1 · The open category
Monaco applies its own rules: ministerial order 2021-532 of 2 August 2021 (Journal de Monaco 8550), made under law 1.458 of 13 December 2017 on civil aviation. The authority is the Direction de l’Aviation Civile (DAC). Article 5 provides that only professional-use drones may fly over the Principality, unless exempted by the Minister of State; the order does not apply to model aircraft, defined as remotely piloted aircraft for exclusively leisure or competition use, with no geolocation module and weighing less than 100 g.
- Approval: valid for one year, renewable; flight authorisation is requested at least eight working days before the flight (art. 15).
- Age: the remote pilot is over 18 (art. 16).
- Direct sight only (art. 8); at night: prohibited, with a possible exemption (art. 9).
2 · Zones: Palace, heliport and events
The order prohibits flying over the Prince’s Palace and the Palace Square without authorisation (art. 4), and use within 150 m of the heliport’s footprint (art. 5). The Minister of State may, by order, prohibit any aircraft for defined periods and zones (art. 6). Officers may neutralise a drone flying without the art. 15 authorisation, at the owner’s expense (art. 17). The FlySafe app (DAC) is reserved for approved operators; no public map or data is given.
⚠️ Glydar’s map does not display Monaco’s regulations: the FlySafe app, reserved for approved operators, prevails, to be consulted before each flight — see coverage, country by country.
3 · Registration, exam and insurance
- Approval: a file submitted to the DAC; it includes a copy of the operator’s third-party liability insurance contract (art. 12). Fees are set by order 2021-788; their amount is not given in the sources consulted.
- Equipment: a device limiting the height planned for the flight; third-party protection limiting impact energy to 69 joules above 0.7 kg; signalling compatible with the system in force (art. 14).
4 · FPV and night flying
FPV: only direct-sight flights are permitted (art. 8); no FPV exception is given.
At night: use is prohibited at night, with a possible exemption from the Director of Civil Aviation for an approval holder (art. 9).
5 · Before every flight
- Leisure flight: article 5 reserves overflight for approved professional drones; a model aircraft under 100 g without geolocation is outside the order.
- One-year approval and flight authorisation 8 working days beforehand; 18 years old.
- Palace, heliport (150 m) and event zones: prohibited.
This guide simplifies — it replaces neither the official texts nor an up-to-date check. In case of doubt: the Monegasque Direction de l’Aviation Civile.
6 · Penalties: what the law says
Law 1.458 (art. 137) punishes anyone who has knowingly contravened the texts on remotely piloted aircraft:
- Six days to one month in prison and the fine of item 2 of article 26 of the Criminal Code (€2,250 to €9,000), or only one of these two penalties.
- Article 138 provides for confiscation of the aircraft and of the filming equipment; the order (art. 19) provides for a warning, suspension or withdrawal of the approval.
These are ceilings: the court exercises its discretion. 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 their completeness or that they are up to date, and does not constitute 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: coverage, country by country, the official map and the texts cited below.