Flying a drone in Belgium: the regulations guide

1 · The open category

European regulation applies in Belgium, the Royal Decree of 8 November 2020 implements it, and the authority is the DGTA (Directorate-General for Air Transport of the FPS Mobility). The DGTA sums up the open category as flights within sight, at no more than 120 m above the ground, with a drone under 25 kg, without dropping objects, and respecting the geographical zones — see the European framework. The subcategories:

• ▸A1 — flying over people is possible for a limited time, never over a crowd; C0, C1, or privately built under 250 g.
• ▸A2 — never over uninvolved people; at least 30 m away (5 m in low-speed mode).
• ▸A3 — far from built-up areas: at least 150 m from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas, and at least 30 m from people.

• ▸Minimum age (Royal Decree, art. 7): 14 years in A1 and A3; 16 years in A2. No minimum age for a C0 toy or a privately built drone under 250 g.
• ▸At night: night flying is allowed in the open category, provided the flight stays within sight (VLOS) and a flashing green navigation light stays on throughout the flight.

2 · Geographical zones: the Ministerial Decree of 21 December 2020

The official national map is Droneguide, presented by skeyes. The conditions of the geographical zones add to the open-category rules, and if a flight falls within several zones, the most restrictive ones apply. The main ones:

• ▸Airports — runway strip: all open-category operations are prohibited there (3 km either side of the thresholds, 2 km wide). Around airports, two other zones limit the height to 150 ft (about 45 m) AGL, one of them with notification of the flight at least three hours beforehand.
• ▸Prisons: 100 m buffer zone, up to 500 ft AGL — prior authorisation from the manager and a direct remote identification system. Nuclear facilities, royal estates, seaports, uncontrolled civil aerodromes: prior authorisation from the zone manager. Public institutions in Brussels: zone EBR-01.
• ▸Control zones: skeyes states that it is possible to fly in a large part of the control zones around major airports simply by notifying the flight in advance, via the Drones & Aerial Activities tool.
• ▸The ministerial decree provides no national zone for natural areas or for populated areas.

⚠️ Glydar’s map does not display Belgium’s regulations: the official Droneguide map prevails and is to be checked before every flight — see the coverage, country by country.

3 · Registration, training and insurance

• ▸Operator registration with the DGTA, through the Drone Portal: compulsory except for a drone under 250 g with no camera or personal-data sensor, or a toy under 250 g. The number goes on every drone; it is the operator, not the drone, that is registered. The pages consulted state neither a fee nor a period of validity.
• ▸Training: A1/A3, free online theory and exam, certificate valid for five years; A2: free theory exam on FPS premises, certificate valid for five years. Under 250 g, it is enough to know the manual well (training recommended). No medical certificate.
• ▸Third-party liability insurance: the Royal Decree (art. 12) requires it of every operator in the open category, except for purely private use with a drone under 900 g; from 20 kg, under European Regulation 785/2004. The DGTA pages consulted mention insurance without this exemption and suggest that family insurance may cover leisure flying. No minimum amount is given.

4 · FPV and immersive flying

The sources consulted indicate no Belgian rule specific to FPV in the open category: the European framework applies — direct line of sight, or an observer next to the pilot. The Royal Decree says so expressly for model aircraft clubs: immersive flying is allowed if a second person keeps the model aircraft in direct sight and can inform the pilot of any danger.

5 · Before every flight

• ▸Check Droneguide: runway strip, airport surroundings, prisons, royal estates, nuclear facilities.
• ▸Operator number on the drone, certificate if the drone exceeds 250 g, insurance.
• ▸At night: the flashing green light, and flying within sight.

This guide simplifies — it replaces neither the official texts nor an up-to-date check. If in doubt: DGTA, Droneguide, skeyes.

6 · Penalties: what the law says

Penalties under Belgian aviation law are general: they do not expressly target drones. Here is what the texts provide, with nothing added:

• ▸Infringements of the European civil aviation regulations and of Royal Decrees (law of 27 June 1937, art. 32): imprisonment of eight days to one year and a fine of €200 to €4,000,000, or only one of these penalties. For the Minister’s regulations: a fine of €200 to €1,000,000.
• ▸Administrative fine (1937 law, art. 45 to 48): imposed by a DGTA official; the minimum and maximum amounts are those of the criminal fine, increased by the additional decimes.
• ▸Flight ban (Royal Decree, art. 11): the Minister or their delegate may ban a pilot from all flying who has, deliberately or through negligence, breached the open-category operating requirements (UAS.OPEN.060), for up to 24 months.

⚠️ The version of the 1937 law consulted is consolidated as at 2 July 2018; a more recent version was not checked. These are ceilings: the authority assesses each case. They are those of the text at the date this guide was checked (October 2026) — the text of the law prevails, not this page.

7 · Your responsibility, and what Glydar does

Glydar informs; it exempts from nothing. This guide draws on official sources but is not an official source, does not guarantee that they are complete or up to date, and is not a flight authorisation.

The remote pilot remains solely responsible for their flight and its compliance, as the terms of use recall. Everything needed to check is within reach: the coverage, country by country, the official map and the texts cited below.