the FPV function.not confirmedS4S48b
Commercial useNo separate regime by purpose. The category and the operation decide the requirements; anything outside the open-category rules needs an ANAC operational authorisation after a SORA or PDRA risk assessment, a standard-scenario declaration using a C5 or C6 aircraft, or a light UAS operator certificate.confirmed on the cited pageS36S35

Every rule we could confirm

Grouped by what they govern. A general rule decides the country's colour for a profile; a situational one applies in a place, a zone or a season.

Registration

Remote ID

Insurance

Minimum age

Permits

Airspace zones

Parks and protected areas

Events and crowds

Hazardous materials

Privacy

Radio conformity

Customs and import

Batteries

Parks and protected areas

Who decides, what they decided, and whether there is a way in.

Where the no-fly zones are published

The authority's own map is the one that counts on the day; an app is a convenience, not a source.

Prohibited areas of international airports admit no open-category flight. Area 1 is capped at 30 m above ground, Area 2 at 60 m and Area 3 at 80 m, with a height-measurement system mandatory. Within 2.5 km of a civil heliport, a certified aerodrome without CTR or ATZ, or an approved ultralight strip, the director's express authorisation is needed. Within 1 km of civil-protection, police and hospital emergency-medical heliports the open category is prohibited.

Official map
dnt.anac.pt
Apps named
VOANABOA (iOS and Android), referenced on ANAC's open-category decision chart, dnt.anac.pt itself, which offers iOS, Android and desktop installs

Customs and the border

Declaration
Not established
Import authorisation
No drone-specific import authorisation was found. A temporary-importation procedure exists for goods that are not from the European Union and are used temporarily in the EU customs territory; it requires a guarantee, released when the goods are re-exported, and import duty and VAT are not charged for professional equipment meeting the stated conditions. Nothing on the page is drone-specific.
Radio conformity
No ANACOM drone-conformity requirement was found. ANAC tells operators to check ANACOM where broadband wireless systems in the 5 GHz band are used or where there is doubt about frequency exemptions, and states that using the aeronautical band, including a VHF radio to contact air traffic services, needs ANACOM approval and personnel holding a valid radio-operator licence.

On the ground

What pilots, police and the press report actually happening. This is evidence about behaviour, not law: it never changes the status above, and it is dated and linked so you can judge it yourself.

Patchy enforcement10 confirmed cases, 4 we could not open · 2017-06-30 to 2026-06-21 · practice pass 8 October 2026

Ten dated reports from 2017 to June 2026: every confirmed seizure happened at a policed event, an airport or a prison, and the citation named ANAC registration and the competence certificate. No stop is documented at a viewpoint or a park, and the Azores have no confirmed report at all.

How people fly
People fly where the rules do not allow it, in countable numbers. The GNR detected 16 drones starting their flight or already airborne at Fátima during the 2023 pilgrimage, five of them inside restricted airspace. ANAC identified more than a hundred occurrences endangering aircraft near Portuguese airports between 2018 and 2021, 46 of them in 2019 and nine of the 2021 total at Lisbon. Of the eight drone cases ANAC recorded in 2020, most were for overflying open-air gatherings of people without authorisation.
Police and rangers
Three forces appear, each in its own setting. The PSP Lisbon Metropolitan Command ran two near-identical event cases three years apart, at the Altice Arena in May 2023 and at the Rock in Rio site in June 2026: intercept the pilot over the venue, seize the aircraft, and cite the same three offences each time, no ANAC operator registration, no A1/A3 or A2 competence certificate, and operating outside the A1 and A2 rules. The GNR seized three unauthorised drones at the MotoGP at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in March 2023 and reported the facts to ANAC, and confiscated the equipment of the five pilots found in breach at Fátima in May 2023. ANAC receives the police reports and runs the cases, and lost one on appeal when the Tribunal da Concorrência, Regulação e Supervisão upheld the 2018 Lisbon runway offence but halved the fine. The AAN image-capture authorisation, which is the rule that makes Portugal read permit per flight on paper, appears in neither charge list: both cite only ANAC registration, the competence certificate and the operating rules, and ANAC books its cases under its own Regulamento n.º 1093/2016 rather than the 1958 and 1960 aerial-survey instruments. No penalty tied to the AAN authorisation was found in any language.
At the border
No usable report.
Fines actually reported
Three amounts are on the record. ANAC opened 24 drone contraordenação processes over 2019 and concluded five of them with fines totalling 4,500 EUR, the other 19 awaiting the defendants' response, which is about 900 EUR a case. ANAC fined the owner of the drone that fell on the Lisbon runway in August 2018 a sum of 3,900 EUR in February 2019 for breaching the rules of the air; on appeal the Tribunal da Concorrência, Regulação e Supervisão upheld the offence and reduced the fine to 1,750 EUR. In June 2017 ANAC's president said people had already been fined, for unauthorised filming in prohibited places including prisons and beaches, without giving amounts. Seizure of the aircraft is the more consistent outcome: two drones in 2017, three at the MotoGP and five pilots' equipment at Fátima in 2023, one at the Altice Arena in 2023 and one at Rock in Rio in 2026.

The law's own penalty schedule is separate: Not established, 11 published fine ranges below.

Where reports cluster

  • Lisbon event venues: the Rock in Rio site and the Altice Arena, Parque das Nações

    Policed, and the two confirmed cases are near-identical. A pilot flying over the venue is intercepted by the PSP, the drone is seized, and the citation names ANAC operator registration, the A1/A3 or A2 competence certificate and the A1 and A2 operating rules. Three years apart, same three offences.

  • Lisbon, Aeroporto Humberto Delgado

    The longest record anywhere and the only fine that survived appeal: a drone on the runway in August 2018 with 3,900 EUR reduced to 1,750 EUR, nine pilot-reported occurrences in 2021, and landings suspended for an hour in April 2023. The airport sits inside the city, which is why its approach corridors keep appearing in the figures.

  • Portimão, Autódromo Internacional do Algarve

    The only confirmed Algarve enforcement. The GNR seized three unauthorised drones during the 2023 MotoGP and reported the facts to ANAC. The case is about the race weekend, not about the coast; no cliff or beach report was found.

  • Fátima during the pilgrimage

    Actively watched. The GNR detected 16 drones beginning their flight or already flying in 2023, five of them in breach because the airspace was restricted, confiscated the equipment and filed a contraordenação report. The clearest measure found anywhere of how many people fly into restricted airspace at a Portuguese event.

  • Lisbon, Estabelecimento Prisional de Lisboa

    Prisons are prohibited under rule R26 and the prohibition is policed. The PSP detected a black-painted drone over the prison in August 2025 and the operator fled; it was a contraband case, not a recreational flight.

  • Sintra, Quinta da Regaleira

    Banned by the site itself, independently of any airspace rule: the visiting rules state that the use of tripods and drones, indoors and outdoors, is strictly prohibited, and that photographic sessions and filming need prior authorisation with their own tariffs. No enforcement case was found there.

Dated reports

  • 2017-06-30 · Portugal, nationwide, ANAC figures · press

    ANAC's president said eight complaints had arrived since Regulamento n.º 1093/2016 took effect on 2017-01-13, producing seven contraordenação processes and one referral to the Ministério Público. The complaints involved unauthorised filming in prohibited places including prisons and beaches.

    Two drones seized, and people already fined, amounts not given. report

  • 2018-08-20 · Lisbon, Aeroporto Humberto Delgado, runway · press

    A drone flown over the airport area fell on the runway, closing air traffic for eight minutes. The pilot was a professional photographer shooting for an estate agency and lost control of the aircraft.

    The PSP seized the drone and constituted the owner arguido. ANAC fined him 3,900 EUR in February 2019 for breaching the rules of the air; on appeal the Tribunal da Concorrência, Regulação e Supervisão upheld the offence and reduced the fine to 1,750 EUR. report

  • 2020-02-02 · Portugal, airports, ANAC figures for 2019 · press

    Civil aviation reported 46 drone occurrences near Portuguese airports in 2019, down from 53 in 2018. Crews saw the aircraft in the approach corridors and on final at heights above the legal limit.

    24 contraordenação processes opened over drone operations in 2019, five concluded with fines totalling 4,500 EUR, 19 awaiting the defendants' response. report

  • 2022-01-27 · Portugal, airports and public places, ANAC figures for 2020 and 2021 · press

    ANAC told Jornal de Notícias that more than a hundred occurrences endangering aircraft were identified between 2018 and 2021. Fifteen were registered by pilots near airports in 2021, nine of them at Lisbon, two at Porto and none at Faro, and fifteen further complaints concerned public places.

    Eight contraordenação processes were recorded in 2020, most of them for overflying open-air gatherings of people without authorisation. report

  • 2023-03-28 · Portimão, Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, MotoGP · press

    The GNR seized three unauthorised drones during the Grand Prix weekend.

    Drones confiscated and the facts reported to ANAC. No fine or identified operator is stated. report

  • 2023-04-18 · Lisbon, Aeroporto Humberto Delgado · press

    A drone put air navigation safety at risk. Landings were suspended for one hour while departures continued.

    NAV Portugal reported operations resuming at 11:27. The article does not say whether the operator was found. report

  • 2023-05-13 · Fátima, during the pilgrimage · press

    The GNR detected 16 drones beginning their flight or already flying, five of them in breach because the airspace was restricted.

    Equipment confiscated from the operators and a contraordenação report filed for transmission to the competent administrative authority. report

  • 2023-05-24 · Lisbon, Altice Arena, Parque das Nações, during a concert · press

    The PSP Lisbon Metropolitan Command intercepted a man flying a drone over the venue at around 21:00.

    Drone seized. Cited for not being registered as a UAS operator with ANAC, for holding no A1/A3 or A2 competence certificate, and for operating outside the A1 and A2 rules. No fine stated. report

  • 2025-08-29 · Lisbon, Estabelecimento Prisional de Lisboa · press

    The PSP detected a black-painted drone over the prison and tried to intercept it; the operator fled on seeing the police. This is a contraband case, not a recreational flight.

    Three mobile phones, three chargers, AirPods, SIM cards and other items seized. The operator escaped and was not identified. report

  • 2026-06-21 · Lisbon, Rock in Rio site, Parque das Nações · press

    The PSP Lisbon Metropolitan Command, 2nd Police Division, intercepted a man flying a drone over the festival site without the required authorisation, at 00:00, during the event policing.

    Drone seized. Cited for not being registered as a UAS operator on the ANAC platform, for holding no A1/A3 or A2 competence certificate, and for operating outside the A1 and A2 rules. No fine stated. report

  • 2026-06-19 · Lisbon, r/drones thread · community

    [unverified] Reported as a discussion about flying a DJI Mini in Lisbon, with participants discussing permits and hesitation and one saying they had received a notification and stopped taking shots. Reddit is unreachable from this machine for every client, so the thread was never read and its existence is unconfirmed.

    No police stop, fine or confiscation reported by anyone in the thread. report

  • 2026-07-27 · Portugal, locations unspecified, r/portugal thread · community

    [unverified] Reported as contributors warning about coastal, beach, wildlife and law-enforcement issues and recommending the official information be checked first. The thread could not be opened.

    No incident or penalty reported; the discussion concerns where flying is allowed. report

  • 2026-08-06 · Vista do Rei, Sete Cidades and Mosteiros Beach, São Miguel, Azores, r/azores thread · community

    [unverified] Reported as residents describing drones at the viewpoints and a sunset flight over Mosteiros Beach, including one hovering above visitors and called bothersome. The thread could not be opened, so neither the flights nor their authorisation status is confirmed.

    Local annoyance reported; no authority response documented. report

  • 2026-09-11 · São Miguel, Azores, r/azores thread · community

    [unverified] Reported as a discussion about flying near restricted areas and protected sites, including the airport and natural areas, with advice to register and obtain permissions. The thread could not be opened.

    No completed enforcement reported. report

What the law says it costs

Published penalty ranges. What has actually been charged, where anyone reported it, is in the section above.

OffenceRangeSources
Operating without operator registrationvery serious offence: 1,000 to 2,500 EUR for a natural person by negligence, 2,000 to 4,000 EUR if intentionalS44S46S4
Breaching the restrictions or prohibitions of a published geographical areavery serious offence: 1,000 to 2,500 EUR for a natural person by negligence, 2,000 to 4,000 EUR if intentionalS44S46
Breaching a restriction or prohibition imposed by AAN or ANACvery serious offence: 1,000 to 2,500 EUR for a natural person by negligence, 2,000 to 4,000 EUR if intentionalS44S46
Exceeding the maximum heights allowed for unmanned flightvery serious offence: 1,000 to 2,500 EUR for a natural person by negligence, 2,000 to 4,000 EUR if intentionalS44S46
Operating near or inside a disaster zone with search and rescue or civil-protection operations without the commander's permissionvery serious offence: 1,000 to 2,500 EUR for a natural person by negligence, 2,000 to 4,000 EUR if intentionalS44S46
Flying below the minimum remote-pilot agevery serious offence: 1,000 to 2,500 EUR for a natural person by negligence, 2,000 to 4,000 EUR if intentionalS44S46
Breaching the visual-line-of-sight dutyserious offence: 250 to 500 EUR for a natural person by negligence, 500 to 1,500 EUR if intentionalS44S46
Flying without the required open-category competenceserious offence: 250 to 500 EUR for a natural person by negligence, 500 to 1,500 EUR if intentionalS44S46
Breaching the A1, A2 or A3 operating conditionsserious offence: 250 to 500 EUR for a natural person by negligence, 500 to 1,500 EUR if intentionalS44S46
Minor offences generally, for example a lapsed competence certificateminor offence: 150 to 300 EUR for a natural person by negligence, 300 to 1,000 EUR if intentionalS44S46
Attempt, and repeat offendingattempt is punishable for serious and very serious offences with both limits halved; on a repeat offence both limits rise by one thirdS46

Confiscation: No drone-specific confiscation policy is published. ANAC may apply the accessory sanction of suspending authorisations, certificates and other titles it has issued, and declarations submitted by UAS operators, for up to two years. Separately, a final decision applying the accessory sanction of loss of dangerous objects transfers ownership of them to the authority.

Criminal liability: No criminal provision specific to drones was found. The civil aviation offences regime provides that where the same facts constitute both a crime and an administrative offence the person answers for both in separate proceedings, and that the administrative decision lapses if a criminal conviction follows for the same facts.

What we could not confirm

Printed rather than hidden. A brief that answers everything has usually guessed somewhere, and a gap here is a real gap in the official pages or a page we could not reach.

6 cited pages refused our checks and are marked unreachable in the source list.

Sources that disagree

  1. The registration processing time. ANAC publishes none; the request simply stays pending until it is approved.
  2. Whether a visitor with no Portuguese address can complete the ANAC registration form. The authentication half is now answered, but the tutorial still states that the address entered must be Portuguese.
  3. Whether a third-country private individual is eligible for the AAN aerial-survey authorisation. AAN says the rules do not discriminate by nationality, then quotes a Portaria clause that names Portuguese, EU and EEA private individuals and says nothing about anyone else.
  4. The FPV-with-observer rule. No Portuguese page opened in this pass states one.
  5. Every drone-specific customs question: declaration on entry, import authorisation, confiscation at the border, the documents to carry, and lithium-battery carriage.
  6. ANACOM radio-conformity requirements for drones. No ANACOM drone page exists on the domains opened; the ANACOM entity page says only that the regulator manages the radio spectrum.
  7. The geozone dataset licence and the update cadence. The formats are known; neither of these appears on the map or on the zone page.
  8. Protected-area permit fees, seasonal restrictions and processing time for a recreational applicant. The only fee pointer found is the commercial filming table at point 18.2, and the ICNF form for the recreational route returns an empty body.
  9. The drone rules of eight of the nine Azorean island natural parks, and the Azorean coastal-zone plans. The regional service portal returns HTTP 403 to a fetcher.
  10. Municipal restrictions in Lisbon, Sintra, the Algarve cliffs and the Douro. What survives is that Lisbon Zones 1, 2, 3 and 4 are military-jurisdiction zones needing AAN permission, and that the Lisbon, Cascais, Porto and Faro airport protection polygons are defined in the Annex to the 2016 ANAC regulation.
  11. Whether the fine amounts in Decreto-Lei n.º 10/2004 have been amended since 2004. The consolidated text on diariodarepublica.pt renders in JavaScript and returned no text to the fetcher, so the figures here come from the original publication hosted by ANAC.
  12. An enforcement rating, and any dated incident involving a visiting pilot. Neither research pass located one and this pass added no new research.
  13. Whether the portaria promised by article 8 of Decreto-Lei n.º 87/2021, which would replace the 2016 zone restrictions, has been published. ANAC's zone page still says it is awaited.

What changed, and when

Dated changes to the rules, newest first.

  1. 30 June 2026

    ANAC's cross-border pages are revised, carrying the insurance capital table, the minimum age of 16 and the prohibition on flying while the fire risk is very high or extreme.

    S34S33

  2. 13 February 2026

    The ANAC registry support FAQ is updated with the route for a third-country tourist: obtain the Chave Movel Digital in person at a Portuguese consulate, or at a Loja do Cidadao if that is not possible.

    S4b

  3. 12 February 2026

    ANAC publishes Version 5 of the UAS registration platform tutorial, which names any tourist without an EU address, holding a passport and a valid entry visa, as an intended user.

    S5

  4. 24 March 2025

    AAN limits aerial-survey authorisations to a maximum validity of 30 consecutive days.

    S48

  5. 12 March 2024

    ANAC publishes Version 2 of the geographical-zones tutorial, which names ICNF, IFCN IP-RAM and the Direcao Regional do Ambiente dos Acores as the three protected-area authorities and gives the maritime coordination procedure.

    S42

  6. 20 October 2021

    Decreto-Lei n.º 87/2021 is published, creating the drone sanctions regime, setting the minimum remote-pilot age at 16 and providing for a portaria to define the geographic areas. Article 8 keeps the 2016 regulation's restrictions in force until that portaria appears, and as of this check it had not.

    S44S37S34c

  7. 3 February 2021

    Compulsory third-party liability insurance for UAS over 900 g and up to 20 kg takes effect, 30 days after Portaria n.º 2/2021 of 4 January 2021.

    S3S45

  8. 8 January 2021

    The ANAC electronic operator-registration platform at uas.anac.pt opens.

    S1

  9. 13 January 2017

    Regulamento da ANAC n.º 1093/2016 enters into force on the thirtieth day after its publication of 14 December 2016, setting the airport protection areas and the heliport and sovereign-building prohibitions that still apply.

    S47

Checked 8 October 2026. Newer than that? Look here:

Rules move between our checks. The official pages publish the change; the community pages are where someone notices it first.

Official pages

Where pilots report

Sources

Every page this brief rests on, with the date we opened it and, where the page carries one, the date printed on the document itself.

  1. S1official

    Registo de Operador de Aeronaves Não Tripuladas (UAS - Drones)

    ANAC · document dated 2026-02-05 · opened 2026-10-08

    A aeronave não tripulada tenha uma massa máxima à descolagem igual ou superior a 250g ou, que em caso de impacto possa transferir a uma pessoa uma energia cinética superior a 80 Joules

    rule page; id carried over from the Madeira brief and re-opened for Portugal

  2. S1bofficial

    Registo de Operador de Aeronaves Não Tripuladas (UAS - Drones)

    ANAC · document dated 2026-02-05 · opened 2026-10-08

    Se for uma pessoa singular e um operador de UAS que não seja cidadão nem residente em qualquer país da União Europeia (por exemplo, um turista que visita Portugal por um curto período), deve registar-se utilizando o mesmo processo

    rule page, same URL as S1, visitors block

  3. S1cofficial

    Registo de Operador de Aeronaves Não Tripuladas (UAS - Drones)

    ANAC · document dated 2026-02-05 · opened 2026-10-08

    Se for cidadão europeu não residente em Portugal, deve efetuar o registo no país onde reside. A ANAC não pode emitir números de registo para residentes na União Europeia (UE) em países que não sejam Portugal.

    rule page, same URL as S1, third passage

  4. S1dofficial

    Registo de Operador de Aeronaves Não Tripuladas (UAS - Drones)

    ANAC · document dated 2026-02-05 · opened 2026-10-08

    A sua revalidação deve ser efetuada a cada três anos, sendo da responsabilidade do operador garantir que todas as informações constantes no perfil permanecem corretas e atualizadas.

    rule page, same URL as S1, fourth passage; the next sentence sets a five-year access deadline after which the number is revoked

  5. S1eofficial

    Registo de Operador de Aeronaves Não Tripuladas (UAS - Drones)

    ANAC · document dated 2026-02-05 · opened 2026-10-08

    A aeronave não tripulada se encontre equipada com um sensor capaz de capturar dados pessoais, exceto se cumprir a Diretiva 2009/48/CE

    rule page, same URL as S1, sensor trigger

  6. S1fofficial

    Registo de Operador de Aeronaves Não Tripuladas (UAS - Drones)

    ANAC · document dated 2026-02-05 · opened 2026-10-08

    Qualquer aeronave não tripulada, destinada a ser operada na Categoria Específica e a uma altura inferior a 120 metros deve estar equipada com um sistema de identificação à distância.

    rule page, same URL as S1, remote-identification passage

  7. S3official

    Sou obrigado a ter um seguro?

    ANAC · document dated 2026-02-26 · opened 2026-10-08

    O Decreto-Lei n.º 58/2018, obriga a contratação de seguro pelos operadores de UAS que operem aeronaves não tripuladas (UA) com mais de 0,900Kg (900g).

    rule page / FAQ; also states the obligation applies from 03 de fevereiro de 2021 and covers mass above 900 gramas e até aos 20Kg

  8. S4official

    ANAC Registry, technical support and FAQ

    ANAC · document dated 2026-02-13 · opened 2026-10-08

    o operador tem de se registar sempre que o MTOM seja superior a 249g ou, caso o MTOM seja inferior, na eventualidade de ter a capacidade para transferir uma energia cinética (KE) superior a 80 J

    rule page / FAQ, bilingual, prints its own last-updated timestamp; also states Registration is currently free of charge and that operating unregistered is a contraordenação under Decreto-Lei n.º 87/2021

  9. S4bofficial

    ANAC Registry, technical support and FAQ, third-country tourist answer

    ANAC · document dated 2026-02-13 · opened 2026-10-08

    To register as a UAS operator in Portugal, you must obtain a digital mobile key with your passport, phone number, and email in person at a Consulate or, if not possible, at a Citizen's Shop. The same rules apply as for a Portuguese citizen.

    rule page / FAQ, same URL as S4; the question names Brazil, the United States, Canada and Cape Verde as examples

  10. S5official

    Registo eletrónico da ANAC, tutorial for the UAS registration platform

    ANAC (DAL) · document dated 2026-02-12 · opened 2026-10-08

    Qualquer turista, desde que não tenha uma morada num País da União europeia, com passaporte e visto de entrada válido

    procedure document, 94-page PDF, Version 5 of 12.02.2026, read page by page; the identical file is served at .../tutoriais_plataformaregisto.pdf, the URL the first research pass cited. Also states A morada introduzida deverá ser Portuguesa

  11. S10official

    ANAC Zonas Geográficas UAS

    ANAC (DNT) · opened 2026-10-08

    Ambiente institucional para consulta, desenho e gestão de zonas.

    live dataset / map, installable on iOS, Android and desktop; downloads labelled JSON ED-269 Static ZG and JSON ED-318 Static ZG + Notam; layers include NOFLYZONE, HEMS HELI, Parques Naturais and PROCIV rescue areas shown for information only

  12. S11officialcould not be opened

    Geozone explorer cited by both research passes and by ANAC's own current pages

    ANAC · opened 2026-10-08

    dead link, HTTP 404; https://uas.anac.pt/explore is also HTTP 404. Every claim resting on it is dropped

  13. S33official

    Operações Transfronteiriças

    ANAC · document dated 2026-06-30 · opened 2026-10-08

    Consultar as zonas geográficas publicadas em https://dnt.anac.pt/

    rule page, Portuguese version of S34

  14. S34official

    Cross-border operations, courtesy translation in English for European Union operators coming to Portugal

    ANAC · document dated 2026-06-30 · opened 2026-10-08

    An open category UAS operator registered in another Member State of the European Union can operate in Portugal without prior authorization ... from the Portuguese Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC).

    rule page; also carries the geozone formats, the ANACOM frequency pointers and the rule that a zone managed by ANAC forces the operation into the specific category

  15. S34bofficial

    Cross-border operations, insurance block

    ANAC · document dated 2026-06-30 · opened 2026-10-08

    - <900g recommended but not mandatory - 900g up to < 1,5Kg 0,26DSE (FMI) - 1,5Kg up to < 4Kg 0,38DSE (FMI) - 4 up to <20Kg 0,56 DSE (FMI) - 200Kg or more 0,75DSE (FMI)

    rule page, same URL as S34; the 200Kg figure is the page's own text and conflicts with Portaria n.º 2/2021, which says over 20 kg

  16. S34cofficial

    Cross-border operations, minimum age block

    ANAC · document dated 2026-06-30 · opened 2026-10-08

    Minimum age is 16 years old. No ANAC regulation is available reducing the age as per n.º 2 article 7 of national decree-law.

    rule page, same URL as S34; the block is headed Decree-law 87/2021 20 of october

  17. S34dofficial

    Cross-border operations, local conditions table, wildfire row

    ANAC · document dated 2026-06-30 · opened 2026-10-08

    If the fire risk is “very high” or “extreme”, UAS cannot be operated in Portugal. The levels of the fire risk is moderated by IPMA and available at this page.

    rule page, same URL as S34; the hazard map comes from AGIF and the daily level from IPMA at ipma.pt

  18. S34eofficial

    Cross-border operations, local conditions table, parks, military and rescue rows

    ANAC · document dated 2026-06-30 · opened 2026-10-08

    In case you want to conduct an UAS operation in parks or nature reserves you must coordinate the entry with the environment authority manager. ... In the Azores, with Direção Regional do Ambiente dos Açores.

    rule page, same URL as S34; the military row names an aerial surveys permit from AAN and Lisbon Zone 1, 2, 3 and 4, and the PROCIV row says occurrence areas are to be avoided by open and specific category operators alike

  19. S35official

    Categoria Aberta (OPEN)

    ANAC · document dated 2026-03-06 · opened 2026-10-08

    Podem voar de noite e de dia (sem autorização da ANAC).

    rule page; also states Operam no máximo até 120m acima do terreno, the 15 m allowance above an artificial obstacle taller than 105 m, the aerodrome-director authorisation, the prohibition on operating inside an active rescue operation, and the list of additional legal regimes including aerial surveys and the coastal-zone plan

  20. S36official

    Categoria Específica (SPEC)

    ANAC · document dated 2026-02-25 · opened 2026-10-08

    Voos na área 1 acima dos 30m de altitude, ou acima do obstáculo artificial ou natural mais próximo num raio de 50m; Voos na área 2 acima dos 60m ... Voos na área 3 acima dos 80m

    rule page; also lists what pushes an operation out of the open category and states that any specific-category UAS needs a direct remote-identification device

  21. S37official

    Zonas Geográficas e Espaço Aéreo U

    ANAC · document dated 2026-03-06 · opened 2026-10-08

    podendo o operador efetuar o download das áreas em formato KML ou em formato JSON (formato digital único de acordo com o standard ED-318)

    rule page; states which articles of Regulamento da ANAC n.º 1093/2016 remain in force pending the portaria under article 8 of Decreto-Lei n.º 87/2021

  22. S38official

    Operadores de Países Terceiros

    ANAC · document dated 2021-07-20 · opened 2026-10-08

    Third country operators intending to operate unmanned aircraft systems in the European Single Sky shall comply with the same requirements applicable to operators registered in a European Union Member State

    rule page; the Portuguese text adds that such operators are treated in the same way as a national operator, and that the tutorial and registry contents are provided in English

  23. S39official

    Preciso de registar o meu UA (drone)?

    ANAC · document dated 2026-02-26 · opened 2026-10-08

    Apenas as aeronaves não tripuladas certificadas é que carecem de registo.

    rule page / FAQ

  24. S40official

    Comprei um drone e pretendo operar em Portugal, open-category decision chart

    ANAC · opened 2026-10-08

    Equipado com sensor*? Sim: Necessária autorização para levantamento aéreo (captação de imagem) da Autoridade Aeronáutica Nacional (AAN - www.aan.pt)

    decision chart, single-page PDF read as an image; carries the registration branches for EU and third-country operators, the Chave Móvel Digital step, the A1, A2 and A3 distances, the 2,5 km and 1 km radii, and the three protected-area authorities

  25. S41official

    I just bought a drone or I am planning to operate a drone for the first time in Portugal

    ANAC · opened 2026-10-08

    For the A2 Subcategory, the training course is available online but the examination must be scheduled and performed at ANAC facilities.

    decision chart, English twin of S40; also states Heliport of Emergency Medical Services (HEMS): It is not allowed to operate in the Open category within a 1km radius, and the Area 1, 2 and 3 ceilings of 30, 60 and 80 m AGL

  26. S42official

    Zonas geográficas / Geographical Zones, tutorial

    ANAC (DIN/DNT) · document dated 2024-03-12 · opened 2026-10-08

    Rede de áreas protegidas dos Açores, da responsabilidade da Direção Regional do Ambiente dos Açores

    guidance, 36-page PDF, Versão 2; reached by following the TUTORIAL ZONAS GEOGRÁFICAS link on S34 and S37. Gives the ICNF application-form URL, the Azores service URL and the maritime coordination procedure through the capitanias

  27. S43officialcould not be opened

    Geozone tutorial, as cited by the first research pass

    ANAC · opened 2026-10-08

    HTTP 200 but the body is the map application's HTML shell, not a PDF, so the document cited is not served at this URL. The real tutorial is S42

  28. S44official

    Decreto-Lei n.º 87/2021, de 20 de outubro

    Presidência do Conselho de Ministros, Diário da República 1.ª série n.º 204, hosted by ANAC · document dated 2021-10-20 · opened 2026-10-08

    A violação, pelo operador de UAS que opere na categoria aberta ou específica, do dever de se registar, nos termos do disposto no n.º 5 do artigo 14.º do Regulamento de Execução (UE) 2019/947

    statute, 10-page PDF read page by page; article 14(1) lists the very serious offences, article 14(2) the serious ones, article 14(3) the minor ones, and article 15 allows ANAC to suspend titles for up to two years

  29. S45official

    Portaria n.º 2/2021, de 4 de janeiro

    Finanças e Infraestruturas e Habitação, Diário da República 1.ª série n.º 1, hosted by ANAC · document dated 2021-01-04 · opened 2026-10-08

    a) Aeronaves não tripuladas com massa máxima operacional superior a 900 gr e igual ou inferior a 1,5 kg: 0,26 milhões de Direitos de Saque Especiais (DSE, tal como definidos pelo Fundo Monetário Internacional)

    statute, 4-page PDF read page by page; article 3 limits the cover to claims from use of the UAS in national territory, and article 11 sets the obligation running 30 days after publication

  30. S46official

    Decreto-Lei n.º 10/2004, de 9 de janeiro, regime das contraordenações aeronáuticas civis

    Diário da República I Série-A n.º 7, hosted by ANAC · document dated 2004-01-09 · opened 2026-10-08

    Se praticadas por pessoa singular, coima mínima de € 1000 e máxima de € 2500, em caso de negligência, e coima mínima de € 2000 e máxima de € 4000, em caso de dolo

    statute, 7-page PDF, the original publication; later amendments could not be checked because diariodarepublica.pt renders its pages in JavaScript. Article 2(a) applies the regime to facts in Portuguese territory regardless of the agent's nationality, and article 18 names GNR, PSP and the maritime authority among the inspecting entities

  31. S47official

    Regulamento da ANAC n.º 1093/2016, de 14 de dezembro

    ANAC, Diário da República 2.ª série n.º 238 · document dated 2016-12-14 · opened 2026-10-08

    Os voos de RPA, até 120 metros acima da superfície (400 pés), realizados num círculo de 2,5 km de raio centrado no ponto de referência do aeródromo civil certificado, sem CTR ou ATZ associada

    rule page, 10-page PDF; only articles 5 to 7, article 11(1)(a) and (d) and article 11(3) and (4) remain in force. The Annex defines the protection areas of Porto, Lisbon, Cascais, Faro, Madeira, Porto Santo, Ponta Delgada, Santa Maria, Horta and Flores

  32. S48official

    Aeronaves Não Tripuladas (Drones)

    Autoridade Aeronáutica Nacional · opened 2026-10-08

    A execução de levantamentos aéreos (captação de imagens) sobre território nacional, através de plataformas aéreas, bem como a sua divulgação, carece de Autorização da Autoridade Aeronáutica Nacional (AAN)

    rule page, fetched with TLS verification disabled because the certificate chain does not verify. Also states the e-AAN application is the exclusive route, that registration and issue are free, that authorisations have run for up to 30 consecutive days since 24 March 2025, and that only requests ten days ahead are guaranteed an answer

  33. S48bofficial

    Aeronaves Não Tripuladas (Drones), answers 3 and 4

    Autoridade Aeronáutica Nacional · opened 2026-10-08

    Sim, necessita requerer autorização se o seu “drone” tiver capacidade para qualquer tipo de captura de imagens, foto e/ou vídeo, incluindo a funcionalidade de operação “FPV”.

    rule page, same URL as S48, fetched with TLS verification disabled; answer 3 adds that authorisation is needed whether or not the images are published

  34. S48cofficial

    Aeronaves Não Tripuladas (Drones), answers 5 and 14

    Autoridade Aeronáutica Nacional · opened 2026-10-08

    tratando-se de entidades ou indivíduos particulares, portugueses ou nacionais de outros Estados membros da União Europeia ou do Espaço Económico Europeu, poderão ser concedidas autorizações para a execução de fotografias ou filmes aéreos

    rule page, same URL as S48, fetched with TLS verification disabled; AAN is quoting Portaria n.º 17568 as amended. Answer 5 says any adult who can legally sign the request may be the applicant

  35. S48dofficial

    Aeronaves Não Tripuladas (Drones), answers 15, 17 and 19

    Autoridade Aeronáutica Nacional · opened 2026-10-08

    Existe algum custo associado à emissão de Autorizações pela AAN? Não. Ainda que esteja prevista a introdução da cobrança de taxa para a emissão de Autorizações, por enquanto o montante e o procedimento de cobrança estão por decidir.

    rule page, same URL as S48, fetched with TLS verification disabled; answer 17 states a 60-day maximum validity, conflicting with the 30-day statements elsewhere on the page, and answer 15 sets two consecutive days in the zones under Decreto-Lei n.º 248/91

  36. S48eofficial

    Aeronaves Não Tripuladas (Drones), answer 18

    Autoridade Aeronáutica Nacional · opened 2026-10-08

    A utilização do espaço integrante da Rede Nacional de Áreas Protegidas, ou do seu sobrevoo, que carece de autorização específica do Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas.

    rule page, same URL as S48, fetched with TLS verification disabled; the same answer names cultural-heritage image rights under the Direção-Geral do Património Cultural, data protection under CNPD, and the Autoridade Marítima Nacional over the maritime public domain

  37. S49official

    Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês, Mata Nacional do Gerês, nature-tourism activity table

    ICNF · opened 2026-10-08

    Atividades com aeronaves motorizadas: Interdita / Interdita / Interdita / Interdita

    rule page, 2-page PDF under the Plano de Ordenamento approved by Resolução do Conselho de Ministros n.º 11-A/2011, de 4 de fevereiro; the four columns are total protection, partial protection type I, partial protection type II and complementary protection. The notes advise contacting pnpg@icnf.pt and say the table is informative only

  38. S50official

    Filmagens / Sessões Fotográficas - Comerciais

    ICNF · opened 2026-10-08

    Em caso de uso de drone incluir cartografia em formato KMZ, KML ou outra com a delimitação da área de sobrevoo. ... O prazo legal que o ICNF, I.P. tem para se pronunciar são 30 a 45 dias úteis.

    application form, bilingual PDF, found by searching icnf.pt after the form the research pass cited came back empty. Requests go to rtn@icnf.pt; fees sit at point 18.2 of the ICNF fee table; the form asks for a tax number

  39. S51officialcould not be opened

    Pedido de autorização para o sobrevoo de drones em áreas protegidas de Portugal Continental, as cited by the first research pass

    ICNF · opened 2026-10-08

    HTTP 200 with Content-Length 0 and an empty body, on two attempts with different user agents. The ten-working-days lead time, the DRCNF regional contacts and the recreational-eligibility reading all rested on this document and are dropped

  40. S51bofficialcould not be opened

    ICNF protected-area application form, as linked by ANAC's geographic-zones tutorial

    ICNF · opened 2026-10-08

    HTTP 200 with an empty body; the form ANAC itself points at could not be read either

  41. S52official

    Decreto Regulamentar Regional n.º 17/2020/A de 5 de agosto de 2020, Plano de Gestão das Áreas Terrestres do Parque Natural da Ilha de São Miguel

    Governo Regional dos Açores, Jornal Oficial I Série n.º 118 · document dated 2020-08-06 · opened 2026-10-08

    O voo de aeronaves e de veículos aéreos não tripulados para fins técnicos e científicos e em eventos esporádicos.

    statute, 154-page PDF, text extracted and searched; the quoted item appears in articles 9, 10 and 11 among the acts subject to a parecer prévio, de carácter vinculativo, do departamento do Governo Regional com competência em matéria de ambiente

  42. S53officialcould not be opened

    Azores regional protected-area authorisation service, as linked by ANAC's geographic-zones tutorial

    Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e Ação Climática, Açores · opened 2026-10-08

    HTTP 403 from a Cloudflare interstitial, on the shell fetcher and on the fetch tool. A sibling page for a recreational drone photography and filming authorisation is blocked the same way, so the Azorean application route is unread

  43. S54official

    Customs rules and allowances for travellers

    Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira · opened 2026-10-08

    If you enter or leave the European Union (EU) with 10,000 € or more, or the equivalent amount in another currency, you must declare the cash to Customs.

    general guidance, no drone content; the date the gap research recorded for this page was the page's own rendering of the current date, not a document date

  44. S55official

    ANACOM, Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações

    Governo de Portugal · document dated 2026-06-16 · opened 2026-10-08

    A Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações (ANACOM) regula o mercado das comunicações ... gere o espectro radioeléctrico

    entity page, no drone content. The gap research recorded the document date as 27 September 2024; the page itself says Atualizado em 16.06.2026

  45. S56officialcould not be opened

    Request the temporary importation procedure, as cited by the gap research pass

    Governo de Portugal · opened 2026-10-08

    HTTP 404; the service moved to www.gov.pt, recorded as S56b

  46. S56bofficial

    Pedir o regime de importação temporária

    Governo de Portugal and Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira · document dated 2026-09-09 · opened 2026-10-08

    O regime de importação temporária permite que mercadorias que não sejam da União Europeia (UE) sejam utilizadas temporariamente no território aduaneiro da UE.

    service page, the live replacement for S56, found by navigating gov.pt; not drone-specific, and the guarantee is released when the goods are re-exported

  47. S57official

    VOANABOA

    ANAC · opened 2026-10-08

    fetched with TLS verification disabled because the certificate has expired; the site serves only a Site em atualização image and a meta refresh to ANAC's drone landing page. The app of the same name is still referenced on the decision charts S40 and S41

  48. S58official

    Aeronaves Não Tripuladas (UAS/Drones)

    ANAC · document dated 2026-06-30 · opened 2026-10-08

    index page; the redirect target of S57 and the parent of every ANAC drone page used here

  49. S59press

    ANAC abriu sete processos de contra-ordenação e já foram apreendidos dois drones

    Jornal de Negócios · document dated 2017-06-30 · opened 2026-10-08

    Já houve pessoas que foram multadas

    ANAC's president on the first six months under Regulamento n.º 1093/2016: eight complaints, seven contraordenação processes, one referral to the Ministério Público, two drones seized, fines applied without amounts given

  50. S60press

    Tribunal mantém condenação a dono de drone que caiu na pista do aeroporto de Lisboa

    RTP (Lusa) · opened 2026-10-08

    manteve a contraordenação determinada pela ANAC, regulador do setor da aviação, mas reduziu a coima a pagar pelo proprietário para metade: 1.750 euros

    The page prints no date of its own; the event dates are read off the text, flight August 2018 and ANAC decision February 2019. The Portugal News slug dates the Lusa story 2021-11-12, but that page serves a human-verification wall and could not confirm it

  51. S61press

    Registados 46 incidentes com 'drones' nas proximidades dos aeroportos em 2019

    Postal (Lusa) · document dated 2020-02-02 · opened 2026-10-08

    foram instaurados 24 processos de contraordenação relativos a operação com 'drones', cinco dos quais estão concluídos com coimas aplicadas no montante global de 4.500 euros

    ANAC data sent to Lusa; the only published fine total for drone cases found anywhere. Also gives the yearly occurrence series 2015 to 2019

  52. S62press

    Voos ilegais de drones perto dos aeroportos aumentaram em 2021

    Postal (via Expresso) · document dated 2022-01-27 · opened 2026-10-08

    Em 2020 foram registados oito processos de contraordenação por infrações às regras, tendo sido a maioria por sobrevoo de concentrações de pessoas ao ar livre sem autorização.

    ANAC data given to Jornal de Notícias; the crowd-overflight sentence is the clearest statement found of what a recreational drone case is usually about

  53. S63press

    MotoGP: GNR apreendeu três drones não autorizados durante Grande Prémio

    Observador · document dated 2023-03-28 · opened 2026-10-08

    participados à Autoridade Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC)

    Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, Portimão; the only confirmed Algarve enforcement found

  54. S64press

    Aeroporto de Lisboa: drone obrigou a suspender aterragens durante uma hora

    Postal · document dated 2023-04-18 · opened 2026-10-08

    NAV Portugal is the source of the timing; no operator was identified in the report

  55. S65press

    Detetados cinco drones em infração em Fátima

    CNN Portugal · document dated 2023-05-13 · opened 2026-10-08

    GNR; 16 drones detected beginning flight or flying, five in breach of the restricted airspace, equipment confiscated and a contraordenação report filed

  56. S66press

    Apreendido drone que sobrevoava Altice Arena durante concerto dos Excesso

    Notícias ao Minuto · document dated 2023-05-24 · opened 2026-10-08

    PSP communiqué; the same three offences cited as in the 2026 Rock in Rio case, three years earlier

  57. S67press

    Homem em fuga após ser apanhado com drone pela PSP na prisão de Lisboa

    Notícias ao Minuto · document dated 2025-08-29 · opened 2026-10-08

    Contraband smuggling into a prison, not a recreational flight; kept because it is the only confirmed evidence that the prison prohibition in rule R26 is policed

  58. S68press

    Homem intercetado a pilotar drone que sobrevoava recinto do Rock in Rio

    Notícias ao Minuto · document dated 2026-06-25 · opened 2026-10-08

    o aparelho foi apreendido ao infrator, tendo este sido autuado por diversas infrações, designadamente por não se encontrar registado como operador de UAS (drone) na plataforma da ANAC

    PSP communiqué published 2026-06-25; the flight itself was 2026-06-21 at 00:00 in the freguesia do Parque das Nações. This is the Lisbon Rock in Rio, not the Rio de Janeiro event

  59. S69official

    Relatório de Atividades, Gestão e Contas 2025, Quadro 2

    ANAC · document dated 2025 · opened 2026-10-08

    Drones (Regulamento n.º 1093/2016) 5 13 1 11 23 55

    246-page PDF, read with pdftotext. Quadro 2 on page 67 gives concluded contraordenação processes by subject for 2020 to 2025; the quote is the Drones row in year order. The report publishes fine totals for four other subjects only, so no drone fine total exists. It also records a 2025 draft regulation for approving and supervising UAS counter-measure systems at national aerodromes

  60. S70owner

    Tours, visiting rules

    Fundação Cultursintra, Quinta da Regaleira · opened 2026-10-08

    The use of tripods and drones both indoors and outdoors and flash photography inside the Palace and the Chapel are strictly prohibited.

    Site-level ban set by the monument's own visiting rules, independent of any airspace rule. The page prints no revision date; its prices are marked valid from January 2026

  61. S71secondary

    Drone Laws in Portugal (2026): Rules, Permits, Zones

    DronesGator · document dated 2026-03 · opened 2026-10-08

    Any drone with a camera requires prior permission from the Autoridade Aeronautica Nacional (AAN), regardless of whether the flight is recreational or commercial.

    The only guide opened that states the AAN requirement, used here as evidence that it does circulate. It describes the route as physical postal mail, which contradicts AAN's own e-AAN page, so it is not used for any procedural fact. It independently reports the 2018 runway fine and its reduction on appeal

  62. S72secondary

    Drones Portugal 2026: ANAC registration, where to fly

    FFCheck · document dated 2026-07-12 · opened 2026-10-08

    Reachable, and the page prints its own last-verified date of 2026-07-12 rather than the 2026-06-01 the research pass recorded. No mention of the AAN authorisation anywhere, no incident reported, and its 2,000 to 3,500 EUR individual range does not match the schedule in the law block

  63. S73secondary

    Ultimate Guide: Official Drone Maps & Rules by Country

    Dronpoint · document dated 2026-03-09 · opened 2026-10-08

    Portugal fully implements the EASA framework under the supervision of ANAC Portugal. Flights are permitted for recreation and commerce.

    The whole Portugal section. No mention of the AAN authorisation, and no dated incident, so the research pass's use of it as the citation for the Lisbon, Porto and Faro airport hotspot does not hold