Plan

Drone rules: Iceland

Last checked: October 5, 2026

Travel check for IcelandChecklist for your trip: registration, insurance, drone and batteries on the plane.

Maximum altitude

120 m

Registration

Required

Iceland requires registration regardless of weight; with your German operator ID you are already registered, flydrone.is is for residents and visitors from outside Europe.

Insurance

Required in some cases

Mandatory for drones with a take-off mass over 20 kg and for flights in A2, the specific and the certified category; for A1 and A3 flights with drones up to 20 kg, the regulation sets no obligation.

For tourists

Many protected areas have their own drone rules: in Vatnajökull National Park, recreational flying is banned at Skaftafell, in Jökulsárgljúfur including Ásbyrgi and at Askja, and at Jökulsárlón from 15 April to 15 July; at Skaftafellsjökull and at Jökulsárlón outside that period, fixed time-of-day windows apply depending on the season. Permits for Þingvellir and Vatnajökull are issued by the park administration, for other protected areas by the Environment Agency.

Further rules

In Iceland, you register as a drone operator via flydrone.is with the aviation authority Samgöngustofa – registration is mandatory for all operators resident in Iceland, regardless of the drone's weight, and is valid for five years.
You only register once, in the EASA state where you live – the EASA area comprises the EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Your operator ID is then valid throughout the EASA area: if you are already registered in another EASA country, you don't need a second registration in Iceland. Only if you live outside the EASA area do you register in the EASA state where you first fly.
Under the Icelandic drone regulation No. 1360/2024, you need liability insurance if your drone has a take-off mass of more than 20 kilograms or if you fly in subcategory A2, the specific or the certified category. For flights in A1 and A3 with drones up to 20 kilograms, the regulation does not require insurance.
Within 150 metres of sensitive public facilities such as power stations, the Althingi parliament building, ministries, embassies, police stations, prisons and hospitals, you may only fly with permission from the owner or operator.
In the open category, the maximum flight height is 120 metres above ground, as regulated uniformly across Europe – although Iceland is not an EU member, it applies the EASA rules through the EEA Agreement.

Sources

This overview is not legal advice and not an official statement — laws change, and we cannot guarantee that every entry is fully up to date. Before your flight, please also check the official source or the local civil aviation authority.