Flying a drone in Hungary: the regulations guide

1 · The open category

The European regulation applies in Hungary. The authority is the Közlekedési Hatóság (the transport authority, Ministry of Transport); the official application is that of HungaroControl. According to its presentation of the open category: a drone under 25 kg, operated within line of sight, at no more than 120 m — see the European framework. The subcategories:

• ▸A1 — C0 and C1, or a self-built drone under 250 g and 19 m/s. A C1 does not fly over an assembly; in “Follow me” mode, the drone stays within 50 m of the remote pilot.
• ▸A2 — C2 (under 4 kg): 30 m horizontally from people, 5 m with the low-speed mode.
• ▸A3 — C2, C3, C4 and self-built drones (under 25 kg): 150 m from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas.

• ▸A single drone at a time in the open category.
• ▸Minimum age: 16; none for a toy C0 or in A1.
• ▸Ceiling in Budapest: in the Budapest control zone, outside the airport’s “No Drone” zone, the maximum height is 40 m (decree 4/1998, § 4/C); the same for Szolnok, Pápa and Kecskemét.
• ▸Alcohol: flying under the influence of alcohol or substances is prohibited.

2 · Zones: mydronespace

Decree 4/1998 (§ 4/C) requires the remote pilot to check, before every take-off and during the flight, that flying is not prohibited over the area, by marking the flight area in HungaroControl’s official application mydronespace (free of charge). A few prohibitions (§ 4/A):

• ▸Airports: the “No Drone” zone of Budapest airport; the same zones for Szolnok, Pápa and Kecskemét. Around aerodromes without a control zone: 2 km from the reference point, unless the operator agrees.
• ▸Emergency heliports: 750 m.
• ▸Protected sites: the airspace within 300 m around protected installations, including critical infrastructure; the Paks power plant is in prohibited airspace; nature protection areas are in restricted airspace.
• ▸Inhabited areas: overflight only with a “point airspace” (espace aérien ponctuel) granted by the Ministry of Defence, on a request submitted at least 30 days beforehand. Streets, parks and squares are not an inhabited area merely because people are present.

⚠️ Glydar’s map does not display Hungary’s regulations: the official application prevails, to be consulted before every flight — see the coverage, country by country.

3 · Registration, exam and insurance

• ▸Registration: in Hungary, whatever the weight, every drone must be registered, except toys (under 120 g, with no data recorder, unable to move more than 100 m away). Two separate registrations: the operator and the aircraft, HUF 2,000 each, to be requested at least 10 days before the first flights, by e-Papír, by post or in person. An operator already registered in another EU State does not have to redo the operator registration. The validity period is not stated in the sources consulted.
• ▸Marking: the operator number and the aircraft number appear on the drone.
• ▸Exam: A1/A3 online; A2: self-directed practice and an additional exam; the certificates are valid for 5 years. No exam for a C0 if the user knows the instruction manual.
• ▸Third-party liability insurance: mandatory from 250 g; not mandatory below. Minimum: from 0.25 to 4 kg, HUF 3,000,000 per claim and HUF 6,000,000 per period; from over 4 kg to under 20 kg, HUF 5,000,000 per claim and HUF 10,000,000 per period.

4 · FPV, night flying

FPV: possible without continuous visual contact if a second person, a “drone observer”, assists the remote pilot.

At night: possible, if the remote pilot complies with the conditions of the operation and switches on a flashing green light on the drone.

5 · Before every flight

• ▸Open mydronespace and mark the flight area: it is a legal obligation, not a recommendation.
• ▸Drone registered and numbers on the aircraft; insurance if the drone weighs 250 g or more; suitable certificate.
• ▸Budapest: 40 m at most. Inhabited area: the point airspace. FPV: an observer. Night: the flashing green light.

This guide simplifies — it replaces neither the official texts nor an up-to-date check. Part of the mydronespace FAQ dates from 2021. When in doubt: the Közlekedési Hatóság.

6 · Penalties: what the law says

The Aviation Act (1995. évi XCVII, art. 66/A) provides for an aviation fine that expressly targets the operation of drones. Here is what the text says, with nothing added:

• ▸Up to HUF 100,000,000 for anyone who breaches the rules for operating a drone — other than acts covered by the offences act (2012. évi II), whose scale is not given here.
• ▸It can be imposed again (repeated) and becomes time-barred only after five years.
• ▸The operator answers for the offence; for an unregistered drone, it is the person who committed it.
• ▸It is pronounced by the aviation authority, or by the police if the procedure began with them. An act that constitutes a criminal offence entails criminal consequences.

These are ceilings: the authority assesses. The text is that of the copy consulted (version dated December 2025) — the text of the law prevails, not this page.

7 · Your responsibility, and what Glydar does

Glydar informs; it exempts from nothing. This guide reproduces official sources but is not an official source, does not guarantee that they are exhaustive or up to date, and does not amount to 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.