Plan

Drone rules: Saudi Arabia

As of: October 5, 2026

Permit required

You may only fly here with a permit issued by the authorities in advance.

Drones from 250 g need GACA registration and approval; the portal requires a Saudi ID or residence permit (Iqama), so tourists have practically no access.

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

Maximum altitude

Unknown

Registration

Required

Registration from 250 g in the GACA portal, only possible with a Saudi ID or Iqama; the German operator ID does not count.

Insurance

Not clearly documented

Whether insurance is mandatory is not officially confirmed.

Depending on drone weight

From 250 g· Registration: RequiredFrom 250 g registration with the GACA (only with Saudi ID or Iqama)

For tourists

Without a Saudi ID or Iqama you cannot register according to available information, so legal use as a tourist is practically ruled out; according to the US State Department, drones are generally illegal. Since September 2026 the German Foreign Office has reported drone and missile attacks on several provinces in the south and west; photographing impact sites and security facilities can lead to arrest.

Further rules

Saudi Arabia initially imposed a complete drone ban in 2015 and has only been reopening its airspace gradually since then: every drone from 250 grams must be registered with the aviation authority GACA via the portal uas.gaca.gov.sa.
Registration runs through the national identification system Nafath, which is linked to a Saudi ID number or residence permit. For tourists without such an ID, the regular route is therefore practically inaccessible, however carefully you prepare.
Whether insurance is mandatory is not officially confirmed.
A binding maximum height for recreational flights could not be confirmed officially; secondary sources give contradictory values. Couriers and customs often treat undeclared drones as prohibited goods and hold them until GACA clearance, which can take from about a month to several months.
In short: if you're only visiting as a tourist for a few days, there is currently no practical legal way to use your own drone in Saudi Arabia.

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.