1 · The open category
Guernsey has its own rules: the Air Navigation (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law 2012 (art. 37 for small unmanned aircraft), supplemented by 2014 regulations on flight restriction. The regulator is the DCA. UK and European rules do not apply.
- Line of sight: direct and unaided (art. 37, para. 3); the DCA guide: “Pure FPV is not permitted in the Channel Islands”.
- 400 ft at most and not in an aerodrome traffic zone without control permission for a drone of 7 kg or less.
- With a camera: DCA permission within 150 m of a congested area or of an assembly of more than 1,000 people, within 50 m of a vessel, vehicle, structure or person; 30 m on take-off and landing.
- Airports: prohibited within 2 nm of Guernsey and Alderney airports without permission from the DCA and local control.
- Vale Commons: any drone prohibited over the area (1974 ordinance).
2 · Zones: airports, harbours, Vale Commons and Sark
The DCA and Guernsey control publish two risk maps as PDFs (aerodrome traffic zone and aerodrome protection zone, October 2024), with zones with a ceiling of 100, 200 or 300 ft; no application or downloadable data is indicated. Harbours and marinas are congested areas; the prison requires an authorisation. Sark has its own laws: no drone without the permission of Chief Pleas, in addition to the DCA.
⚠️ Glydar’s map does not display Guernsey’s regulations: the DCA’s two risk maps (airport zone) prevail, to be consulted before every flight — see the coverage, country by country.
3 · Registration, exam and insurance
- Registration: no scheme is indicated for Guernsey; the DCA has set up none in the Channel Islands.
- Age, training: not indicated in the sources consulted.
- Insurance: recommended; commercial insurance is mandatory for an aerial work permit.
4 · FPV and night flying
FPV: pure FPV is not permitted; unaided line of sight is required.
At night: the DCA guide advises against flying at night; no specific rule is indicated.
5 · Before every flight
- Line of sight, 400 ft; pure FPV prohibited.
- Guernsey and Alderney airports: 2 nm; Vale Commons prohibited; harbours: permission.
- Sark: permission from Chief Pleas and the DCA.
This guide simplifies — it replaces neither the official texts nor an up-to-date check. In case of doubt: the DCA (Office of the Director of Civil Aviation).
6 · Penalties: what the law says
The 2012 law (art. 122) provides:
- Unlisted offence: a fine of at most level 4, on summary conviction.
- Offences in Part A of Schedule 3 (including article 37): a level 5 fine on summary conviction; on indictment, a fine or up to 2 years.
- Endangerment (art. 114, Part B): “twice level 5” on summary conviction; on indictment, a fine or up to 2 years.
The text consulted is the original version of the law (2013); the sterling amounts of the levels are not indicated. 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 exhaustive or up to date, and does not amount to authorisation to fly.
The remote pilot remains solely responsible for the 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.