Can You Bring a Drone to South Africa?

South Africa has the most beautiful, loving, and caring people. If you want to know more about the historical world and the history of human beings, then you must go to South Africa.

There are charming and breathtaking landscapes and much more to discover, but can you capture all this with your drone?

Can you bring a drone to South Africa?

Yes, you can bring a drone to South Africa and have been allowed to fly it since 2015. You must follow some guidelines to quickly bring and fly a drone in South Africa. Some rules are registering your drone with CAA(Civil Aviation Authority) and getting the required permits.

These are not the only drone rules. Some others will be covered in this article, so make sure you do not go anywhere and keep reading this article because, at the end of the article, you will have covered all your questions in your head. So keep reading.

Can you bring a drone to South Africa?

As I have told you in the intro flying drones in South Africa and bringing them to South Africa is so allowed, and you can do this by following some guidelines. So many airports in South Africa have their rules regarding drones.

So if you are coming to South Africa from the USA, then whatever your airline agency is, you will need to follow their drone-bringing rules. You must precontact the agency and ask them whether you can bring your drone on the plane.

You will also need to answer so many questions from your agency that they will ask about your drone, you, and else about drone rules. When you go to a country with no more drone pilots, and you are a drone pilot with a drone, it will be a new thing for them.

That is why you must register your drone first and then go further. It is where you will be asked whether your drone is registered with authorities or not, and so on.

Provide correct information at customs because they can confiscate your drone in no time, and you will not be able to get it back soon.

If the officers at the airport realize that you are going to South Africa to do something wrong with your drone, then you are doomed and unable to travel to South Africa.

What do you need to do before bringing a drone to South Africa?

On the planet Earth, if you talk about privacy, everybody will always want to keep it secure. It is the reason why there are so many drone rules in the world. So if you want to keep your drone safe from the authorities, then you will need to keep secure the privacy of others.

The authorities’ only purpose is to ensure national safety is maintained and the safety of the people is also secured. It is why when you are flying your drone in South Africa, any officer can come to you and ask you a couple of questions.

Now, I have demonstrated why it is essential to do some good things before entering South Africa with your drone. The first step is to call or contact the CAA(Civil Aviation Authority) and ask if you can fly your drone in South Africa.

In so many other countries flying a drone is banned, especially if we talk about specific cities. Then our own new york city doesn’t allow drone pilots to fly the drones there. The reason is that drone pilots make daily mistakes and must follow the rules.

In South Africa, it is not the same; if you make a mistake, you, your drone, or your property will be at risk. So all you need to do is contact the CAA and ask them about every question you have in your mind or answer every question the authority asks you.

The contact information is on the official website here. You open the contact us page and get all the vital information.

What are the rules for flying a drone in South Africa?

Get ready because I will unpack all the essential rules you must follow before bringing the drone to South Africa and after bringing the drone to South Africa. The important ones are below:

The first rule is getting permission from the SACAA(South Africa Civil Aviation Authority). You will need to obtain permission from them in the way of an email or a fax mail. Whatever method they use, you must always keep it because that is your only proof.

After you have passed all of the clearance and customs, you will need to understand the government’s rules for drone pilots.

If you are only a traveler to South Africa and want to make some memories with this country, remember that you are a recreational drone pilot and do not earn a single penny with your drone footage. In this case, you do not need to get a permit from the civil aviation authority.

You will be asked about your drone by customs or airline agencies. So my advice to you is no matter what kind of drone or what kind of pilot you are, you must contact the civil aviation authority and get all of the clearance.

Now as a recreational drone pilot, it doesn’t mean that there are no rules for you. Your rules are below.

As usual, flying a drone at night in South Africa is not allowed, and you are only allowed to fly your drone in the daylight, specifically in the daytime when there is no windy, cold, or hot weather.

In South Africa, only one authority has the power to fly the drone beyond the visual line of sight: the military. You will violate laws if you dare to fly your drone far from the visible line of view. You should always keep your drone 500 meters away from you.

As usual, you can only fly your drone 400 feet higher in height and not beyond it. Please, it will help so much if you keep your drone away from people, buildings or roads, or other objects at least 50 meters.

I have said before there are so many airports in the country that you must keep your drone at least 10 kilometers away from them. You are not allowed to fly your drone within the airport’s boundaries.

There are so many historical and other government-related places that are very restricted for drone pilots, and you should not dare to fly your drone in those places.

READ MORE: Can you bring a drone to Germany?

What are the rules for the commercial drone pilot?

The South African government is very aware and strict about commercial and recreational drone pilots. Look, if you make a single penny no matter what with your drone or intend to make money with your drone, and you are a recreational drone pilot, then you will be in big trouble.

The South African government does not allow mistakes while flying a drone, whether you are a commercial or a hobbyist drone pilot. If you are using your drone too much in South Africa, making social media accounts, and selling videos, then you are a commercial drone pilot.

Now the thing is, there is a trend in social media in which you can make money by selling videos or just making vlogs on youtube channels, and people are making money with it no matter if the channel is monetized or not. Please do not post any of the videos made by your drone on social media to earn something.

So it is the most significant rule for you now let’s come to the second one. It would help if you were at least 18 years old. If you are smaller than that, you are not eligible to be a commercial drone pilot and can’t register your drone.

If you want to be a successful drone pilot in South Africa and fly your drone without issues, then the first thing you will need to learn is the English language. Second, you have passed your medical reports and should be physically perfect.

What are the drone rules for the recreational drone pilot?

If you are a traveler in South Africa and are a drone pilot, there are also some drone rules for you. The rules are not so strict, but you must follow them. In South Africa, if a person flies his drone for himself and does not sell the videos or the photographs, he is a recreational drone pilot.

He is not a commercial drone pilot; he makes videos or even flies for fun. Now people think that they can create videos anywhere and upload them on their youtube channels, and nobody will know, and it is not bad.

But my friend, you will monetize your videos with the youtube monetization program and earn money with those videos, so somehow it means you are creating the videos for a commercial purpose.

It is a big mistake, and so many of my friends and drone pilots ask me to tell them about this specific topic. So you do that only when you are in South Africa.

Now let me give you another example. If you are flying your drone in any farmer’s field in South Africa and helping him with his crop, you are again a commercial drone pilot.

All over the world, using a drone in the agriculture field for commercial purposes, and the officers of South Africa’s authorities will consider you were hired as an agricultural drone pilot.

Always fly your drone in a good way, do not for too much fun, and start recklessly flying. Keep your drone always in your line of sight in South Africa. As a commercial drone pilot, you are also not allowed to fly your drone at night or in other hard to fly weather.

Please check your drone twice before flying it and know whether it malfunctioned. If it is, then repair it. Do not fly your drone near people, buildings, vehicle moving or not, or any object that can get damaged.

Again as a commercial drone pilot flying your drone near or within the airport’s boundaries is not allowed, and the weight of your drone should be only or less than 7KGs. Once again, the same rule for the drone pilot not to fly near restricted places.

What are the best places in South Africa to fly a drone?

Please remember that the rules change, and places get restricted for drone pilots. So if you are thinking about flying your drone at a specific place in South Africa, then make sure you know every piece of information about that place.

The places I will share with you might be restricted or allowed, but I can tell you that they are so beautiful. Another easiness for you is that if you don’t know or can’t figure out what is good and allowed to place to fly a drone there, then you can use the specific apps.

I will not suggest the best apps here, but the app installed on your mobile phone by your drone company is better than the others. Use it and find a place that is not restricted. The app can be the B4Ufly app, DJI, and some others.

Table Mountain in Cape Town is one of the best places to fly a drone in South Africa. The stunning views of the city and the coastline are breathtaking from the top of the mountain.

Just follow the regulations the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) sets when flying your drone in this popular tourist destination.

Another great spot to fly your drone is the Kruger National Park. This wildlife sanctuary is home to some of the most amazing animals in the world, such as lions, leopards, elephants, and rhinos.

Imagine capturing footage of these majestic creatures from a bird’s eye view! But remember, it’s essential to respect the animals and their habitat and always follow the park’s regulations and guidelines.

How to get a drone flying license and also register the drone?

I can help you register your drone in South Africa with a step-by-step guide. Before we begin, ensure you have a credit card and internet access and are at least 18 years old with a driver’s license or ID book.

First, head to the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) website to register your drone. You’ll need to fill out a form depending on your intent, whether for new registration, change of ownership, or deletion due to an accident or export.

Be sure to answer all the questions, including who the drone’s owner is.

Suppose you plan to use your drone for commercial, corporate, or non-profit operations. In that case, you’ll also need an RPAS letter of approval (RLA) issued by the director and a registration certificate. You can find more information on this on the SACAA website or other sources.

Once you’ve completed the registration process and received your registration certificate, label your drone with your registration number. And voila! Your drone is now registered in South Africa. Remember always to fly your drone safely and responsibly, my friend. Happy droning!

Important FAQs

Final Thoughts

So it is concluded that you can bring your drone to South Africa. What basic rules must you follow to fly your drone perfectly in South Africa? No, make sure you do not make videos of South Africa with your drone for commercial use.

If you have any other queries, can you bring a drone to South Africa? Then make sure you visit the comment box and put your thoughts in it about this article.

Did you get all the information that you want to know about flying a drone in South Africa?