Flying a drone in Luxembourg: the regulations guide

1 · The open category

The European drone regulation has applied in Luxembourg since 31 December 2020, and the open category is exempt from authorisation by the Directorate of Civil Aviation (DAC). A law of 19 December 2025 adds national penalties (section 6). The European framework applies: in all circumstances, flight within direct line of sight and at most 120 m. The distances, according to the DAC:

• ▸A1 — close to uninvolved people, without flying over them, with a class C0 or C1 drone; without a class marking, only drones under 250 g fly here.
• ▸A2 — class C2 drone: 30 m at normal speed, 5 m in low-speed mode.
• ▸A3 — 150 m from any industrial, commercial, residential or recreational site, and therefore from any uninvolved person, with a class C3 or C4 drone, or without a class marking between 250 g and 25 kg.

Worth remembering: a drone without a “C” class marking that weighs more than 250 g flies only in A3 — which is the case for many self-built or older FPV drones.

2 · UAS zones: the Géoportail map prevails

The DAC is categorical: only the UAS geographical zones on the Géoportail map are legally applicable. Those supplied by the drone manufacturer may not cover all restricted zones, and nothing is transmitted automatically from the manufacturer to the Géoportail. The text on which they are based is a ministerial regulation of 16 December 2020; new regulations, for temporary zones, are published in the DAC news.

• ▸Prohibited — flights are prohibited: football stadiums, airfields such as Useldange or Noertrange, special events (the Tour du Grand-Duché, the national holiday…).
• ▸Authorisation — prior authorisation is needed: prisons, Findel airport, the Grand Ducal Palace…
• ▸Conditional — prior notification of the flight: heliports, Findel airport…

The map is dynamic: a zone may activate several times a day. For a class C drone, the zones file is to be loaded into the drone before every flight.

⚠️ Today, Glydar’s map displays only temporary restrictions for Luxembourg: not the permanent zones. The official map is to be consulted before every flight — see the coverage, country by country.

3 · Registration, training and insurance

• ▸Operator registration (not of the drone): mandatory for a drone of more than 250 g, or under 250 g with a camera or other personal-data sensors; a toy under 250 g is exempt. It is done on Guichet.lu, costs €10 (since 14 January 2026), is valid for one year and in all EASA member states. A LUX… number is issued, to be affixed legibly on each drone. A 14-year-old can be registered as an operator in the open category.
• ▸Training online, then an exam: registration for the A2 theory exam costs €45. Before 16: A1/A3 training (no age limit), a drone bearing the number of an operator who has given consent, supervision by a qualified person over 16, and insurance taken out by the legal representative.
• ▸Third-party liability insurance: mandatory; for a drone under 20 kg, minimum cover of 750,000 special drawing rights (Law of 19 December 2025, art. 19quinquies).

4 · FPV and immersive flying

According to the DAC, FPV flying is possible in the open category only with a person at one’s side, who keeps direct visual contact with the drone, scans the airspace to make sure no one is endangered, and can communicate immediately with the pilot — for example to ask them to land the drone.

5 · Before every flight

• ▸Checking the Géoportail UAS zones map — the only one that prevails — and the DAC news for temporary zones.
• ▸Checking the operator number on the drone and the third-party liability insurance.
• ▸Carrying the prescribed documents; complying if the police ask for the drone to be brought down.

This guide simplifies — it replaces neither the official texts nor an up-to-date check. In case of doubt: DAC, Géoportail.

6 · Penalties: what the law says

The Law of 19 December 2025 introduced penalties. Here is what the text provides, with nothing added:

• ▸Operator without third-party liability insurance: imprisonment from 8 days to 1 year and a fine of €251 to €5,000, or only one of these penalties (art. 19quinquies of the Law of 19 May 1999, as amended).
• ▸Pilot who does not comply with the open category rules, or the conditions of the UAS geographical zones: a fine of €25 to €250 (art. 32bis of the Law of 31 January 1948, as amended).
• ▸The same fine, in particular: flying without the prescribed documents, without the required skills, for an unregistered operator, under the influence of alcohol or psychotropic substances, or a drone that throws or drops an object causing damage. The operator who knowingly allowed it faces the same penalty.
• ▸The pilot brings the drone down at the police’s request and complies with their orders (art. 38bis) — failure to do so is punished by the same fine.

These are maximums: it is the judge who assesses. 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 and the map draw on official sources but are not an official source, do not guarantee that they are exhaustive or up to date, and do 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.