REGULATIONS / IN
India: drone rules for inspection
India regulates drones under the Drone Rules 2021, amended in 2022. Every drone needs a UIN registered on Digital Sky and, to be operated, a type certificate (nano and some other drones are exempt). Pilots need a Remote Pilot Certificate from an authorised training organisation, except for nano drones and non-commercial micro drones. Airspace is split into green zones (no permission up to 120 m) and yellow and red zones that need prior permission. Rules on BVLOS, night and flying near people were not confirmed from official sources. A draft Civil Drone Bill with prison penalties and mandatory insurance went out for comment in September 2025 but is not yet law.
Checked against official sources
Fields are recorded in the language of the research notes.
| Authority | インド民間航空総局 (DGCA)、民間航空省 (MoCA) / Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA); Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) |
| Main framework | Drone Rules, 2021 (notified 25 August 2021) as amended by the Drone (Amendment) Rules, 2022 (GSR 108(E), 11 February 2022), administered through the Digital Sky platform. A Certification Scheme for Unmanned Aircraft Systems was notified on 26 January 2022. The draft Civil Drone (Promotion and Regulation) Bill, 2025 was put out for comment from 16 to 30 September 2025. It would replace the rule-based regime with an Act, but it is not law, and its later status was not checked (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22). |
| Registration | Every drone must be registered on Digital Sky and given a Unique Identification Number (UIN) before it is operated, unless an exemption applies. Manufacturers and importers can generate UINs by self-certification. A type certificate is needed to operate a drone in India, except for nano drones and model or R&D drones. Testing for type certification is done by the Quality Council of India or authorised testing entities. |
| Remote ID | The Drone Rules introduce 'No Permission, No Take-off' (NPNT), real-time tracking beacons and geo-fencing as required safety features, to be notified later with a six-month compliance window for industry. Whether they have been notified and are enforced was not checked (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22). |
| Pilot licensing | The 2022 amendment replaced the Remote Pilot Licence with a Remote Pilot Certificate, issued by a DGCA-authorised Remote Pilot Training Organisation (RPTO) and listed on Digital Sky. No certificate is needed for nano drones or for micro drones used non-commercially. Eligibility: age 18-65 and Class 10 education. The certificate is valid for 10 years. R&D entities, educational institutions, recognised start-ups and manufacturers are exempt from type certificate, UIN, permission and pilot certificate for R&D operations. |
| Risk categories | By maximum all-up weight: nano ≤250 g, micro >250 g-2 kg, small >2-25 kg, medium >25-150 kg, large >150 kg. Airspace zones on the Digital Sky map: green, where no permission is needed for drones up to 500 kg (up to 400 ft/120 m, or 200 ft/60 m in the 8-12 km band around airports); yellow, where the relevant ATC authority must give permission; and red, a no-drone zone needing Central Government permission. The yellow zone around airports was cut from 45 km to 12 km. |
| BVLOS | 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 BVLOS permissions or trials were not checked (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22). |
| Night & over people | (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22) |
| Near structures | Infrastructure limits work through the airspace zones. Red zones (no-drone zones, including temporary ones) and yellow zones need permission. Operators must check the Digital Sky airspace map before each flight because it can change. No specific rule on structures, power lines or railways was found (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22). |
| Indoor & confined | (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22) |
| Imaging & privacy | Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 may apply; it was not reviewed. The draft 2025 Bill contains no specific privacy provision. (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22) |
| Recent changes | 2022: the Remote Pilot Licence became a Remote Pilot Certificate issued by RPTOs (11 February 2022); the UAS Certification Scheme was notified (26 January 2022); the maximum penalty under the Drone Rules is INR 1 lakh. A ban on importing foreign-made drones, announced in February 2022 with exceptions for R&D, defence and security, is reported in secondary sources only (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22). 2025: the draft Civil Drone (Promotion and Regulation) Bill, 2025 was published for consultation in September 2025. It would make UIN registration, type certificates, remote pilot certificates, third-party insurance (with fixed compensation amounts) and red/yellow/green zones statutory. It would add prison terms (up to 3 years for zone violations), allow officers to detain drones for 3-7 days, and exclude UAS over 500 kg (left to the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024). |
Sources
- The Drone Rules, 2021 – backgrounder (28 January 2022)Full text read
- Drone (Amendment) Rules, 2022 (GSR 108(E), 11 February 2022)Full text read
- Draft Civil Drone (Promotion and Regulation) Bill, 2025Full text read
Sources checked: 2026-10-22