Every aerial photograph on this journal exists because we carry drones and, before each trip, spend an hour on paperwork. That hour is the difference between filming a desert at sunrise and watching an officer put your drone in a locked cupboard until you leave the country.
The rules are national, and they change
There is no global drone licence. Every country writes its own rules, updates them without notice, and enforces them at the border. Anything you read — including this page — is a starting point, never a substitute for the current official source in the country you are visiting.
Three things vary the most: whether a permit is required in advance, whether the drone must be registered on arrival, and where flight is banned outright.
Permits in practice
In Tanzania a permit is required and can be requested online before departure — we did exactly that before the Serengeti. Several other countries work the same way: an application, a fee, and a document you carry with you. Applying from the airport queue is not an option; some processes take weeks.
- Check the civil aviation authority of the country, not a forum post.
- Print the permit and keep a copy on your phone.
- Register the drone if required, and carry the serial number.
- Check whether your travel or equipment insurance covers drone loss abroad.
Where you will never be allowed to fly
- National parks in many countries, including several African ones, even with a general permit.
- Airports and their approach corridors, ports, military and government sites.
- Over people, crowds and private property without consent.
- Many resorts: even where the country allows it, the property may not. Ask the hotel first — it takes one email.
Batteries and airports
Drone batteries travel in hand luggage only, never in the hold, with terminals taped and each battery protected. Airlines cap the number and the capacity you may carry. Check your airline's page before packing, because the limit is enforced at the gate and the penalty is leaving them behind.
The habits that matter more than the rules
Fly early, when light is good and there is nobody around. Never fly over guests at a resort. Keep the aircraft in sight. And accept the answer when a place says no: one confiscated drone costs more than every photograph you would have taken with it.
We travel with two: a Mavic for stills and stable, wide establishing shots, and an Avata for FPV — the fast, immersive moves through and around a property. They serve different purposes, and most locations only ever need the first.
