REGULATIONS
Regulations by country
Registration, pilot licensing, BVLOS, flying near structures and indoor flight — compared country by country for inspection work.
| Country | Authority | BVLOS | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) | 目視外飛行は特定飛行で、カテゴリーIIとして許可・承認（または技能証明＋機体認証での一部省略）が必要。無人地帯で補助者なしの目視外＝レベル3、2023年12月新設のレベル3.5は技能証明保有・保険加入・機上カメラによる歩行者等確認を条件に補助者・看板による立入管理を不要とする。… | Checked against official sources |
| South Korea | Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT); Korea Transportation Safety Authority (TS); Korea Institute of Aviation Safety Technology (KIAST, safety inspections for special flight approval) | Night and BVLOS flights need special flight approval (특별비행승인) under Aviation Safety Act Article 129(5). Applications go through the Drone O… | Checked against official sources |
| China | State Council and Central Military Commission (airspace/flight management); Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) | No separate BVLOS category in the regulation; flights in controlled airspace (including above 120 m true height and around airports, border… | Checked against official sources |
| India | Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA); Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) | The 2022 MoCA backgrounder on the Drone Rules does not cover BVLOS, and the draft 2025 Bill leaves BVLOS to future rules. Case-by-case BVLO… | Checked against official sources |
| Singapore | Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) | BVLOS requires an Operator Permit and a Class 1 Activity Permit. The operator-permit application must cover the intended operation and envi… | Checked against official sources |
| Vietnam | Ministry of National Defence (flight permits, pilot licences, technical standards); Ministry of Public Security (registration); Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam / Ministry of Construction (coordination where civil aviation is affected) | BVLOS needs a Class B pilot certificate (drones of 2 kg or more) and a flight permit from the Ministry of National Defence. | Checked against official sources |
| Thailand | Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT); National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) | BVLOS falls outside the standard conditions (VLOS only, no navigation by FPV or onboard camera alone). It needs CAAT permission applied for… | Checked against official sources |
| Indonesia | Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Ministry of Transportation, Indonesia | The pilot, visual observer and flight operator must keep unaided VLOS (107.31). BVLOS needs an exemption from 107.31 under 107.200, based o… | Checked against official sources |
| Australia | Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) | BVLOS is outside the standard operating conditions, so it needs an RePL, a ReOC and a CASA approval. Excluded-category operators cannot app… | Checked against official sources |
| New Zealand | Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand | Under Part 101 the pilot must keep VLOS at all times; FPV is allowed only with a trained observer who keeps visual contact. BVLOS under Par… | Checked against official sources |
| United States | Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) | In force today: BVLOS only via a Part 107.31 waiver or 44807 exemption; many linear-infrastructure inspection waivers exist. Proposed Part … | Checked against official sources |
| Canada | Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) | Since 4 Nov 2025, lower-risk BVLOS is allowed without SFOC for Level 1 Complex pilots under an RPOC: uncontrolled airspace, below 122 m (40… | Checked against official sources |
| Mexico | Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil (AFAC), under the Secretaría de Infraestructura, Comunicaciones y Transportes (SICT) | Micro and small RPAS must stay within VLOS and no more than 457 m (1,500 ft) horizontally from the pilot. Private and commercial operators … | Checked against official sources |
| Brazil | Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC); Departamento de Controle do Espaço Aéreo (DECEA); Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (ANATEL) | BVLOS means any operation that does not meet VLOS or EVLOS conditions. Such flights fall in the Specific category and need a standard scena… | Checked against official sources |
| Chile | Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC), Chile | According to the DGAC presentation, BVLOS was enabled in 2020 with a maximum range of 5 km, a maximum altitude of 1,200 ft and precision-te… | Checked against official sources |
| Argentina | Administración Nacional de Aviación Civil (ANAC), Argentina | BVLOS is not expressly addressed in the official summary. Since Open is limited to visual line of sight, BVLOS falls in the Specific catego… | Checked against official sources |
| United Kingdom | UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) | BVLOS needs a Specific-category operational authorisation via UK SORA, which replaced the Operating Safety Case (OSC) route on 23 April 202… | Checked against official sources |
| Germany | Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) for operator registration, remote-pilot exams and certificates, LUCs and the certified category; Länder aviation authorities (Landesluftfahrtbehörden) for Specific-category operating authorisations, supervision of Open-category operations and geographic-zone permits; Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV) | BVLOS is in the Specific category: an STS-02 declaration or an operating authorisation based on PDRA or SORA. Authorisation application nee… | Checked against official sources |
| France | Direction générale de l'aviation civile (DGAC); its Direction de la sécurité de l'aviation civile (DSAC) issues Specific-category authorisations; prefects grant local derogations (night, height, urban Open flights) | BVLOS is possible under STS-02 (C6 drone), PDRA-G01 to G03 (BVLOS over sparsely populated areas with defined airspace/trajectory conditions… | Checked against official sources |
| Spain | Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aérea (AESA); Ministry of the Interior (notification of urban/crowd operations); Dirección General de Aviación Civil and CIDETRA for zoning and U-space | BVLOS requires the Specific category: EU STS-02 (C6), a PDRA or a SORA-based authorisation from AESA. National STS-ES are no longer usable … | Checked against official sources |
| Italy | Ente Nazionale per l'Aviazione Civile (ENAC); registrations and declarations via the D-Flight portal | BVLOS is a Specific-category operation: EU STS-02 declaration (C6) or an ENAC operational authorisation based on a risk assessment (the ENA… | Checked against official sources |
| Netherlands | Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport (ILT, acting as CAA NL) for Specific-category permits, STS declarations and enforcement; RDW for operator registration; Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW) for zoning policy; LVNL publishes airspace restrictions in the GoDrone app | BVLOS requires the Specific category (ILT permit or STS-02 declaration). Specific ILT procedure for BVLOS (not verified against an official… | Checked against official sources |
| Switzerland | Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA / BAZL / OFAC); cantons and municipalities may add environmental and personal-protection restrictions | BVLOS through STS-02 (C6 drone, sparsely populated area, controlled ground area), a PDRA, or a SORA-based FOCA authorisation (FOCA publishe… | Checked against official sources |
| Sweden | Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen); LFV publishes the drone map (Drönarkartan); Lantmäteriet issues dissemination permits for aerial imagery; Sjöfartsverket for seabed imagery | BVLOS requires the Specific category: STS-02 declaration (C6), PDRA-G01 to G03, or a SORA-based authorisation from Transportstyrelsen (SORA… | Checked against official sources |
| Norway | Civil Aviation Authority of Norway (Luftfartstilsynet / CAA Norway); Avinor and airport towers for airport-area permissions; National Security Authority (NSM) for airborne-sensor restricted areas | CAA Norway notes that many Specific-category operations are BVLOS; they need a SORA- or PDRA-based authorisation or an STS-02 declaration. … | Checked against official sources |
| Denmark | Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority (Trafikstyrelsen); Ministry of Transport (emergency bans and dispensations, with the National Police assessing applications) | BVLOS requires a Specific-category route (STS-02 with C6, PDRA or SORA) via Trafikstyrelsen. Danish BVLOS specifics (not verified against a… | Checked against official sources |
| United Arab Emirates | General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA); emirate-level 'competent authorities' such as the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA); Ministry of Interior (flight-ban and resumption decisions) | (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22) | Checked against official sources |
| Saudi Arabia | General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), Saudi Arabia | BVLOS is an advanced operation. It needs an OA or UOC with a strong safety case and ATC approval for segregated airspace, a visual observer… | Checked against official sources |
| South Africa | South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) | BVLOS is prohibited unless the Director approves it in a UASOC holder's operations manual, which requires meeting SA-CATS 101. Approved BVL… | Checked against official sources |
| Israel | Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI); Minister of Defence (special security orders under the Aviation Law) | The 2020 draft did not provide for BVLOS beyond waiver-style licensing. National BVLOS and delivery programmes have run, but the general ap… | Draft (not yet checked against official sources) |