Slovakia drone rules for travellers

Slovakia

EU and EASA operator numbers are valid in Slovakia. UK and US visitors register with the Transport Authority on an English paper form (35 EUR, by post or in person), then check the geozones, stay out of 5 km airport circles, and need nature-authority consent to fly low over national parks.

Open after a step for this profile · checked 8 October 2026

What decides it

A drone under 250 g still needs operator registration if it has a camera or other sensor able to capture personal data, unless it is a toy under Directive 2009/48/EC.confirmed on the cited page
Display the operator number (without the three secret digits) on every drone, and upload the full string into the remote identification system where there is one.confirmed on the cited page
Carry the pilot certificate and the registration confirmation: being unable to show them while flying is an offence (300 EUR), and so is refusing them to the police (up to 300 EUR).confirmed on the cited page
The registered operator must be at least 18. Remote pilots must be at least 16, except with a C0 toy in A1, a self-built drone under 250 g, or under direct supervision; minors fly under an adult's registration.confirmed on the cited page
Use only radio equipment made for the EU market: the radio regulator warns that drones bought for Asian or US markets may not be used in EU countries, and radio equipment may operate only under an individual or general frequency authorisation.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.

Within 5 km of the airports of Bratislava, Košice, Piešťany, Poprad-Tatry and Žilina (up to 120 m), only specific-category flights are allowed: no open-category flying. At Piešťany, Poprad-Tatry and Žilina this applies during tower hours.
85 zones around defence sites (RUAS013M to RUAS098M, ground to 500 m, since 18 August 2026): flights only with the Ministry of Defence's prior consent and with Remote ID.
In every national park and every other area with the third, fourth or fifth degree of protection (nature reserves, natural monuments), flying lower than 300 m above the highest obstacle within 600 m needs the consent of the nature authority (the district office in the regional seat). It is a national rule under the nature act, and TANAP states that drones are covered.
Any flight outside the open category needs a specific-category operational authorisation from the authority of the state where you are registered: 600 EUR at DÚ, and only SORA 2.5 risk assessments since 1 May 2026.

Before you fly, in order

A drone under 250 g still needs operator registration if it has a camera or other sensor able to capture personal data, unless it is a toy under Directive 2009/48/EC.
An operator number from your EASA state of residence is valid in Slovakia; an operator may not be registered in more than one member state.
Display the operator number (without the three secret digits) on every drone, and upload the full string into the remote identification system where there is one.
Carry the pilot certificate and the registration confirmation: being unable to show them while flying is an offence (300 EUR), and so is refusing them to the police (up to 300 EUR).
Any flight outside the open category needs a specific-category operational authorisation from the authority of the state where you are registered: 600 EUR at DÚ, and only SORA 2.5 risk assessments since 1 May 2026.
Stay within 120 m of the closest point of the earth's surface, except when overflying an obstacle; in class G airspace within 120 m above the highest obstacle within 30 m of the drone.
Keep a safe distance from people and never fly over assemblies of people; the subcategory distances are those of Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Part A.
Keep the drone in visual line of sight, except in follow-me mode or with a UA observer.
At night, fly only with a green flashing light switched on.
Within 5 km of the airports of Bratislava, Košice, Piešťany, Poprad-Tatry and Žilina (up to 120 m), only specific-category flights are allowed: no open-category flying. At Piešťany, Poprad-Tatry and Žilina this applies during tower hours.
In the rest of those five control zones the open category may fly without clearance only below 30 m above ground, or beside a building up to its height within 30 m of it. Higher flights need a specific-category authorisation, notice to air traffic control 24 hours ahead and phone clearance 15 minutes before take-off.
In an aerodrome traffic zone (ATZ), fly only after coordination with the aerodrome operator, in visual line of sight, giving way to crewed aircraft.
85 zones around defence sites (RUAS013M to RUAS098M, ground to 500 m, since 18 August 2026): flights only with the Ministry of Defence's prior consent and with Remote ID.
Check the permanent and temporary UAS geozones before every flight. The Ministry of Transport declares short-notice prohibition zones, for example PUAS0154M on 3 October 2026; breaching a geozone costs 2,000 EUR if intentional, 100 EUR if negligent.
In every national park and every other area with the third, fourth or fifth degree of protection (nature reserves, natural monuments), flying lower than 300 m above the highest obstacle within 600 m needs the consent of the nature authority (the district office in the regional seat). It is a national rule under the nature act, and TANAP states that drones are covered.
FPV flight is allowed only in subcategory A3 and only with a UA observer.
Use only radio equipment made for the EU market: the radio regulator warns that drones bought for Asian or US markets may not be used in EU countries, and radio equipment may operate only under an individual or general frequency authorisation.
Filming identifiable people is personal-data processing under the GDPR and Slovak act 18/2018; complaints go to the data protection office, unlawful surveillance to the police.
The registered operator must be at least 18. Remote pilots must be at least 16, except with a C0 toy in A1, a self-built drone under 250 g, or under direct supervision; minors fly under an adult's registration.
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).

Field	What the pages say	Verdict	Sources
May a visiting pilot fly at all	Yes, after a registration or a notification.No flight permit is needed in the open category. What is needed is operator registration (a home EASA registration counts), pilot competence, Remote ID on C1 to C3, insurance in A2 and A3, the national geozones and the 2026 control-zone rules, and the nature authority's consent below 300 m in strictly protected areas.	confirmed on the cited page	S1 S2 S7 S13
EU or EEA registration recognised	YesAn operator registers in the EU state of residence and may not be registered in more than one member state; DÚ tells Slovak operators the same registration covers flying elsewhere in the EU.	confirmed on the cited page	S1 S18
UK registration recognised	NoA third-country operator registers with the authority of the first EU state where they intend to fly; if that is Slovakia, with DÚ on paper.	confirmed on the cited page	S2
US registration recognised	NoSame rule as the UK: register in the first EU state of operation.	confirmed on the cited page	S2
Local registration	Required from 250 g. Cost: 35 EUR on paper; 17.50 EUR online, which needs a Slovak eID card. Time: Decision within 30 days, up to 60 in complex cases; the number is emailed. Non-residents: English form F186-B (name, date of birth, email, phone, permanent address in the third country, drone serial numbers, insurance policy number for A2 or A3), proof of the 35 EUR fee (fee stamp from a Slovak post office, or a payment order DÚ issues on receipt), a copy of the ID card or passport, and the insurance policy copy where required. Attachments as originals or officially certified copies. By post or in person at the filing office, Letisko M. R. Štefánika, 823 05 Bratislava..Triggers in the open category: 250 g or more, more than 80 J, or a camera or other personal-data sensor unless the drone is a toy (the page names the DJI Mini). Any drone in the specific category. The serial numbers are part of the application, so register once the drone is at hand. New registrations do not expire.	confirmed on the cited page	S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6
Remote ID	Since 1 January 2024, C1, C2 and C3 drones in the open category and every drone in the specific category must fly with active and updated remote identification. The full operator string (number plus the three secret digits) goes into the Remote ID system where there is one.	confirmed on the cited page	S7 S9 S19 S1
Insurance	Mandatory, at least The cover set for aircraft under 500 kg by Regulation (EC) 785/2004: 0.75 million SDR · Subcategories A2 and A3, the specific and the certified category. Every drone over 250 g without a class mark flies in A3 and therefore needs it. Not required in A1. In the open category one policy covers all the operator's drones.Aviation act § 45c. The SDR figure is read off the 785/2004 table that DÚ's page refers to. DÚ's English insurance page says every operator who must register needs insurance; see conflicts.	confirmed on the cited page	S11 S13 S14 S6 S12
Altitude ceiling	120 mFrom the closest point of the earth's surface, except when overflying an obstacle. In class G airspace DÚ's English page words it as 120 m above the highest obstacle within 30 m of the drone. In the five airport control zones the open category is limited to 30 m.	confirmed on the cited page	S7 S8 S9
Distance from people	Keep a safe distance from people and never fly over assemblies of people (crowds so dense that people cannot move away). DÚ refers to Part A of Regulation (EU) 2019/947 for the subcategory distances without restating them.	partly confirmed	S7 S8
Line of sight	Required at all times, except in follow-me mode or with a UA observer.	confirmed on the cited page	S7 S8
Night	Permitted, only with an activated green flashing light on the drone.	confirmed on the cited page	S7 S9 S10
Class marks	C0 to C4 in the open category. Since 1 January 2024 a drone without a class mark placed on the market before 2024 (not self-built) flies only in A1 if under 250 g or in A3 if under 25 kg.	confirmed on the cited page	S7 S8 S19
FPV	Permitted only in subcategory A3 and only with a UA observer.Stated on the Slovak open-category page; the English page omits the line.	confirmed on the cited page	S7
Commercial use	No separate open-category rule for paid flights was found; the open category is defined by risk. The aviation act still fines aerial work without a permit (up to 33,190 EUR) and DÚ decision 1/2024 keeps older drone aerial-work permits valid; whether a paid open-category drone flight counts as aerial work was not established.	partly confirmed	S7 S13 S29

Field

What the pages say

Verdict

Sources

May a visiting pilot fly at all

Yes, after a registration or a notification.No flight permit is needed in the open category. What is needed is operator registration (a home EASA registration counts), pilot competence, Remote ID on C1 to C3, insurance in A2 and A3, the national geozones and the 2026 control-zone rules, and the nature authority's consent below 300 m in strictly protected areas.

confirmed on the cited page

S1 S2 S7 S13

EU or EEA registration recognised

YesAn operator registers in the EU state of residence and may not be registered in more than one member state; DÚ tells Slovak operators the same registration covers flying elsewhere in the EU.

confirmed on the cited page

S1 S18

UK registration recognised

NoA third-country operator registers with the authority of the first EU state where they intend to fly; if that is Slovakia, with DÚ on paper.

confirmed on the cited page

US registration recognised

NoSame rule as the UK: register in the first EU state of operation.

confirmed on the cited page

Local registration

Required from 250 g. Cost: 35 EUR on paper; 17.50 EUR online, which needs a Slovak eID card. Time: Decision within 30 days, up to 60 in complex cases; the number is emailed. Non-residents: English form F186-B (name, date of birth, email, phone, permanent address in the third country, drone serial numbers, insurance policy number for A2 or A3), proof of the 35 EUR fee (fee stamp from a Slovak post office, or a payment order DÚ issues on receipt), a copy of the ID card or passport, and the insurance policy copy where required. Attachments as originals or officially certified copies. By post or in person at the filing office, Letisko M. R. Štefánika, 823 05 Bratislava..Triggers in the open category: 250 g or more, more than 80 J, or a camera or other personal-data sensor unless the drone is a toy (the page names the DJI Mini). Any drone in the specific category. The serial numbers are part of the application, so register once the drone is at hand. New registrations do not expire.

confirmed on the cited page

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6

Remote ID

Since 1 January 2024, C1, C2 and C3 drones in the open category and every drone in the specific category must fly with active and updated remote identification. The full operator string (number plus the three secret digits) goes into the Remote ID system where there is one.

confirmed on the cited page

S7 S9 S19 S1

Insurance

Mandatory, at least The cover set for aircraft under 500 kg by Regulation (EC) 785/2004: 0.75 million SDR · Subcategories A2 and A3, the specific and the certified category. Every drone over 250 g without a class mark flies in A3 and therefore needs it. Not required in A1. In the open category one policy covers all the operator's drones.Aviation act § 45c. The SDR figure is read off the 785/2004 table that DÚ's page refers to. DÚ's English insurance page says every operator who must register needs insurance; see conflicts.

confirmed on the cited page

S11 S13 S14 S6 S12

Altitude ceiling

120 mFrom the closest point of the earth's surface, except when overflying an obstacle. In class G airspace DÚ's English page words it as 120 m above the highest obstacle within 30 m of the drone. In the five airport control zones the open category is limited to 30 m.

confirmed on the cited page

S7 S8 S9

Distance from people

Keep a safe distance from people and never fly over assemblies of people (crowds so dense that people cannot move away). DÚ refers to Part A of Regulation (EU) 2019/947 for the subcategory distances without restating them.

partly confirmed

S7 S8

Line of sight

Required at all times, except in follow-me mode or with a UA observer.

confirmed on the cited page

S7 S8

Night

Permitted, only with an activated green flashing light on the drone.

confirmed on the cited page

S7 S9 S10

Class marks

C0 to C4 in the open category. Since 1 January 2024 a drone without a class mark placed on the market before 2024 (not self-built) flies only in A1 if under 250 g or in A3 if under 25 kg.

confirmed on the cited page

S7 S8 S19

FPV

Permitted only in subcategory A3 and only with a UA observer.Stated on the Slovak open-category page; the English page omits the line.

confirmed on the cited page

Commercial use

No separate open-category rule for paid flights was found; the open category is defined by risk. The aviation act still fines aerial work without a permit (up to 33,190 EUR) and DÚ decision 1/2024 keeps older drone aerial-work permits valid; whether a paid open-category drone flight counts as aerial work was not established.

partly confirmed

S7 S13 S29

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.

Since 31 March 2026: no open-category flights within 5 km of Bratislava, Košice, Piešťany, Poprad-Tatry and Žilina airports; in the rest of their control zones the open category flies only below 30 m. Aerodrome traffic zones need coordination with the aerodrome operator.

Offence	Range	Sources
Flying in a prohibited area	3,500 EUR if intentional, 500 EUR if negligent (zákon 143/1998 § 53(2)(a))	S13
Flying in a restricted area, in controlled airspace without clearance, or in breach of a UAS geozone	2,000 EUR if intentional, 100 EUR if negligent (§ 53(2)(b))	S13
Operating without operator registration	Up to 3,500 EUR (§ 53(2)(k))	S13
Operating without the mandatory insurance	Up to 1,500 EUR (§ 53(2)(l))	S13
Flying without a valid remote pilot certificate	Up to 2,000 EUR and a ban of up to 3 years (§ 53(2)(m))	S13
Unable to show the pilot certificate or registration confirmation while flying	300 EUR (§ 53(2)(e))	S13
Not producing documents at a police officer's request	Up to 300 EUR (§ 53(2)(n))	S13
Tampering with Remote ID or altering its data; not updating it	3,500 EUR if intentional, 500 EUR if negligent; not updating up to 3,500 EUR (§ 53(2)(a), (k))	S13
Operator who cannot show who piloted a drone used in an airspace offence	Up to 20,000 EUR (§ 53a(1))	S13
Flying without nature-authority consent in a third to fifth degree protected area	Warning or up to 3,319.39 EUR plus forfeiture of the item; on-the-spot fine up to 300 EUR; up to double for a repeat within two years (zákon 543/2002 § 92)	S42

Offence

Range

Sources

Flying in a prohibited area

3,500 EUR if intentional, 500 EUR if negligent (zákon 143/1998 § 53(2)(a))

S13

Flying in a restricted area, in controlled airspace without clearance, or in breach of a UAS geozone

2,000 EUR if intentional, 100 EUR if negligent (§ 53(2)(b))

S13

Operating without operator registration

Up to 3,500 EUR (§ 53(2)(k))

S13

Operating without the mandatory insurance

Up to 1,500 EUR (§ 53(2)(l))

S13

Flying without a valid remote pilot certificate

Up to 2,000 EUR and a ban of up to 3 years (§ 53(2)(m))

S13

Unable to show the pilot certificate or registration confirmation while flying

300 EUR (§ 53(2)(e))

S13

Not producing documents at a police officer's request

Up to 300 EUR (§ 53(2)(n))

S13

Tampering with Remote ID or altering its data; not updating it

3,500 EUR if intentional, 500 EUR if negligent; not updating up to 3,500 EUR (§ 53(2)(a), (k))

S13

Operator who cannot show who piloted a drone used in an airspace offence

Up to 20,000 EUR (§ 53a(1))

S13

Flying without nature-authority consent in a third to fifth degree protected area

Warning or up to 3,319.39 EUR plus forfeiture of the item; on-the-spot fine up to 300 EUR; up to double for a repeat within two years (zákon 543/2002 § 92)

S42

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.

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

Sources that disagree

Control-zone distance

DÚ's FAQ (S4), its English flight-conditions page (S9) and decision 1/2024 (S29): open-category flights without coordination beyond 5.6 km from the aerodrome reference point, up to 30 m.

DÚ's Slovak control-zone page (S26), decision 1/2026 (S25) and resolution U/2026/6 (S28), in force 2026-03-31: beyond 5 km up to 30 m; within 5 km only the specific category.

Not resolved here. The engine follows the 2026 decision because it is the newer binding text.

Who must be insured

DÚ's English insurance page (S12): every operator who must register must hold liability insurance.

Aviation act § 45c (S13), DÚ's Slovak insurance page (S11) and its e-registration guide (S6): insurance in A2, A3, specific and certified categories; none in A1.

Not resolved here. The engine follows the statute.

Flying over nature reserves

DÚ's A1/A3 training material (S37): flying over nature reserves is not prohibited, only disturbing nature and wildlife.

Nature act § 14 to § 16 (S42) and TANAP (S43): consent is needed below 300 m in third to fifth degree areas, which include every nature reserve.

Not resolved here. The engine follows the statute.

Registration threshold wording

DÚ's FAQ (S4): registration for drones over 250 g or any drone with a camera.

DÚ's registration pages (S1, S2): 250 g or more, or more than 80 J, or a personal-data sensor unless a toy.

Repealed drone decision still cited

TANAP's drone page (S43) and the radio regulator's page (S47) cite DÚ decision 1/2015, under which flights must avoid protected areas.

Decision 1/2015 was repealed by decision 2/2019 (S39), itself repealed by decision 1/2024 (S29).

Slovakia

Your answer

What decides it

Permits tied to a place or a time

Before you fly, in order

How a visitor gets legal

Classify the drone and the flight

EU and EASA residents: bring your home registration and certificate

UK, US and other non-EU residents: register as operator with Dopravný úrad

UK, US and other non-EU residents: get the A1/A3 certificate

Mark the drone and programme Remote ID

Insure if you fly in A2 or A3

Check the geozones before every flight

National parks and reserves: ask the nature authority first

Defence-site zones: Ministry of Defence consent

Outside the open category: specific-category authorisation

The numbers

Every rule we could confirm

Registration

Remote ID

Insurance

Minimum age

Permits

Airspace zones

Parks and protected areas

Altitude

Distance from people

Line of sight

Night

FPV

Dropping objects

Commercial use

Privacy

Radio conformity

Customs and import

Parks and protected areas

All national parks, nature reserves and natural monuments (third to fifth degree of protection)

Tatra National Park (TANAP)

Pieniny, Slovenský raj, Nízke Tatry and the other national parks

Protected landscape areas (CHKO)

Bojnice zoo

Where the no-fly zones are published

Customs and the border

On the ground

Where reports cluster

Dated reports

What the law says it costs

What we could not confirm

Sources that disagree

What changed, and when

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

Official pages

Where pilots report

Sources