Flying a drone in Norway: the regulations guide

1 · The open category

Norway applies the European regulation through the EEA Agreement, and the authority is Luftfartstilsynet (the civil aviation authority). In the open category: a drone under 25 kg, flown at no more than 120 m above the ground or water, within visual line of sight (VLOS), never over crowds — see the European framework. According to the authority:

• ▸A1 — C0 and C1 drones; privately built drones up to 250 g flying at less than 19 m/s; drones under 250 g placed on the market before 1 January 2024. With a C1 or a drone over 250 g, no flying over people.
• ▸A2 — C2 drones: 30 m horizontally from people, 5 m in slow mode, with the 1:1 rule (horizontal distance at least equal to the height).
• ▸A3 — C2, C3, C4, or privately built or placed on the market before 2024 up to 25 kg: at least 150 m from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas; if someone enters the area, at least 30 m and the 1:1 rule.

• ▸Drones without a class between 250 g and 25 kg: A3 or the specific category since 2024; under 250 g: A1.
• ▸Minimum age: 16 years (except a privately built drone under 250 g and under 19 m/s, or a C0 toy); under 16, with a course and an exam, under the supervision of a person aged 16 or over.
• ▸At night: allowed as long as the drone stays in sight, with a flashing green light under the drone (authority’s English page, August 2025).

2 · Zones: Dronesoner.no and the 5 km rule

The official map is Dronesoner.no, “a simple visual aid”: the authority asks to always check ippc.no (the NOTAMs) before flying. The main rules:

• ▸Within 5 km of an airport: not without the permission of the local air traffic service (forskrift BSL A 7-2, § 7 — amended on 4 September 2026; the authority announces that this rule will move towards a ban in control zones). Avinor recommends the NinoxDrone2 app.
• ▸Military sites and vessels, embassies, prisons: no flying over or near them without the permission of the person in charge of the site. The authority adds protected areas and national parks, gas terminals, oil platforms and the sites of rescue operations.
• ▸Central Oslo: restricted zone R102 — a special permission is required (form NF-1129, two weeks’ notice).
• ▸Sensor prohibition zones (National Security Authority, NSM): photographing, filming or using other sensors from the air is prohibited. For visitors, the authority’s English page asks to declare the use of photo, video and other sensors to the NSM; the NSM page speaks of sensors other than photo and video outside the prohibited zones — to be checked.
• ▸There is no general ban on flying over cities in the open category; but never events with large crowds (concerts, festivals, competitions). Protected areas may have their own rules.

⚠️ Glydar’s map does not display Norway’s regulations: the Dronesoner.no map prevails, to be checked before every flight — see coverage, country by country.

3 · Registration, exam and insurance

• ▸Operator registration on flydrone.no (ID-porten login): mandatory except for a drone under 250 g without a camera, or a CE-marked toy. A drone under 250 g with a camera must be registered. Annual fee: 230 NOK for an individual, 1,500 NOK for an organisation. The operator number is placed on each drone (masking its last three characters).
• ▸Exam: A1/A3 online on flydrone.no, free of charge; A2 at a road traffic office; the certificate is valid for five years. For a drone under 250 g with a camera: registration, but no course or exam.
• ▸Third-party liability insurance: all drones and model aircraft, except toys, must be insured, with a minimum of 750,000 special drawing rights. The regulation exempts drones under 250 g used in the open category from the insurance required by the Aviation Act (§ 11-2).

4 · FPV and immersive flying

The pilot must have an observer next to them who keeps the drone in sight at all times. One exception: members of a model aircraft club affiliated to the Norges Luftsportsforbund (NLF) fly FPV without an observer under its safety system.

5 · Before every flight

• ▸Consult Dronesoner.no and ippc.no; check the 5 km around airports, protected areas, military zones.
• ▸Operator number on the drone, certificate if the drone exceeds 250 g, insurance (except under 250 g in the open category, or a toy).
• ▸An observer alongside for FPV, unless in an NLF club; a flashing green light at night.

This guide simplifies — it replaces neither the official texts nor an up-to-date check. In case of doubt: Luftfartstilsynet, Avinor, Dronesoner.no.

6 · Penalties: what the law says

This is what the Aviation Act (luftfartsloven, chapter 14) provides, without adding anything:

• ▸Drone flight that disturbs another aircraft or an aerodrome, or endangers life, limb, property or the environment (§ 14-29 a — it expressly targets drones, in force since 1 July 2024): a fine or up to two years in prison.
• ▸Breach of an airspace restriction (§ 14-13): a fine or up to two years in prison — a general provision, which does not mention drones.
• ▸Breach of a regulation made under the Act (§ 14-29): a fine or up to three months in prison; by negligence (§ 14-31), a fine or up to six months.
• ▸Administrative sanctions: Luftfartstilsynet may impose an “overtredelsesgebyr” (Act, § 13 a-5) and order a pilot to stop or limit their flights (regulation, § 9). The amounts of the gebyr are not given in the sources consulted.

These are maximums: the judge decides. They are those of the text on 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 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 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.