Iceland's Drone Rules Explained : Upcoming Changes & Avoiding Expensive Fines

Can you fly a drone in Iceland? What drone rules in Iceland should you follow and what drone restriction Iceland has? Let's take a look what the law says and make sure you're all set for flying drone in Iceland.
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Iceland Transport Authority
→ www.icetra.is/aviation/drones/
The Environment Agency of Iceland
→ www.ust.is/english/
And always check the weather forecast!
→ en.vedur.is
Drone Registration (for now only needed for commercial purposes)
→ flydrone.is/register
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:22 Drone Rules Explained
02:36 Drone-free zones & protected areas
04:47 Upcoming Changes
#iceland #droneiceland #janiniceland

[@djskillzz215]

Great Info!!! I'll be sure to do my due diligence of research prior to my visit!!! Thanks For Sharing!!!

[@janiniceland]

Thanks! I’m glad I could help 🙏🏻

[@Poul.Ishoey]

Thanks👍

[@danieltr10]

Hi! Thank you for the video. I’m traveling next week to Iceland and I’m wondering if I need to register my drone (leisure only). It’s an old DJI Mavic Pro Platinum. Thanks!

[@janiniceland]

As far as I know, at the moment the registration is still not mandatory for recreational use. You can also keep an eye on the page of Icelandic Transport Authority - www.icetra.is/aviation/drones/frequently-asked-questions-faq/ Have a great time in Iceland!

[@eprohoda]

How’s life?-Jan,Bravo,excellent drone,

[@janiniceland]

All good! Thank you and regards from Iceland :)

[@andrewsantos4366]

Good information, do you have any tip where can we fly the drone? thank you for your informative video.

[@janiniceland]

Glad you like it! Honestly just anywhere as long as it's not protected area or there's no sign. Flying above where glacial river meets the ocean usually makes for some spectacular footage. Cliffs, waterfalls, gorges and lakes are fun too, just be careful, some places are often nesting spots for a birds and they can get very aggressive

[@John_McFadden]

Hi Jan. Thanks for posting this really informative video. If you don't mind, can you please tell me the name of the location with the two mountain peaks in the introduction at 0:05? Cheers!

[@janiniceland]

Hi John, I'm glad it was helpful! The mountain is called Eystrahorn and can be found in south-east of Iceland :)

[@John_McFadden]

@@janiniceland Thanks, Jan! I appreciate it.

[@happytriggerva927]

Thank you for making this video!! I wonder where the place in video at 0:05 and 3:37

[@janiniceland]

First is Eystrahorn mountain and the second one I have no idea (stock footage) but I'd guess somewhere in southern part of Iceland or Highlands

[@JPMNRB]

Hey great video, I am going to Iceland in about 10 days and I was wondering if it ts worth paying for the exemption in Iceland to flying in some of the tourist location like Reynisfjara or some of the waterfall. The price is like 250 USD.

[@janiniceland]

Thank you! Unless you know you necessarily need those shots, I personally wouldn't pay this and rather put these money towards something else. There are so many other spots and other black beaches and waterfalls where you can fly

[@JPMNRB]

@@janiniceland Thank you for the advice, I will just register my Avata since it weighs over 250 grams and enjoy the other parts of this beautiful country.

[@sagardedhia2009]

Hi Jan ..Is this drone registration implemented for leisure flying?

[@janiniceland]

Hey! It seems like it's still not mandatory for leisure flying.

[@tizianobarilli3733]

Hi, nice video. I wanted to ask you a few things about flying the drone in Iceland. How much does it cost to register as a pilot on the Icelandic Transport Authority website? Then I wanted to ask you if the drone could be used safely on the new volcano that has been created. In general, if you have any advice or rules that you feel like sharing, you would do me a favor. A thousand thanks

[@janiniceland]

So sorry about late reply! The registration is free. Flying at the volcano is a bit tricky - even though the previous eruption has now come to the end, it's the same story every time - there's a lot of signal interference, because there're so many people flying a drone. Hundreds of people have lost their drone there. And then there's a safety issue as there's also so much other traffic in the air - helicopters and planes. I guess that everyone who decides to fly at the volcano site should just be ready to possibly not get their drone back and to not fly too high up because of all the air traffic.

[@YaleWall]

I just registered as an American, and it was $40

[@janiniceland]

Thanks that's correct, i thought it was free. It is 5.500 ISK per registration@@YaleWall

[@stefanonicu9734]

@@janiniceland Their website states that if you fly for recreational use, registration is not necessary. Only commercial. Is that your case? I am a little confused now...

[@janiniceland]

@@stefanonicu9734 Hi Stefan, yes that is correct, you only need to register if you fly for commercial purposes.

[@Nairnpug]

Did you find out when the new laws come in? I’m heading out in April.

[@AlexCVisan]

As far as I have researched, 1st of March. I'm heading there on the 6th. Basically, on 1st March, Iceland will align with the new European EASA legislation that came out on 1st January 2024.

[@bryanlee6957]

Hi, I’m going to Iceland next week and I’m bringing my DJI 4 Mini Pro which weighs lesser than 250g. Does that mean that I don’t require to register with the Iceland Transport Authority?

[@janiniceland]

Hey Bryan, yes that's correct. If it's only for leisure then you don't have to register. And when flying just follow the general rules mentioned in the video

[@bryanlee6957]

@@janiniceland thank you sir!

[@BrainzIOW]

Am I right in thinking that the rules have just changed so much stricter now?

[@janiniceland]

do you mean stricter than it used to be few years back? I guess so. But I guess it just makes sense since there're so many tourists here now. i've recently seen a guy hover few meters right above crowd of people at one busy spot here, it's just a matter of time before we see more restrictions

[@mirkoema]

Yes it is difficult to see the sign because in every country there are official maps on where to fly and where not to… except iceland… its also an EASA country but still… no european rules and no maps… 😂