Flying a drone in Latvia: the regulations guide

1 · The open category

The European regulation applies in Latvia, and the authority is the CAA (Civil Aviation Agency). Its portal: at most 25 kg and 120 m above the ground or water — see the European framework.

• ▸Minimum age: 16, with the appropriate qualification. Exceptions: a self-built drone or a toy under 250 g; supervision by another remote pilot aged 16 or over; flying in a model aircraft club authorised by the CAA.
• ▸A1: under 250 g, overflying uninvolved people is allowed, never gatherings of people. A2: 30 m from people, with slow mode and the 1:1 principle. A3: 150 m from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas.

2 · Zones: airspace.lv

The CAA says so: the only official and legally binding information on the conditions and restrictions of Latvian airspace is that of the air navigation operator’s airspace.lv/drones site. Since 1 January 2025, a flight in a zone must be declared or validated by the CAA’s system.

• ▸The zones are of four types: facilitating, restrictive, prohibited, informative. The authorities may propose them, for example at 50 m from public events, schools, hospitals, playgrounds and cemeteries, at 100 m from hazardous industrial sites and protected natural areas, at 500 m from military objects and prisons; to be read case by case on the map.
• ▸No general ban on parks or towns is indicated in the sources consulted.

⚠️ Glydar’s map does not display Latvia’s regulations: the official airspace.lv map prevails, to be checked before every flight — see the coverage, country by country.

3 · Registration, exam and insurance

• ▸Operator registration, for a drone of 250 g or more, over 80 J of kinetic energy or fitted with a camera: €5, valid for 1 year. The number (LVA…) goes on the drone.
• ▸A1/A3 exam: online course and exam free of charge, valid for 5 years; A2 in person: €15.
• ▸Insurance: mandatory (law “Par aviāciju”, art. 117.10, and regulation MK 447) — at least €50,000 per claim and per period in A1 or A2; beyond that (20 kg or more), the limits of European Regulation 785/2004. Exempt: under 250 g and under 19 m/s. For A3 under 20 kg, the rule is not explicit.

4 · FPV and night flying

FPV: allowed only with an observer who stands beside the pilot and follows the drone by sight without any instrument (no phone or radio).

At night: no Latvian rule is indicated in the sources consulted for private individuals; the European framework applies (flashing green light).

5 · Before every flight

• ▸Check airspace.lv and declare the flight if the zone requires it.
• ▸Registered operator (1 year); €50,000 insurance in A1 and A2.
• ▸FPV: an observer beside the pilot. Height: 120 m.

This guide is a plain-language summary — it replaces neither the official texts nor an up-to-date check. When in doubt: the Latvian Civil Aviation Agency (CAA).

6 · Penalties: what the law says

The aviation law (“Par aviāciju”, art. 124.1, version of 18 February 2026) sets, for a natural person, ceilings in fine units, with a warning possible. One unit is worth €5 (Administrative Liability Law, art. 16). Here is what the text provides:

• ▸Up to 200 units (€1,000 — by calculation): exceeding the permitted height; a zone linked to airspace or aviation objects.
• ▸Up to 140 units (€700 — by calculation): unregistered drone, no insurance, non-compliant mass or class, distances from people not respected, geographical zone, alcohol above 0.2‰ or narcotics.
• ▸Up to 60 units: flight out of direct sight, without a remote pilot certificate. Up to 30 units: unmarked drone.

These are ceilings; the maximum fine for a natural person is 400 units (art. 16). 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 for 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.